DAY 43- BART, F Train, & Alcatraz…

I opted to sleep in a little more and give BART a try.  BART stands for the Bay Area Rapid Transit.  It has an average daily (weekday) ridership of about 365,000 and claims it has a 90% on time record. It had me curious to give it a try and see how rider friendly it was.  I decided I would use it to get down to the Alcatraz Landing where I would catch a prepaid Alcatraz ticket I had reserved 2 days prior.  I was planning on taking BART from Walnut Creek down to the Embarcadero stop where I then would catch an F Train Trolley down to the Fisherman’s Wharf.  Then, it would be just a short walk to the actual Pier 33 where the ferry leaves from. 

The actual estimated travel time of the BART from the Walnut Creek to the Embarcadero stop was 40 minutes.  Then there was the connection time with the F train trolley and etc...  I had a ferry time of 12:35PM but they recommended being there at least 20 minutes prior to that.  So I figured that if I caught the BART shortly after 10AM, I would be on time.

I got to the BART Station in Pleasant Hill shortly after 9:30AM figuring it would give me time to figure out the parking and buy a ticket.  I drive up to the parking ramp area and the light inside says Garage is Full.  WHAT?!?  I back up and drive around the block hoping that there is an overflow parking lot or off street parking.  Nope, nothing of the sort!  I drove back to the parking ramp and drive in.  The first two floors are not filled up at all but have a reserved permit only parking from 8 to 10AM.  I see a parking lot attendant walking through the garage area and I roll down my window.  I explain that I’m from out of state and asked if there was an overflow parking area available or if he had any suggestions for parking.

Photo- Pleasant Hills BART station platform.

No there isn’t an overflow parking or off street parking but if I want I can pull into a spot on the second floor and sit with my vehicle until 10AM.  Okay I said and thanked him.  I thought this was rather interesting and could see how this would sway a person not to ride BART.  Isn’t the idea of mass transit to make it convenient to ride?  So I sat in my car until 10AM and I wasn’t the only one.  There was at least another 9 people that did that too.

There was a couple of times when this man would get out of his car and head for the station area.  The parking attendant seemed to come out of nowhere and point him back to his car.  In my thoughts, I started to refer to the parking attendant as the parking Nazi.  About 2 minutes before 10AM, the parking lot attendant comes by signaling all of the drivers in their cars that it was now fine to leave the cars.  It was a race to the stairs and elevators. 

I just followed the flow figuring they would lead me to where I needed to go. Down the stairs, I went; and around the corner.  Then, I stopped as I was confronted with a row of metal waist high machines that people were putting cards into or were placing cards against for gates to open.  I stood there wondering what to do when I was approached by a BART terminal employee. 

He asked if he could help and I explained that I was visiting from out of state.  He took me over to the pay machine area and walked me through what I needed.  $10 later and this blue paper card spit out of the machine.  I took the blue card over to feed through the waist high metal machines.  I then asked the employee about paying for parking.  It’s a dollar to park for all day in the parking.  I was directed to another machine where I put in my parking lot space and feed it a dollar.  So far this BART terminal seemed to be nothing but a bunch of hungry machines.

Next, the terminal employee directed me to go up to the stairs to the left up to the platform area.  As I started to go up he yelled that was the train I needed to catch so I started to run but I still missed it.  I stood there perplex and a younger lady with a young child asked me if everything was okay.  I explained the situation and she helped me by explaining the system of BART a little more thoroughly.  The train arrived and I sat down next to her and chatted while we rode the train downtown.  She was getting off at the station right after mine.

She then explained that the BART went through tunnels and eventually went through an underground tunnel that was under the water.  WTF!?  That’s how the BART got onto the semi-island like area that’s San Francisco.  San Francisco is after all surrounded on three sides by water.  The train started into a third tunnel area and started going down and my ears were popping.  Did I mention that the train is rather loud inside and that it’s kind of hard to have any sort of normal talking conversation?  You either sit close or yell to talk.  It’s a prime opportunity to train for talking to that deaf Aunt.

