Onto happier times. The first thing we did was catch the F-line streetcar down to the Castro, San Francisco's historic gay district. We wandered around, amused by all the funny business names laced with double entendres (Hot Cookie - a bakery. The Sausage Factory - an Italian restaurant, etc. etc.). We saw the location of Harvey Milk's old camera store (now a homewares retailer). It was nice, and a very pretty part of town. But the whole place was very sleepy: many shops hadn't opened their doors and not a whole lot was going on.
So after a while we hopped on a bus bound for Golden Gate Park, which took us on perhaps the most scenic bus route in San Francisco. We had great views of the Bay and the hills before heading down through Haight-Ashbury to the entrance to the Park. We were surprised at how massive and sprawling it was: San Francisco tourist maps compress the western half of the city for some reason, making it appear only a third of its true size on every diagram we had seen. We didn't even make it through half the place before we had to head back to the hostel. We did manage to see the entrance to the Japanese Tea Garden (free entry having closed and me having run out of small bills), the museums and amphitheatre in the middle of the whole thing. Plus we saw squirrels. That was neat. Like many animals, they remind Zarah of her cat.
Anyway, we headed back to the hostel to regroup before heading back out. We made our way to Coit Tower, built in honour of a woman who loved to follow fire trucks or something? The history eluded me during our visit. But the 360 degree views of San Francisco and the Bay were spectacular and well worth the $5 admission and the trek through San Francisco's tackiest gift shop.
We waited and waited for the no.39 bus to return to the top of the tower (the long, lonely walk to the bottom appealed to no one). We then raced to pier 33 to catch our ferry to Alcatraz Island. Pictures will tell the story of the place better than I can. We were on a night tour which - frankly - we had expected to be spookier (though the old prison hospital was lit like a horror movie set).
Still, it was fun and informative and well worth the effort even if it is freaking freezing out there. Plus, on the way over, we saw a bunch of US Navy boats on some kind of training exercise. And they waved!
Also, Alcatraz had San Francisco's best gift shop. They even sell copies of The Rock there!
(Zarah: The best part was the view of San Francisco after dark - I wish I had more time to take a proper photo, but below is an attempt to capture the lights before we boarded the ferry.)
Anyway, that's about it. Sorry for the brief post, but I think I hit all the major points. Check back soon for more fun and exciting adventures!
That city pic is amazing! Where'd you take the photos of the river & forest? They're gorgeous too
ReplyDeleteThanks Em! The city was taken from Alcatraz Island, and the forest/pond pics were taken at Golden Gate Park.
ReplyDelete