Interesting and Beautiful Sculptures and Murals in San Francsco

Location - Embarcadero Cnetre, San Francisco

One of my most favourite activities while visiting other cities is looking for local interesting and beautiful sculptures, wall murals and taking pictures of them. as I come across them.

For the past weeks while I was visiting in the United States, I was able to capture some of the interesting sculptures.

Here they are:

Ghandi - San Francisco

I was happy to find quite a few pieces of  marvelous sculptures in downtown San Francisco.

 On the left is Gandhi's  sculpture - located in the ferry terminal of San Francisco.

 

Location - Downtown San Francisco

Location - Downtown San Francisco

Location - Fisherman's Wharf

Location - Downtown Oakland

It was unplanned trip but when I went to Oakland.


I was pleasantly surprised to see these beautiful art pieces in downtown Oakland which only took me a 20 minute subway ride to get there from San Francisco.

This interesting and modern sculpture is located in the
City Centre of Oakland.








R.T.
March, 2013
San Francisco, California

Holding onto my Dear Life on the Cable Car Ride, San Francisco

A Cable Car being turned around on Market Street, San Francisco

 The cable car ride in San Francisco is world famous!


I often see pictures of people riding on the cable cars with half of their bodies hanging out of the car. How dangerous was that?

Tourists pay to have themselves dangling from the cable car

Would people not fall off the cable car? Would they not get hurt?

In these days of age when lawsuits are so common, why would a cable car company allow their passengers crowd onto their cars and risk the possibility of getting hurt and be sued?

These questions puzzled me for the longest time. This time I wanted to ride the cable car and found out these answers for myself.

A long line up for the cable car ride

Street musician made the long wait more tolerable!

I went to the Market Street on Fisherman's Wharf and got my one way ticket for $6.00. ( or you can start the cable ride at the Market Street downtown,)

There was a long lineup in front of me, about a hundred people waiting patiently for the ride.








Fortunately, the wait was made a little more tolerable as a couple street musicians were either drumming on their guitars or backed up by their sound equipment.

Sock, the musician provided much entertainment to the crowd with his blue style singing.

I really enjoyed the songs and therefore did not mind the wait at all for the cable car ride.

Street musician entertaining the young audience.

Sock also pulled out his bubble tricks and delighted the younger audience with funny stories and interesting questions.

After about 20 minutes' wait, I got on the cable car.

Though I could have sat down, I chose to stand on the outside step of the cable car because I wanted to experience the thrill of riding the cable car hanging on to the post like I had seen so many times in magazines.

Safety Rules for riding a Cable Car

Hanging to the post with my dear life I did, when the cable car went downhill on one of its steep hill streets on its route.

 I wrapped both arms around the metal post and held onto it as tight as I could as the street scenery of San Francisco opening up in front of me.

It was a little scary though!

What happened if the operator failed to brake fast enough and the cable car plunged down the steep street and fall straight into the ocean?









What happened if the brake did not work? These thoughts crossed my mind as the cable car inched downhill.

I was relieved that the car was in the excellent hands of the Gripman who had the safety of his passengers as his utmost priority. He also acted as the safety officer on the cable car enforcing the safety rules.

I saw him refusing passengers trying to board the car because there were no seats; he also prevented a mother from  letting her 4-5 year old child standing on the outside step though she argued with him. What a silly mother risking her child's safety for a ride for which she was not ready.

 Fortunately, the cable car ran at a speed good enough for passengers to take a decent tour of some of the down town streets and safe enough for us to ride standing up and holding onto the outside posts so that we could ride the cable car safely and have another new experience in this lovely city!

R.T.
March, 2013,  San Francisco

Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park – A Must See for Visitors

Whenever I read about San Francisco, the Japanese Garden in the Golden Gate Park is always mentioned in the same breath.

 We were in San Francisco in 1995 but we did not visit the Japanese Garden nor the Golden Gate Park due to the issue of time constraint. We thought a park was just a park. There would be a lot of trees and green space.

We have many beautiful parks in Canada and I go to  Central Park every time I am in New York. Why would I visit a park when I am in San Fransisco?  

I was very wrong! The Golden Gate Park is a a beautiful park with magnificent architecture. We got off the bus at the 10th Street entrance.

The Golden Gate Park is a big place and there are lots of things to see. We could have easily spent a whole day here taking our time to enjoy the natural beauty of this place and visiting some of the buildings within the park.

Unfortunately, due to other commitments,  we only had a couple of hours therefore we could only visit one place in the park.

