Biking the Golden Gate Bridge &Tasting Interesting Foods at Fort Mason

Riding Across the Golden Gate Bridge is a Popular Activity

After I finished the Alcatraz Tour, it was about 2p.m. and there was still a whole afternoon left for me to explore San Fransisco.

Though I am not an avid cyclist, I decided to take the plunge and try to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge!!!

Why not?   I figured that I'd better do it now before I turn too old and frail to do anything.

So I went back to the hotel, grab my sun hat, knapsack,. and off I went  to the bike rental shop at Lombard Street and Columbus Street. The rental here was much cheaper than the bike shops at Pier 39. For a whole day of bike rental, it was $30.00 and it came with a helmet and a map.

The bike shop fellow was very friendly and he advised me to go down to Mason Street, and from there follow Jefferson Street all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, a popular route for many cyclists.

On the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, I cycled by a number of pretty and interesting places: Fort Mason, a historic fort, now a cultural event gathering place and Crissy Field, a quiet waterfront area where many of its residents biked, walked and jogged on the field.

Biking across the Golden Gate Bridge is a popular activity in San Fransisco

Biking to the Golden Gate Bridge was a great way for me to explore and see more of this famous coastal city.  The population of San Fransisico is much less than New York but it occupies quite a large area.  Though doable, without a car, it took me much longer  exploring the city on foot. But with a bike, I could go and see more places and the ride along the water was invigorating and refreshing.  On some steep hills, I had to get off the bike and walk it up to the top. I got plenty of exercises that afternoon and it was real good for my hamstrings.

Unfortunately,   the weather in San Fransisco for the past few days were cool and foggy hovering at the high 50 degree F.  I biked to the famous Golden Gate Bridge but could not see much either the bridge or the water below as it was all covered by heavy fog. However, standing on the world famous bridge, I realized how high I was above the ocean below me! I just wish I could have gotten a better look of this magnificent bridge, an engineering marvel!

Because of the heavy fog and it was getting late, I did not go across the entire bridge to the other side as I had planned. I wanted to make sure I could get back to the hotel before it was dark. I turned  and headed back to where I started.

Getting close to Fort Mason, I smelt delicious foods of all kinds and  heard great music coming from the ground. I decided to lock my bike and went in for something to eat.

Food trucks serving interesting street food at Fort Mason

Off the Grid - Takes place on Fridays from 5pm- 9pm

By chance, I came across this weekly Off the Grid Street Food event held at Fort Mason on Fridays from 5p.m.- 9p.m.

I went around and saw many interesting and new food items being served and sold by the numerous trucks on the ground of Fort Mason.

The place was jammed with people, young people in particular. It looked like many oi whom just got off work and were here to enjoy the start of their weekends.

What I really like about this place was the diversity of food served, the multicultural mix of people there as well as large numbers of chairs and tables set up for visitors to sit, talk, and enjoy their food.

I had been to many food events and festivals but very often there were not enough chairs and many people ended up standing most of the time and consequently, could not stay for too long to enjoy the event.

Fort Mason where the great event is held  -  A place to taste great foods and meet friends!

There were many creative food items being cooked up and served at the Off the Grid event. I wished I had more time to try a few more dishes. There were lineups for the food trucks. I got to taste a fresh halibut taco with a vegetable sauce, yummmmmy!   What I really wanted to try was a fried chicken Belgium Waffle sandwich served with a special Korean sauce.  The Off the Grid is a great place to try tasty new food at very reasonable price - food items from $5.00 for sandwiches to $10.00 for a hot dish, great prices indeed! However, the lineup was too long for me as I did not want to bike back in darkness and was watching the sun going down.

Being mindful of the time, reluctantly, I left Fort Mason which was pulsing with energy, vibrating with great music and attacking my senses with delicious fragrant foods.

I had an excellent day today as I got to visit three historical places - The Alcatraz,  Golden Bridge and Fort Mason!

R.T.
March, San Fransisco
Note: I did take pictures of the Off Grid event but unfortunately my pictures did not come out. I googled and got some pictures that represented the event.