Like a Hurricane
The weather warnings had continued on our visit to San Francisco so we decided to bring our Alcatraz trip a day earlier then planned which proved a good move as the storms did arrive again, closing the National Parks including the Island so we just made we made it! The trip to Alcatraz has been on our bucket list for such a long time and it exceeded all our high expectations.
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| Alcatraz, San Francisco |
We’d watched the famous ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ (1971) as part of our thorough(!) research into the history of the island. Experiencing that story unfold in front of your eyes in the actual surroundings of this haunted place was something special. The prison has remained almost untouched in the 40 years since it’s closure. As such it doesn’t take much imagination to throw yourself back into the claustrophobic cells of Frank Morris (played by Clint Eastwood) and his fellow escapees complete with escape-enabling paper Mache heads, albeit replicas.
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| Alcatraz Lighthouse, San Francisco |
The cell block audio tour is excellent and takes you through the stories of the numerous escape attempts, day to day life and the famous inmates, including Al Capone who ended his days here. The main thing that struck me was how compact the prison was. The library, the dining hall, solitary cells and the iconic exercise yard overlooking the San Francisco Bay are all adjacent to each other, no more than a five-minute walk in-between each area. There were no secrets to be had in this dangerous place, which makes the stories of the escapes even more beguiling.
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| Alcatraz cell block, San Francisco |
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| Alcatraz watch tower, San Francisco |
The Presidio of San Francisco is a large sprawling green space that occupies a huge swathe of land in the west of the city. There you’ll find hiking trails, woodlands and interestingly the Lucasfilm headquarters, the entrance of which is marked by a Yoda statue adorning a fountain. Ask politely and you’ll be allowed to take a sneak peak into the reception of George Luca’s workshop and check out the other Star Wars figures.
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| Yoda Fountain, Lusafilm Head Quarters, San Francisco |
At the east entrance to the Presidio is the stunning Palace of Fine Arts, built as a symbol of the city's recovery from the devastating 1906 earthquake. It's inspired by an engraving of a Roman ruin reflected in a swimming pool and it certainly has a grandiose air.
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| Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco |
All paths through the Presidio lead to the Golden State Bridge and our original plan was to cycle across the 1.4 mile expanse and head to Sausalito, but the unpredictable weather called for a re-think. We crossed the bridge on foot which was a breath-taking experience and gave us a lofty view of the sadly, run-down Lime Point Lighthouse on the north shore.
A drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands to take in the iconic Point Bonita Lighthouse was also curtailed as the storms returned with a vengeance and all the local national parks were closed as a result.
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| Bay front, San Francisco |
But the ferries were still running so we headed to the pier and braved a choppy thirty-minute trip across the Bay to Sausalito. The town is a key destination for the biking trailers but there wasn't one to be seen today on the soggy waterfront. It’s a very nice seaside town to explore, even under heavy grey skies, with lots of nice shops and plenty of options to grab some lunch.
The rain had stopped by the time we caught the ferry back so we could sit outside on the top deck and enjoy different views of Alcatraz, the Golden gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline.
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| Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco |
San Francisco is very walkable city, despite the hills. And you have a historic solution to that problem that is a must see on any visit. The wooden cable cars are great fun and we managed to jump on and off a few cars despite fallen trees closing some lines.
At Lombard street is the fabulous windy road section made famous by the incredible Steve McQueen car chase in the film 'Bullitt' (1968). The nearby San Francisco Cable Car Museum is free and an excellent place to visit. It’s a working museum which houses the Washington/Mason cable car barn and powerhouse, so you can see up close the huge engines that drive the incredible feat of engineering of the subterranean cable system that keeps the trams on the move.
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| San Francisco Cable Car Museum |
A pleasant stroll from the cable car museum is the iconic Coit Tower which is houses murals capturing the hardships of the Great Depression period when the tower was built. From the enclosed viewing platform you can enjoy great 360 views of San Francisco.
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| View from Coit Tower, San Francisco |
The tower was the perfect place to reflect on the welcoming city of San Francisco. From the airport to the hotels, from diners to public transport, we enjoyed friendly hospitality across the board in this laid back city. It's a place in which you you can very quickly acclimatise and feel at ease exploring all the different neighbourhoods. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, despite the unprecedented storms, and we're already planning our return.
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| Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco |
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