Visit to SF

It was 3rd November. The date of Return to India was drawing close [9th Nov]. Literally speaking it was my last weekend on my first trip to US. I along with my colleague decided to utilize the weekend by visiting two important cities of California. They were San Francisco and Monterey. San Francisco is considered to be one of the important cities of US due to its diverse and cosmopolitan population and places of tourist interest. On the other hand, Monterey is a small city on the coast of Pacific Ocean which draws a lot of tourists every year who are interested in sea life exploration. I woke up on Saturday morning with a lot of enthusiasm. As a precaution we enquired about the weather for next 48 hours. To our delight, we found out that the next two days will be sunny with temperature hovering around a pleasant 82F. I took some juices, peanuts, cokes and got ready for the journey. At 8 AM sharp, I left my hotel and headed straight to Rancho Cordova where I had to pick up my colleague.

I had collected information about various places of tourist interest at San Francisco. We decided to head straight to Golden Gate Bridge and have a look at the marvelous structure. Throughout our journey, we had another friend with us who showed us all the directions flawlessly. It would have been impossible on our part to go around San Francisco and Monterey on our own, if we didn't have this guide friend of ours. Most people would have guessed by now what I am talking about. Yes, my car was equipped with GPS Navigation system. I was amazed by the accuracy with which it led us every time I took the car out. It would not be appropriate to say that it was a luxury for me. In reality, it acts as a lifeline for people like me, who go to USA for a short duration of time and can’t depend on infrequent public transport or expensive cabs for everyday commuting. It also offered me opportunity and flexibility to drive out for shopping, dining or just trying out a new cuisine. We took the US-50 freeway and reached Golden Gate Bridge around 10:30 AM. By this time I had already drove around 130 miles.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a Suspension Bridge spanning across San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937 and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and the United States. We walked on the bridge from one end to another, enjoying the cool morning breeze. Then it was time to start for the Twin Peaks. It is almost at the geographical center of San Francisco which makes it the finest place to have a view of San Francisco. I was totally overwhelmed at the panoramic view of the city. Those curvy roads, sky rocketing buildings, Pacific Ocean only complemented to its beauty, offering us unforgettable sights and moments. I would say it is one of the places you should never miss, if you are visiting SF. We enjoyed the scenic beauty till 1 PM and headed to DOSA for lunch. It is an Indian restaurant at the SF Downtown famous for south Indian cuisines.

After having a hearty meal, we started towards the Treasure Island. It’s a man made Island on the San Francisco Bay spanning across a land of 2.3 square kilometers. The island belonged to US Navy and was opened to public for housing and recreation purpose on 1997. Till then it has been a place of interest for tourists visiting San Francisco.

We only became aware of the diverse culture of San Francisco at Fisherman's Wharf. The PIER 39 also houses some great restaurants which serve delicious sea food. It also has other attractions like an aquarium and boat ride to Alcatraz. Alcatraz Island has served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963, when it became a national recreation area. The island is just 1.5 miles from PIER 39 inside the sea. There are many interesting stories associated with Alcatraz and its prisoners which are engraved on Fisherman’s Wharf. You may find one such story in the picture. The popularity of this place can be imagined from the fact that there are several stores in PIER 39, which sell tees with Alcatraz and its stories painted on it. These items are very famous among the tourists who happily grab them to preserve the sweet memory of San Francisco forever.




Our last destination at SF was Lombard Street which is considered to be the crookedest street at USA. The Lombard street offers a ride full of thrills for its steep and hair pin curves. It was the most exciting driving experience I had at SF. I navigated the turns with extreme caution and felt like a winner when I came out of the street. As it was already getting dark, we decided to leave for Monterey. Monterey is famous for Monterey Bay aquarium, Whale watching tours, sea-life exploration and sea food. Watch out for my next blog for details on trip to Monterey. I will take you on a tour of life under water.

Image 1: My Hyundai Sonata at US
Image 2: Golden Gate Bridge on Background
Image 3: Golden Gate Bridge at night (Image taken from Wikipedia)
Image 4: View of SF from Twin Peaks
Image 5: Fisherman's Wharf (Image taken from Web)
image 6: Lombard Street (image taken from Wikipedia)