San Francisco Part II

Ah, the Golden Gate Bridge. It's so photogenic! It was fun seeing how many different angles we could view the bridge from. Whether driving across it, walking on it, looking up at it from below or looking down on it from above, we decided it is a beauty. It's enormous for starters, its lines are eye catching and its color a perfect contrast against any sky. We visited the bridge during a clear blue sky and the contrast was stunning.

I held the camera out the sunroof to get this shot- I love being a tourist!

One of several monuments at a rest stop and view point on the north side of the bridge.

Looking across the water at the Bay Bridge.

Walking on the bridge was fun, and of course involved some penny tossing.

There were quite a few animals in the water. These are most likely Pacific white sided dolphins or some sort of porpoise and we also saw sea lions.

Further down the road on the north side of the bridge is a beautiful little destination called Sausalito.

A great place to eat lunch in Sausalito is this hamburger joint. It's a little hole in the wall with a green awning that says "HAMBURGERS" and food fit for a king.

They cook over fire and the rotating grill is in the front window for your viewing pleasure.

Across the street is the waterfront and it's a great place to eat your lunch if you don't mind company.

On our way back towards the bridge we stopped at Fort Baker and made friends with this pelican.

The view of the bridge from the public fishing pier at Fort Baker.

The fort

Our next stop was way up high, at Fort Baker's Battery Spencer, one of several in the area.

Next up? The amazing Golden Gate Park. You could spend a week or more just in this San Francisco park. This is the Japanese Tea Garden. Beautiful, but if you are going to spend money in this park, I would suggest one of the museums, the Academy of Sciences (just scroll down and read the "Things to Do" list and try not to drool), the de Young Museum of fine arts (which was showing an art collection that included some Van Gogh while we were there), or any of the other attractions. I could go on and on! (Maybe I am?) We arrived at the park too late to do much other than the tea garden and walk around, but if we ever go back to San Francisco, I definitely want to visit this park again and plan ahead, arriving in the morning instead of closing time!

The Japanese garden had little paths to follow and these stepping stones across the streams were fun.

This burly looking old tree was gigantic!

Koi

I think this is part of the living roof of the Academy of Sciences.

The park is teeming with statues and monuments but my favorites are the fountains.

Dahlia Garden

Conservatory of Flowers

That evening we went back to the San Francisco waterfront for dinner. The lighting was just beautiful and the sign on this building caught my eye. Funny!

The next morning we drove down the steepest street ever- Lombard St (click to see a cool picture I didn't take.) Well, it's most likely not the steepest street ever, but it sure is steep! You can see the Coit tower in the distance.

This street has driveways and garages off of it too, definitely funny to see. To the far right in this photo is the beginning of someones driveway and you can see people standing in another driveway at the far left.

While I was standing here, a tour group riding Segways made their way down the street. It was hilarious to watch, but I bet that was one fun tour.

A different take on angle parking. Har har. Getting in and out was just a tad harder than normal! Don't door ding us please!!!!

Um, what is wrong with this picture? To save you from tilting your head and trying your best to figure it out......

....I'll just post this picture. That's better! Notice the grooves on the sidewalk. They are definitely useful. I think streets like this are probably the garbage truck's worst nightmare.

Coit Tower

The 360 degree view from up top was amazing. The tower is 210 feet tall and was built in 1933. The elevator is scary. That is all I will say.

The Mr. looking out over the water.

Next on our touristy list? An Alcatraz tour!

This guy hitched a ride.

Almost there.

The island was a penitentiary from 1934-1963 and you can read all about it here. Behind the penitentiary sign, it says"Indians Welcome." If you are wondering why, read this.

Care for a shower?

Not too comfy looking if you ask me!

A few of the famous bad-guys.

Now this photo may not look that interesting at first glance, but those markings in the concrete floor are actually marks left from grenades thrown during the most famous escape attempt from Alcatraz.

Several of the workers' families lived on the island with them and there was even a school there. When you walk around the island, you are led by an audio tour which tells you all sorts of cool things, it was really enjoyable. Each person has their own headset and can control the speed at which they take the tour. I would definitely recommend it, but give yourself 3-4 hours on the island even though many tourist websites list shorter times. It's worth it!

The red and white stripes in this plaque were altered by the natives that had occupied the island. Do you see the message? It reads "free."

Just a rusted old grill in a dilapidated concrete wall, but beautiful in my eyes.

The Mr. walking where prisoners once played baseball during their outdoor time.

The next morning we're on the road again! Where to next? Stay tuned!