United States
Powell and Market Cable Car Turnaround

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    • Day 20

      Cable Car Museum

      November 26, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

      Vom Hafen ging es zum Cable Car Museum, natürlich mit einem Cable Car. Dies ist gleichzeitig auch der zentrale Ort für das Kabel System.
      Es wird zum einen die grundlegende Technik, sowie die Geschichte der Cable Cars vorgestellt.Read more

    • Day 7

      San Francisco day 2

      May 6, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

      Girls off to Alcatraz so we have a bit of free time. Coffee at Pier 39. Then off to the trams turnaround for an iconic ride. Next stop the Tram Museum and Chinatown. Dinner at the Ideale Italian restaurant.Read more

    • Day 37

      Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf

      March 12, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

      We woke up early this morning as we had a reservation to explore Alcatraz Prison. As daylight savings started at midnight last night, we set our clocks forward before we went to sleep.

      We set off at about 9.15am for our 10.35am reservation. As we didn’t really know where we were going we allowed ourselves heaps of time in case we got lost. Today we have found out that San Francisco is super easy city to find your way around so we were at Pier 33 super early but we were allowed on the earlier boat over.

      Alcatraz has always been on both mine and Dave’s bucket list and today we got to tick it off; it didn’t disappoint. The history of the prison was super interesting and we spent hours wondering around the island.

      Some people today should feel extremely lucky that they live in this day and age and not back then as some of the prisoners were incarcerated for a lot less than what people get away with now. Some were incarcerated in this high security prison for tax evasion.

      There was one prisoner there ‘The Birdman’ who spent his whole sentence of 17 years is solitary confinement. He only had 1 hour out of his cell a day and bathed once a week. He did commit murder though.

      Solitary confinement was different to The Hole which was solitary confinement in a cell that was pitch black and some prisoners spent days on end there.

      So much history within the prison which I could write about for pages and pages and pages.

      Many of the prisoners became prolific readers while incarcerated to fill in time and some artists. Some of the paintings the prisoners had painted are still on display in the cells.

      The famous escape from Alcatraz of 3 prisoners on June 11 1962 being brothers John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, who used spoons they had pilfered from the mess hall to remove their vents and dig their way through the cement walls. They then went through an unused utility corridor, and entered the San Francisco Bay aboard an improvised inflatable raft to an uncertain fate.

      After a few hours on the island, we caught the boat back to Pier 33, making our way to our hotel for lunch and to do our laundry.

      In the afternoon, we explored the many shops at Fisherman’s Wharf and by the time we had finished it was 7.30pm, so made our way back to our room for dinner.

      Tomorrow we are hoping it isn’t raining as much and we will explore Lombard Street as well as other famous streets in San Fran before getting the tram to Chase Center for the NBA game at 7.00pm.
      Read more

    • Day 4

      Velo Tag - Part 1

      October 1, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

      Heute mieteten wir Fahrräder und machten uns auf den Weg zur Golden Gate Bridge. Das Gebiet auf der San Francisco Seite bis zum Fort Point ist sehr schön. Super Strand, Sanddünen und Seevögel.
      Der Aufstieg zur Brücke war nahrhaft, aber die Aussicht auf die Brücke ist genial!Read more

    • Day 25

      Goldengate, San Francisco CA

      July 9, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

      Well Red Bluff was one of those towns that Jason Aldean sings about, "Rearview Town", even the locals said to us why would you stay here. There had been a shooting just down the road from us with two police officers shot, they will be OK but the shooter died in when he crashed his car. All due to a random car check.

      We got away around 7.30 and headed down the US 5, 70 MPH and flat country so our eta to San Francisco was around midday. So what kept us occupied? several crop dusters, guessing what fruit was growing in the orchards you name it we played it.

      We decided to do a bay bridges tour on the way in so came in via San Pablo and this enabled us to take the North Western approach and visit the water side suburbs of Bellevue, Marin and Sausalito. We also visited San Quentin Prison which as we went to take pictures we were reminded by the guards that it is a live prison. Unfortunately the gift shop outside the gate was not open. Sausalito is a very hip place and we will go back to it on a Big red bus tour in the next day or two. We followed the coast road and came across Fort Baker at the North Eastern side of the Golden gate Bridge, wow what a stunning view, and it was here that a gun battery was set up to protect the inside of San Francisco bay in the early 1900s.

      We continued to the Western side of the bridge and a succession of lookouts where the views got better and better. We missed this 4 years ago as many people do. more gun emplacements an old radar installation and the Nike missile site. We saw harbour seals hauled out on the rocks and an amazing coastline. There are so many vantage points, the views are really captivating and it also make you think of the fate or survival of the escapee Frank Morris and his cohorts from Alcatraz prison.

