San Francisco: Cable Cars, Biking, & Baths
Sometimes when you travel, you do something that is so memorable it’s permanently etched into your brain. For me and Darren, one of those experiences was bicycling across the Golden Gate Bridge. We hadn’t planned to do it, but we recommend it to everyone who has the opportunity.
This happened during a long weekend in San Francisco celebrating my younger brother’s 40th birthday. We stayed in a charming, restored hotel in the Tenderloin district which allowed us to do our wandering. After a check of my Fitbit, Darren and I realized we had walked 25 miles in two days, and San Fran is a bit hilly.
If you visit and have never seen Alcatraz, make sure it’s on your schedule and you book it well ahead of time. Not only do you get a fun boat ride in San Francisco Bay, you tour one of the most notorious prisons in history, and it does NOT disappoint. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison. In 1934, the island was converted into a federal prison, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. The currents around the island and ice-cold water temperatures made escape nearly impossible. Alcatraz closed on March 21, 1963, leaving the island a major tourist attraction today with nearly 1.4 million people visiting the island every year. It is now run by the National Park Service. Do the audio tour!
Missy Travel Tip: Bring Dramamine for the boat ride if you are prone to sea sickness. The water can be rough. Also, be prepared for a lot of walking. Alcatraz is a big island with lots to see, including stunning gardens.
Darren and I also did other “touristy” things, including the San Francisco Cable Car Museum, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Lombard Street, known as the World's Crookedest Street. And, yes, we did ride a cable car, even hanging off the side.
For a side trip, we Ubered to the Sutro Bath ruins on the Pacific Coast. The Sutro Baths was a large, privately owned public saltwater swimming pool complex in the Lands’ End area of the Outer Richmond District. Built in 1894, the structure burned down to its concrete foundation in June 1966. The ruins are located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Sutro Historic District. We had an ocean-front meal at the Cliff House and hiked around the ruins.
There is just so much to see in San Francisco. Historic Chinatown. Coit Tower. The Embarcadero. Pier 39 and its sea lions. In fact, that’s where we got the idea to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. There are companies with daily bike rentals, so we rode across the bridge to Sausalito where Darren and I browsed the shops and had a great lunch. Then we pedaled to the pier and caught a ferry back to San Francisco. An amazingly memorable day!
In fact, San Francisco has more to see than we could squeeze into our long weekend, but we did as much as we could, including a Giants baseball game. Another cool feature is the city’s trolley system. They purchased trolleys from cities that discontinued them but kept their original paint schemes. It’s like a trip through time.
Missy Travel Tip: Let me help you find a reasonable hotel rate and travel in the off season. San Francisco, for all its beauty and charm, is extremely expensive. If you can be within walking distance of most things, it will be worth it to spend a few extra dollars but be prepared for possible sticker shock.
