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Back when Nancy and I were first married, we would always plan a summer trip to someplace that we had never been before just to recharge and relax for a bit.
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| A guide gives a tour of the San Francisco waterfront to visitors mounted on Segways in 2007. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE |
But in 2007, we found an affordable deal and chose to visit San Francisco, California for a week. It was certainly one of the most memorable trips of my lifetime and I’d love to go back someday.
Nancy and I had never been there before, and we found San Francisco to be charming and interesting. Our hotel was conveniently located in the Russian Hill district and there were plenty of available transportation options to get around the city.
During our first stop, we took a bus to the piers near Fisherman’s Wharf, a crowded commercial location teeming with vendors selling everything from T-shirts to fried shrimp. Nancy wanted to see Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, so we stopped in at a storefront that offered Alcatraz tour tickets on a sign in their front window. Unfortunately, the clerk told us that all the Alcatraz tickets for the next two weeks were sold.
We were disappointed, but as we continued walking around, we found a boat tour that sailed around Alcatraz Island and under the Golden Gate Bridge, and tickets for the next trip in 30 minutes were available. We took advantage of that opportunity and took as many photos out on the water as we could. The tour guide on the boat explained what each building on Alcatraz Island was used for at the old U.S. prison there.
Our boat excursion also offered us quite a laugh as we docked overlooking Pier 39. That’s the location where hundreds of 800-pound male sea lions like to spend the day lying around taking in the sunshine. It’s a sight that’s indelibly etched into my brain. The sea lions are rather loud creatures, and we were told that if you get close enough to them, you can really smell them too.
Returning to our hotel, we rested up from our busy day of activities before finding a great steakhouse to have dinner at within walking distance of our hotel.
The next day we traveled on one of San Francisco’s world-famous cable cars to the Shabby Chic Department Store. Nancy has always been a big fan of Shabby Chic interior design and furniture and we saw first-hand where that trend was originally launched and sold. The rest of that day was spent visiting a few large thrift stores nearby and were able to find some great clothing at bargain prices.
We spent time on another day taking a driving tour of the city. We saw the house where part of the movie “Mrs. Doubtfire” was filmed, and The Black Horse London Deli Pub, known as the smallest bar in San Francisco. We also saw the factory where Ghiardelli chocolates are made and took several hours walking around in the Chinatown district.
I wanted to explore more of the waterfront, so Nancy and I got up early one morning and walked there. As we approached the area, we both saw a sight we thought we could only see in San Francisco. A guide on a Segway was leading a group of seven tourists, also riding Segways, on a tour of San Francisco’s waterfront area.
The day before we were to leave, we had lunch at In-N-Out Burger near Fisherman’s Wharf. You walk up and place your order at In-N-Out and then watch as employees carefully prepare your food right in front of you. I’d have to say that of all the hamburgers I’ve eaten in my lifetime, the In-N-Out Double-Double Cheeseburger remains my all-time favorite.
Right across the road from In-N-Out Burger, we saw a sign that read “Alcatraz Tour Tickets.” I walked over and they explained that if we sat in on a timeshare presentation, we could take a tour of Alcatraz Prison that afternoon. We agreed and despite losing an hour of my life listening to someone trying to get me to buy a timeshare, we took the free tickets and boarded a boat for the island.
That experience was amazing. Walking through the former federal penitentiary was an eerie experience. With a reputation as being America’s toughest prison, it was chilling to see where some of the worst convicts in American history were incarcerated. I got to sit in the cell where Robert Stroud, the subject of a Burt Lancaster movie called “The Birdman of Alcatraz,” was jailed for 17 years.
Our final morning there was spent taking photographs with the Oakland Bay Bridge in the background before taking a taxi to the airport and flying home.
I’ll never forget our visit to San Francisco, and I encourage everyone to visit there if given the chance to do so.
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