We decided on the Japanese Garden simply because I heard so much about it.

There was  no charge going into the park. However, there was an admission charge of U.S.$ 7.00 for an adult for the Japanese Garden.

( If we had gone there on Mondays. Wednesdays or Fridays, it would have been free admission. A lot of savings for a family of 4 people!)

We were not disappointed!

Once inside the Japanese Garden, we felt as we were transported to a country somewhere in Asia far away.

Cherry blossoms were in full blooms.

While colourful pagodas were placed here and there in various parts of the garden; clusters of emerald green bamboo trees waved their slender leaves forming a perfect  backdrop for exotic flowers,  plants and shrubs.

















Small wooden and stone bridges placed strategically leading visitors to go carefully down the stony paths to explore the garden further.

Orangy gold fish swimming around lazily in the ponds along the garden paths.

Carefully manicured and meticulously trimmed dwarf  trees made us wonder how much work and labour of love are needed to maintain this lovely tranquil garden.    

An open Asian style wooden tea house is a welcome sight for the tired and thirty visitors who could order food and drinks and rest under its roof or play a board game or two on the patio tables.

Visitors could order food and choose from an assorted array of Japanese tea from the menu.

We had miso soup sandwiches, Japanese dessert and  green tea. It was delicious!

We wished we could have spent more time at the Golden Gate Park, but the visit to the Japanese Garden was definitely worth the time of getting there.

The Golden Gate Park is a must to see in San Francisco!

R.T.
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

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.

Pier 39 - I wished I knew there were Sea Lions here on our last visit!

Pier 39 - Fisherman's Wharf, San Fransisco

After I got off the ferry from the Port of  Oakland  to San Fransisco, I was going to rent a bike to ride around and explore the nearby parks and attractions. Since I was traveling alone most of the time, I needed to be aware of getting back to the hotel before it got dark.

I decided to stay close to the Holiday Inn vicinity  and  explore what Fisherman's Wharf had to offer. The San Fransisco waterfront  is a sizable area and there are many piers numbered from 1 to 41 ( The highest numbered pier I saw was 41, there might be a Pier 43, not sure.)

The Busiest Pier at Fisherman's Wharf -  Pier 39

If you are making plans to meet with friends at the pier, you'd better ask them what is the number of the pier. Because if you don't know the number , you would have a hard time finding the right pier.

A live family performance 

Walking along the Embarcadero Ave from the downtown area where Pier One starts, one can walk all the way to Pier 41 and at each pier, it offers something different. Some Pier offers a market place where visitors can shop while other piers offer restaurants and outdoor dining areas for food and drinks.

The busiest piers have to be Pier 33 - The Alcatraz Landing where tourists board the ferry and visit the Island Alcatraz and  Pier 39.

Pier 39 is a pretty outdoor shopping and  dining area with a boardwalk linking all the shops and retail space along the water. If you are looking for jewellery and decorations made with shells, this is the place; or you can purchase your own clam and pry it open for a real pearl inside its shells for $$14.99-19.99.

There are lots of restaurants where one could dine, have a beer, cool off with an ice cream, satisfy your hunger with delicious chowder and Californian seafood, admire creative art work, listen to some good music form both inside the bars and restaurants or from the street musicians performing at the entrance to Pier 39. Visitors could catch a free live children's performance behind the stage of the carousel. There were a lot of people visiting the day I was there.

A great place to view the San Fransisco Bay

For youngsters needing something more adventurous,  Pier 39 has a carousal and other rides.

For photographers, there is a spacious viewing platform where visitors could have an excellent view of the San Fransisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, the Alcatraz and their surrounding areas.

The most exciting discovery for me

was coming across the Marine Mammal Centre at Pier 39 by chance.

There seemed to be something exciting going on at the dock area as I saw lots of people congregating and leaning against the railing looking at something out on the water.

As I walked closer, I was pleasantly surprised to find a hundred or so sea lions laying on the docks, enjoying the sunshine and sleeping on top of one another and making noises at the same time.

Sea Lions resting/ sleeping on the docks at  Pier 39

It was most interesting watching such a large number of sea lions in their natural habitat interacting with each other in a non captive environment.











The baby sea lions nuzzling against their parents while the older ones jumping into the water for a dip from time to time.

These sea lions have been swimming to and staying on the docks at Pier 39  on their own free will since the early 1990's.

Fisherman's Wharf at Dusk

Pier 39 - A great place for a family outing especially those members who love animals!

