Traveling to San Francisco, California
San Francisco is home to Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz was a federal prison that housed Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, who were both very notorious criminals in the time period the prison was open. You can ride a boat to the island and tour the prison. While you’re there, you can pay for headphones and you’ll hear the real voices of prisoners telling about their time in prison.
San Francisco is also home to Golden Gate Park, which is 1,017 acres in size. There are many things to do there. There are walking and biking trails throughout the park. You can rent bikes to ride there. The de Young Museum, the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, and the California Academy of Sciences are all there. We went to the California Academy of Sciences while we were there. You can learn all about various types of scientific topics and there are also numerous marine animals housed there. There are also numerous daily programs on different science-related topics. Right next to Golden Gate Park is the famous Golden Gate Bridge. We crossed the bridge twice because we took the wrong turn trying to get somewhere. I am directionally challenged. If you want, you can also cross the Golden Gate Bridge unless you like heights. I imagine it would be a great view of the bay.
When we were there, we drove on the street which is called “the most crooked street in the world”, which is Lombard Street. It is also very steep. The street twists and turns like you’re following a snake down a hill. You can also walk through it too. As we drove down, there were a large number of people looking down the hill and walking down the hill as well.
There are too many things to list here of things to do in San Francisco. Here is my little list of things to do depending on the amount of time you are there and what kind of things you like to do and see. Pier 39 is located there, from where many of the tourist boat excursions depart. Pier 39 is where you can see a lot of sea lions. Their barking is very similar to that of a dog if you have never heard them. In addition, Pier 39 has many shops for souvenirs and numerous eating establishments.
A list of other things to see and do are Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Snow Lake, the famous San Francisco cable cars, and Boudin’s Bakery. Getting around San Francisco is challenging and parking is expensive. To get around, there are cable cars, buses, trams, trolleybuses, light rail and pedicabs. If you choose to drive your car around San Francisco, know that parking is quite expensive. Also, when you cross a bridge, expect to pay $4-$8 per car to cross the bridge. You only have to pay the bridge fee in one direction to cross the bridge.
Hotels in San Francisco are also quite expensive. When my family and I went, we stayed at a hotel in Pinole and it was about 15 miles from San Francisco. It was a decent hotel with a breakfast buffet and it was half the price of a hotel in San Francisco.
This is only a small part of the things you can do in San Francisco. It will depend on how much money you have to spend and, more importantly, the length of your vacation.