Visit to San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the oldest cities of California. This city has a charm to it and has been the business capital for a long time. Spanish people came to this city from Mexico for trade. The downtown is located on a hill and is surrounded by the bay. The streets are notoriously steep and deep. The city is very scenic and is known for its unique culture.  There are many bridges across the bay connecting different counties to the San Francisco City. There is a BART train which runs through a submerged tube (tunnel) in the ocean connecting Oakland and San Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge (Hanging Bridge)

Golden gate hanging bridge links San Francisco with Marin County. Built in1935 is 8.5 miles long and 6 lanes wide 3 for each direction. It’s a toll road, with a fee of $5 to cross the bridge every time you enter the city. It is a beautiful hanging bridge build to with withstand winds and earthquakes. It’s said the bridge can sway 27 feet and withstand 100 miles per hour wind.

Fisherman's Wharf: Paradise for Crab Eaters

It is famous for Italian sea food restaurants. It is interesting to see live crabs and lobsters thrown into boiling water, cooked and topped with Italian sauce and served with fresh lemon juice. Dungeness crab roast and clam chowder are very popular items. Clam Chowder soup is served in bread bowls. Its considered to be a Paradise for crab eaters.

Boudin Bakery: Animal Shaped Buns

Boudin Bakery is well known for its bakery items. As an added entertainment, the bakery has live demonstrations of baking buns. People on the street can look through a glass wall; artisan bakers carve different shapes like crab, crocodile, lobsters, bunnies etc and bake them. The bakers speak with the customers through speaker phones and answer any questions. I saw a Crocodile shaped bun which was about 5 feet long. 

Alcatraz:  High Security Island Prison

Alcatraz is a small Island which can be seen from the sea shore. In 1850, a prison was constructed on the island which served during Spanish-American war. By 1934 it had become a tight security prison for high risk convicts. Though the mainland was at a swimming distance, the cold water made it difficult to swim. No one could escape the prison and swim the cold ocean; it is so chill they will freeze to death.  Now the prison has been converted to a museum and servers a tourist attraction. Cruises (small ships) take the tourist around the island.

Crooked Street/Lombard Street: World's most Crooked Road

Zig zag road from the top of a hill is the "the most crooked street in the world". Both the sides of the zig zag road are full of shrubs and colorful flower plants. Residential buildings are constructed all over the hill. The road is so curved, that the speed limit is only 5 miles per hour. The hairpin curves are so narrow; I refused to travel there a second time. Even for a normal man, the heart beat will shoot up. 

PIER 39: Pier and Sea Lions

From Fisherman's wharf one can easily walk to Pier 39. The road is full of fun and entertainment. Performances range from silver painted human statues, magic shows, band and pop singers, live paintings sessions, horse carriage rides, gymnastics etc. Each show has a small box for tips; you can take pictures with them by providing tips. In Pier 39, which lies on the Bay Shore, there is a natural preserve where a lot os sea lions can be seen. They are huge and make loud noises. There is big sea animal Aquarium with 20,000 species. A lot of sea food restaurants cater gourmet items.

Chinatown: Little China

It is a mini China town, where about 10,000 Chinese are living.  Dragon adored Pagoda gates welcome the visitors. Aroma of ethnic Chinese cuisine attracts the people repeatedly. Fine china made goods, healthy herbs, sea species of different varieties, etc are sold.  Homes, streets, squares, parks, shops all are constructed in Chinese architecture. It is nothing but a real Chinatown. 

Ghirardelli Square: Chocolate/Ice Cream Restaurant 

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company began its rich history of chocolate making at Ghirardelli Square. Age old Chocolate factory had turned into a modern restaurant for chocolates and ice creams. The antique chocolate making machines which are in working condition are used even today for making nostalgic chocolates. It is really interesting to see the old units making chocolates in traditional style. Ghirardelli chocolates are world famous. American's eat ice creams even when its freezing outside. This is one of the favorite places of Shilpa, we usually visit this place on late night drives to the city. 

Union Square: Known for Luxury Shopping

The area was once used by Union army during Civil War. Today its an upscale shopping center with branded stores, boutiques, restaurants, tourists trinket shops, art galleries etc. Everyday in the evening the Union Square appears totally different with colorful lights and illuminations. Shopping in the Union Square is considered to be a luxury. We visited Macys at Union Square; this centre had seven floors and a food court. Each time the store is decorated based on the season; I went there twice, once during Christmas and the other time in spring. The interiors were decorated to reflect the season and was astonishing each time.