Another bonus for visiting Pier 39 - there is no admission charges for watching the sea lions! This is a free attraction for the whole family.


Visitorscan stay here as long as they want watching the sea lions interacting with each other and observing their behaviour.

I wish we knew about this when we were last time.We missed all these great family attractions. Our two sons would have really loved it!


R.T. ,  Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf
San Fransisco, California

I got an Alcatraz ticket on the same day of the tour!

The Alcatraz Island, San Fransisco, California

I got a ticket to Alcatraz at the last minute and paid regular price! !  Persistence pays off!

As soon as I found out I was going to San Francisco a little more than a week ago, I started making plans of what I wanted to see when I got here.

Alcatraz - an infamous Federal Prison until the 1960's

Alcatraz, America’s once most infamous prison, was on the top of my list. I read on line and learned from various travel sources and blogs that : Alcatraz is a very popular attraction and tickets are usually sold out days in advance.

While waiting for other people's response, I could not decide on which date. I figured I would buy my ticket as soon as I got to San Francisco.  On the day I arrived, I went to my hotel concierge who told me that the Alcatraz tour tickets were all sold out. The earliest I could get one would be for April 5 but I would have gone home by then!

Alcatraz - Once was used as a fortress to defend S.F.

I inquired other tour companies and was told consistently that tickets had been sold out days in advance.

However, I could get a combo tour package for $90.00 which would allow me to catch the Alcatraz tour as well as a cable car ride and another tour of which I had no interest. I kicked myself for not ordering the ticket online at least two weeks before I got here.

Feeling defeated but desiring to learn more about this infamous prison, I went to Pier 33 - Alcatraz Landing at the Fisherman Wharf. I strolled around looking at the displays, pictures and reading the explanations.

At the entrance to the ticket booth, a big sign read:

"Next Available Tour - Sunday"

It was Thursday when I went to the Alcatraz Landing at Pier 33. I was really mad at myself this time.

 

A Ranger Greeted us on the Alcatraz Island

This meant if I had come here to purchase a ticket as soon as I arrived, I could have gotten one. But I went to the hotel concierge and got the information that there were no tickets available.

Always willing to take a risk by asking, I went up to the ticket agent at the booth and asked to buy a ticket.

The same answer was given to me - all tickets were gone; the next available tour would be this Sunday.

Alcatraz- A former federal penitentiary - now part of the National Park Services

The outdoor exercise area for former inmates

The ticket agent stopped there and did not say anything else. But I saw a tiny sign on a stick in front of the ticket window. It read something like this:

"There is a limited number of tickets sold each day to visitors. It is first come first served, People must be present to purchase their tickets."

I confirmed this information with the ticket agent and she said it was true. The ticket booth would open at 7:30 a.m. but I needed to be there  bright and early as these tickets would be gone fast.

Along with other visitors like these early birds, I got a ticket to Alcatraz!

I was happy! I was determined to see Alcatraz on this trip but unwilling to pay an overpriced ticket. I went back to the hotel, set three alarms on my cell phone to wake up at 5:30am the next day.

I did wake up before the sun came up, called a taxi and got to Pier 33 at 6:10a.m. There were already people lining up for the tickets. A family with a couple of teens even brought their sleeping bags and were sleeping on the ground waiting for the ticket booth to open.

I was about the 12th person in line. Yes, I was sure I would get a ticket! As the sun started to peek through the dense morning fog, more people arrived. Some did exactly what I did; they came by taxi to ensure that they got here early enough to get a ticket.

I did get a ticket!!!

At 7:30a.m the ticket booth opened and I got a ticket to the Alcatraz at the regular price of $30.00. I was very proud of myself of getting this ticket without overpaying for it!

Other Building on the Alcatraz Island

The Alcatraz tour was an interesting one that lasted about two hours including the ferry rides.

The self guided audio tour gave a vivid recount ( including sound effects)  of the two most infamous attempted prison escapes at Alcatraz.

After the tour, visitors could take their time going through the different displays, walk on the ground, peer through the narrow secured prison windows, visit the gift shop or enjoy a picnic lunch on the dock area.

Former inmates from their cells could see and hear the sights and sounds of San Francisco across the other side.

I learned many interesting facts and myths about Alcatraz this time. Someone told me that no prisoner could escape from Alcatraz alive because of :

1. The frigid temperature of the water
2.  When prisoners jumped into the water, it sucked them down into the bottom of the water

True or myth? I don`t know. But it was surely an interesting experience at the Alcatraz!

R.T.
Alcatraz, San Francisco