Our Hearts Are in San Francisco

San Francisco has been a favorite place since our first visit here some 25+ years ago.  This is only my second visit, Wayne's fifth.  It's a lovely city and it's as nice now as it was the first time we were here.  Some of our favorite places, old and new...

Embarcadero and the Wharf Area

Ferry Building - Built 1898. With chiming clock tower. The tower survived earthquakes of 1909 and 1989.
Before the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate in the 1930's, this terminal was second busiest in the world, bringing people across the bay into San Francisco.  (Charing Cross Station in London was busier). 
Electric lines for bus and trolley can be see above the street approaching.

The Cannery Building. In 1907 it was Del Monte Plant #1.
It was the largest peach canning facility in the world.
During it's peak, 200,000 cans of peaches were sealed, by hand, per day and employed over 2500 workers.
It is now a marketplace.

Ghirardelli. Famous for chocolate.
Named for Italian founder, Domingo Ghiradelli, in 1852.
This building not oly survived the 1906 earthquake; it returned to full production within 10 days.
It's been a marketplace since 1964.

Beach across the street from Ghiradelli. 
This water is ICE cold and there are lots of people out there swimming. 
Idiots. No sothernern would do that.



Barbary Coast Trail markers



Fisherman's Wharf. Large crab for sale today.



At the Maritime Museum - Pier 45
USS Pampanito - WWII Submarine
Behind it: A Liberty Ship -   O'Brien 



Fisherman's Wharf
This old sign is famous

Fisherman's Grotto is the oldest restaurant on the wharf -- 1953 I think I saw somewhere.

Lombard Street

Crowds of tourists stand at the top and the bottom of Lombard Street. It's the world's crookedest street.

It zig-zags eight hairpin turns all the way down single block on Russian Hill. The street's design was born of necessity in 1922 to negotiate the steep 27% grade. Lombard Street is 1/4 mile long and is paved with red brick. In Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film, Vertigo, Jimmy Stewart's character, Scotty Ferguson, supposedly lived at 900 Lombard Street.  I don't think it's on this part of Lombard however.

About half way down. Coit Tower can be seen in the distance.

Houses and Architecture

I didn't make a note of any of these addresses. 

The houses here are all so pretty. This is just a few for the sampling...

This building is actually on Nob Hill but I stuck it in with architecture because of the ornate front.

Alcatraz

Known as "the rock" tiny Alcatraz Island has served as a lighthouse, military fortification, military prison and a federal prison. In 1963, by order from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the prison was closed.  Two reasons caused the closure: the $10 per inmate, per day expense was $7 more than average.  Sewage from the inmates were polluting the water and San Francisco. 

The property is now a National Recreation Area.

Golden Gate Bridge

There's no reason to write anything about the Golden Gate Bridge -- except this: Painting of the bridge is an ongoing project. Never ending. It is always being painted.  It's that big a project.

Buena Vista

America's first Irish Coffee was served here in 1952.
This famous restaurant is a favorite of ours.

Coit Tower

This 210 foot tower was built in 1933 with money bequeathed by Lillie Hitchcock Coit.

Murals of early San Francisco are painted on the interior walls.  

The tower was built to honor the many deaths from the earthquake and fire of 1909.

It is an Historical Landmark.

View from Coit Tower property

View of the Golden Gate from Coit Tower property.

Downtown

The TransAmerica Tower.
Electric transportation powerlines overhead.
The city is full of these lines.



The Sentinel Building - near the TransAmerica Tower.
The restaurant on the first floor is Francis Ford Coppola's "Zoetrope"



Transit

Rail car

World famous trollies

Nob Hill

Entry to Mark Hopkins Hotel

The Flood Mansion. It's now a private club. 

Fairmont Hotel

Grace Cathederal

Cliff House, Seal Rocks and Lands End

Another favorite restaurant of ours. Cliff House near Seal Rocks and Lands End.

Sunsets are beautiful from the Cliff House Restaurant dining room.

Seal Rocks. Called that because seals really do climb up on them for a bit of afternoon sun.

Taken at Lands End. Golden Gate in the background.

Oakland Bay Bridge



Leaving the city, traffic is routed this way.
If "the big one" hits, we'll be flattened to a pancake and never found.
Ugh. I simply hate tunnels and bridges.

This is a view of the lower level of vehicle traffic on Oakland Bay Bridge. Traffic going into San Francisco is on top of us! Horrors.