Beautiful Sights, But Where Oh Where is that Bridge

The driveway

In the morning today, we went for a drive to see some of the sights a little further from home.  The first hurdle was getting out of the driveway which as you can see is long and narrow behind a big heavy gate.  Every home in this area seems to have big gates and there is practically zero yard space.  We had to drive about six or seven blocks straight up one of those hills you see in the movies which was a little nerve racking 

Our shot of the Ladies

Postcard of the Painted Ladies with the City Background

Our first stop was at Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies.   This is a term used to describe colorful Victorian houses, but these in San Francisco are perhaps the most famous.  We had to get our shot quickly from up close because there was no parking in the area.  The shot below is the one you see on a lot of postcards.  These houses are around because they survived the 1906 earthquake being a little further out from the epicenter of the quake.


In the financial district, they are building a number of huge skyscrapers which seem to have lots of glass. If there is another large earthquake in the city the buildings might survive, but its going to rain glass all around these towers.

After visiting the Ladies, we drove through Haight Ashbury.  This area is known for leading the hippie movement in the 1960s.  In 1967, more than 100,000 hippies converged in this area for the Summer of Love.  For those my age and older, you may remember the song, San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in your Hair) which refers to this time.

The music of this era was good and had a message and the San Francisco sound was developed by groups such as Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, and the Steve Miller Band. 

A Colorful Reminder of the 1960s

Haight and Ashbury Streets

Conservatory of Flowers

We then visited Golden Gate Park, a huge rectangular park carved into the city that is the fifth most visited city park in the country with about 13 million visitors annually.  The city wanted a big park like Central Park in New York, so they planted over 155,000 trees here in the late 1800s and the park's been popular with the locals ever since.  We visited the Conservatory of Flowers which was built in 1879 and is one of the largest built with wood and glass, an architectural gem.  The butterfly exhibit was the highlight of this visit and it was a beautiful day to be out and enjoying nature.

Spreckles Temple of Music

Francis Scott Key Memorial

  

Three Beautiful Ladies

Airborne Water Lilly

Butterflies

We then drove to an Overlook adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge but Mother Nature was not cooperative today since the bridge was surrounded by fog most of the day.

Yeah Right, There is a Big Orange Bridge Right in front of me

There is something there

What we were supposed to see.

We then drove through the Presidio, a National Park, which was a military base for three nations for 218 years.  As the US was being founded in 1776, the Spanish set up a military base here, then it fell under Mexican rule, then it became a US base in 1846.  The beautiful Spanish style buildings are well preserved.

Beautiful vista from the Presidio

Our view from the bus

Then it was back home to dump the car and then get on the bus tour again. The first stop on the bus was the Palace of Fine Arts but the bus driver did not get us a good view of this structure as you can see below.  This beautiful structure dates to the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition held in San Francisco to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal and to showcase their rebuilding after the 1906 tragedy.  The Liberty Bell traveled from Philadelphia to be showcased at this exposition and it was the last time it ever traveled out of the city.

    

The Palace of Fine Arts

We then traveled over the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped at an overlook in Marin County where we could at least get a glimpse of the huge towers.  If you have just started reading this blog, read about the history of this iconic bridge.

The foghorns at the bridge were sounding all day and despite it being a beautifully sunny day the fog never fully lifted there. Our house is enough to the bridge that I can hear them as I write this piece.

On the Bridge

Bridge Tower

 Our next stop was in Sausilito, a nice little community across the bay.  We had a late lunch there at Scoma's Restaurant right on the water to celebrate Ida's birthday.  She had the best salad she ever had! Then we walked the shops before returning back to San Francisco.  There were panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline there and stunning views of the bay. 

View of San Francisco

Homes Built into the Cliffs in Sausilito

View of the Bay From Sausilito

Birthday Lunch With a View for Ida

Scoma's Restaurant

Back in the city, we had one last walk through Fisherman's Wharf and ate at Swiss Louis Restaurant  on Pier 39 for dinner.  On the way home this time, we walked along the bay through Fort Mason and along the park back home to rest for tomorrow's adventure.The Tsunami sign made us quicken the pace.

The Birthday Girl Enjoys Her Cake

Tsunami Warning Sign

Bridge View on the Way Home

View of Our Neighborhood from the Park