San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge from Vista Point

The Bay Bridge from the Embarcadero

Gwen and Charles, our fabulous hosts!

Alcatraz

Three stories of cells at Alcatraz

We have been to San Francisco several times for business and for pleasure. However, on this trip we discovered parts of San Francisco that we did not know existed thanks to our friends Gwen and Charles who recently moved into the city. Away from the touristy places around Fisherman's Wharf is a more quiet and more beautiful section of the city on the water near the Bay Bridge. On the weekend, the area around the Bay Bridge is where the locals go to walk, ride bikes, skate board, enjoy outdoor cafes, and shop at outdoor markets. There are many small restaurants serve great food without the crowds.

The one tourist thing we had never done was to visit Alcatraz. Fortunately, Gwen and Charles were up for spending part of the day as tourists so we took a cruise to Alcatraz to tour the prison. The weather was fantastic so we had great views of the city, the bridges, and the prison from the boat. The tour of the prison was a very interesting audio tour which was narrated by former prison guards and former prisoners. It was fascinating to hear stories first hand from folks that had lived them.

San Francisco is always a great city to visit. We learned it is even more enjoyable if you get off the tourist track and find where the locals hangout.