      Finally we made our way across the Golden gate and into the city to find the Lombard inn. Chinatown was our destination for dinner thus ending a very busy day.
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    • Day 16

      San Francisco

      July 18, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Have finally made it. Flights were all on time but when we landed at SF there were no parks available for the plane so sat on the tarmac for 30 mins. Getting through security took 90 minutes even though we had electronic passports. Robins fingers wouldn't make finger prints on their machine😀Finger prints all worn down from hard work. In the end they just took my fingerprints and photo and let Robin through with a photo. It took another hour to get to our hotel. We were all checked in and went to our room and it was still being cleaned. Were ready for a rest by then so sat and waited in the room until it was finished. 4:47 pm here so will go for an explore and a bite to eat to get into local time. 24 degrees. The scary little towel creature was on our bed.Read more

    • Day 2

      Fisherman‘s Wharf, San Francisco

      December 17, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      „We are going to San Francisco“... mit diesem Ohrwurm wache ich auf, es ist 3:30 Uhr....
      Und ich dachte, ich wär gestern so erschöpft ins Bett gefallen, dass ich schlafe wie ein Bär.
      Hab ich wohl auch, nur der Jetleg nimmt mich auseinander.

      Ich merke, wie wir uns beide quälen und stehen schlussendlich um halb 6 auf.
      Was soll‘s, so haben wir wenigstens etwas vom Tag.

      Wir schlappen gemütlich zum Frühstück.
      Heute machen wir es uns einfach und frühstücken in unserem Hotel.
      Richtig amerikanisch... es gibt Toast und Bagel, Speck, Rührei, Waffeln, Wasser mit mehr Eiswürfel als Flüssigkeit, Orangensaft aus dem Tetrapack.

      Die Amis um uns herum bringen so 160 Kg pro Person auf die Waage.
      Auf deren Tisch steht allerdings kein Wasser, sondern Eistee.

      WELCOME TO AMERICA

      Unser Marriot Hotel befindet sich im Norden von San Francisco am Fisherman‘s Wharf, welchen wir direkt am frühen Morgen anpeilen.

      Umso näher wir an den Hafen kommen, umso mehr riechen wir den Fisch und hören die Seelöwen.

      Es ist nichts los und ich überlege mir für einen Moment, ob hier mehr Seelöwen chillen, als Menschen unterwegs sind.

      Ich kann nicht glauben, was ich sehe.
      Groß, klein, dick und haarig, jung und verspielt... wir sehen hier die komplette Bandbreite an unterschiedlichen Generationen.
      So cool!!! Ich fühle mich, wie ein kleines Kind, welches gerade im Zoo angekommen ist, nur cooler, naturbelassener und befreiter.

      Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass mich die Seelöwen so begeistern können. Aber in der freien Wildbahn gibt es nochmal einen ganz anderen Eindruck.

      Wir spazieren weiter durch San Francisco.
      Und wir wissen alle, dass ein Spaziergang durch San Francisco nicht unbedingt ein gemütlicher Spaziergang ist, sondern eher einem „steilen Berg auf - Berg ab“ ähnelt.

      Und schon sind wir an der Lombard Street.
      Auf dem kleinen Stück am Ende der Straße fahren die Autos Slalom um die kleinen Gärten den steilen Hang herunter. Alles in Schrittgeschwindigkeit.
      Als wir oben stehen bewundern wir die Sicht von oben auf die Stadt.

      Unser Spaziergang durch SFO führen wir jetzt in Richtung Golden Gate Bridge.
      Wir laufen am Wasser entlang. Hier kommen uns einige Jogger, Hundebesitzer und Radfahrer entgegen. Vom Steg aus, beobachten wir immer wieder mutige Surfer, die auf die nächste Welle lauern.
      Das Wetter ist super und wir genießen den langen Weg nach den langen Stunden im Flieger.

      Es gibt einige Schnappschüsse auf dem Weg hin zur Brücke bis wir endlich angekommen sind.

      Auch hier können wir einen Haken an unsere Sightseeing-Checkliste machen.

      Unsere Route wird fortgesetzt am Baker Beach entlang.
      Der offene Pazifik hinter der Golden Gate Bridge wird rauer.
      Als wir aufs offene Wasser blicken, versuchen wir die Richtung von Hawaii zu deuten. Irgendwo da werden wir die nächsten 3 Wochen verbringen.
      Aber mehr als raue Wellen und viel viel Wasser ist hier noch nichts zu erkennen :)

      Den restlichen Nachmittag schlendern wir über den Richmond District, in Begleitung meiner Schnupfennase, durch die unzähligen Straßen zurück.

      Schlussendlich ergeben wir uns und nehmen den restlichen Heimweg mit einem Uber.

      Wir sind ziemlich platt und so steht heute Abend nur noch ein Date mit Mathias alten Studienkollegen an.

      Wir gehen Pizza essen im Ragazza.

      Es war ein tollen Tag, anstrengend aber auf alle Fälle lohnenswert und mit einem schönen ausklingenden Abend mit einem Freund :)
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    • Day 6

      Day 6 San Francisco

      September 8, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Nice drive from Oakhurst to city centre then a ride on the trams to the Tram Museum, China Town and Pier 39. Our La Quinta hotel near the airport seems nice. Interesting sign on the pool by my room.

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