San Francisco Walking Tour
by Corrine
(Iowa)
In 2002 my husband and I, along with our son, went to San Jose, California to visit my husband's younger brother. Our day spent in San Francisco was the highlight of our entire trip.
In San Francisco, we met my husband's 80-year-old sister from northern California who was with her two daughters and her granddaughter. Following the recommendations of those who lived there, we all took the cable car up the hills and into the city. We then disembarked and walked our way back to Fisherman's Wharf.
Walking was a truly delightful way to see the sights. I'm sure we would never have noticed the stores and details we saw if we had been riding in a vehicle.
Our favorite was Chinatown. We found souvenirs for everyone back home there at reasonable prices. We went into Chinese grocery stores which were unbelievably crowded with everyone pushing, shoving and yelling. It was a real culture shock for us.
Back down on the wharf we sampled local snacks before walking back up the hills to a secluded Italian restaurant that served wonderful food in a very kid-friendly atmosphere.
After lunch we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge which was a fabulous experience albeit a very chilly one. The cold Pacific wind sweeps through the bay and whips the bridge, so we were glad we had jackets, even though it was the middle of July.
We decided we needed to spend a 2nd day in San Francisco in order to see the things we wanted to see, so we went back the next day. One of the things my husband and son really wanted to see was Alcatraz, so the first thing we did was book onto a tour. We were surprised that early in the morning like it was, the earliest tour we could get tickets to was at 3:45. Thank goodness my brother-in-law new the ropes.
To pass the time we took a charter boat ride around the bay. We had brought jackets along knowing it would be chilly, but the boat's captain also passed out heavy blankets to each of his passengers, and we found them to be a very welcome addition to our trip. It was a fun excursion that allowed us to see the bay, the bridge, and Alcatraz from different perspective.
We hadn't spent any time on the Fisherman's Wharf yet, so we spent the afternoon browsing through the shops, and then boarded our tour boat at the appointed time. It was a hot July afternoon, but you'd never have known it on that boat ride. Once at "the Rock", we found that the only way to tour Alcatraz was on foot. By this time our feet were getting a little weary, but we plodded upward. The prison itself sits high on the island, and as we marched on we tried to imagine convicted men who had trudged up that hill to the place they would have to call home indefinitely, and maybe even for the rest of their lives.
The prison is in pretty bad shape, but it was easy to see that even in its heyday it was no thing of beauty. Grey concrete walls, floors, cells. It was cold and damp in there, too. The worst place at the prison was the exercise yard. From that tiny, frigid area the convicts viewed the only sunshine they got to see. They were also forced to stare at the nearby city -- so close and yet so far. We were very glad that we were able to leave.
While we were in the area we took a side trip to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. That was a truly memorable experience to explore the dwelling that took Mrs. Winchester a lifetime to build according to her own whims and superstitions.
Tips for your San Francisco visit....
Anyone who visits the bay area needs to be sure and take good walking shoes and heavy jackets, because they are necessities when seeing the sights. We left believing that there is nowhere on earth like San Francisco. Too bad it costs so much to live there!
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