San Francisco, California
My Visit to San Francisco
San Francisco, the "City by the Bay", is truly a fun city to visit. There are many fun sites and attractions that I visited, and I had a great time there. Some of the incredible sites that I visited are Alcatraz, Fishermans Warf, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is, without a doubt, the symbol of San Francisco. Whenever you see a picture of it, you think "What an amazing structure, I wish I could go see it," and when you do see it in real life, you think it is even more amazing and want to find out who designed it. Well, the truth is that architect Irving Morrow designed it and he wanted it to be the orangish color it is because he thought it complemented the setting very well. You may think, as I did, that it is called the "Golden Gate Bridge" because of its color, but in fact it is called that because the prospectors called the entrance to the San Francisco Bay the "Golden Gate". I had a great time when I rode my bike accross it and got to look back at the beautiful skyline of San Francisco from the bridge, I highly recomend it.
Alcatraz
Alcatraz is, in my opinion, a "must-see" attraction when you go to San Francisco. When you first step in to the prision itself, you feel as if you have gone on to the set of the movie "The Rock," with Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery running around and killing all of the people that plan to blow up the city of San Francisco. It is truly a stunning place to visit. On the boat ride over you will get an excellent view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline. Originally, the island was occupied by the military as a fort, then it became, of course, Americas highest security prision that held some of our most infamous criminals, such as Al Capone and Robert Stroud. But most recently, is just serves as a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Fisherman's Warf
Fisherman's Warf is quite obviously one of San Francisco's main attractions. I had a great time when I visited the Warf. There are many very fun things to do on the warf such as shopping, eating, watching the street performers, and looking at the sea lions (pictured above). There are many fun specialty shops on the Warf where you can definitely find the perfect souvenir for yourself. It is nearly impossible to visit Fisherman's Warf without stopping at one of the excellent sea food restaraunts and having a great dinner. You can get an excellent bowl of clam chowder or make a great meal out of one of the huge Dungeness crabs sold at one of the many outdoor shops on the Warf. Another fun part about Fisherman's Warf is seeing all of the street performers. There are many mimes, musicians, and other people that will put on a little performance for some cash. The best part of Fisherman's Warf, though, is seeing the sea lions. They are very funny animals, and it will definitely be the highlight of your day to watch them play.