Next, I arrived at my stop and followed the crowd to the stairs that led up.  Up on the street, I headed for the first F train trolley I could find.  I asked the gal before I paid if this would go down to the wharf.  She said that she just came up from the wharf area and that I would need to go over to the other side to catch it.  I thanked her and crossed the street with the light.  I waited for the next yellow F trolley train to arrive.

Photos- The F Trolley Train out side and with standing room only inside.

I got on the trolley train and it was standing room only.  I watched out the window for Pier 33 as I got down to the wharf area, even though the train operator was announcing the stops you could barely hear them over all the other noise going on.  BUT you could hear the trolley bell being rung by the operator at cars and people to warn them to get out of the way.  I will say that San Francisco’s mass transit is not a quite ride.

I got to Pier 33 with over an hour’s time to spare.  I found a shady spot, drank water and ate a snack.  I checked in and was told that at 20 minutes before they would start lining up for the ferry over by the white tent area.  I waited a bit more and then they changed the now loading sign to my reserved time.  I got in line.  It was hot in line and it would be hotter as the day progressed.  The high was predicted as the mid-90’s.  People in line were fanning themselves and complaining about the heat.  I just stood there still and I felt fine.  There was a bit of a breeze that would come off of the water every now and then. 

Soon the line was moving.  Off in one section the line went by a mirror and around an enclosed area.  It was an area the whole line went through and it was slowing down the line.  I got there and realized that they were taking pictures of groups with the wall behind which had a picture of the Alcatraz Island on it.  I asked the salesman if I could just forgo it because I was by myself.  He waved me through.  But I thought how cheesy touristy it was.

Photo- The San Francisco skyline you could see towards the
back of the ferry as the boat went over to Alcatraz.

The ferry ride over was rather enjoyable.  You could see the city skyline wonderfully over the top of the boat as you headed out to the island.  There were quite a few sailboats out and it was just a beautiful day.  When we got to the island we were directed to an orientation area where a gentleman explained a bit of interesting history and then proceeded to explain rules and things that we could do.  He also explained where the schedule for return ferries was and that the last ferry left at 6:15PM; so you needed to catch that one unless you wanted to sleep out on the island with all of the ghosts.  He was teasing of course.

Photo- The orientation talk before we were set lose on the island.

The prison of Alcatraz was eventually closed down because of deteriorating buildings and high operating costs.  The last inmate left on March 21, 1963.  Some of the more famous inmates that Alcatraz held were Al “Scarface” Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Arthur “Doc” Barker, and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud.  The movie character Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs was based on “The Birdman”.

Photos- Alcatraz Island as seen from the near the arrival gate.

I followed the road/path area to the cell block; a steep ¼ mile hike that climbed the equivalent of about 8 stories.  There was a handicapped/disabled chair like lift on the other side for those that couldn’t managed the hike up.  I enjoyed the views as I climbed.  When I got to the cell block, I got in line for my headphones with audio tours.  They explained the operation and off I was walking through the cell block as directed by the tour.  They had pictures of the people that were supposedly on the tours audio. 

Photo- The average cell for inmates at Alcatraz.

It was a very good tour taking you through the different cell blocks and explaining what life was like.  There was even sounds and voices in the background that were designed to make you feel what it was like in the prison at the time it was operating.  But the most eerie thing was when a National Parks employee was closing a row of jail cells.  The sound vibrated throughout everything and it threw echoes.

Photo- The prisoner "Rec" yard.

 

Photo- The "Hole" or solitary confinement for those inmates that were bad.

Photo- The guard's control room for the prison.

I walked around and explored some more of the island.  I also watched a 17 minute film about how now there were garden areas and bird sanctuaries on the island; in an attempt to bring back some of the natural ecosystem of the area.  It was all very interesting and before I knew it was time to see about catching a ferry back to the Pier.

The F train trolley and BART seemed a bit simpler to me now that I kind of knew what to expect.  I managed to find my way back to the BART station where I parked my car.  Thank goodness I remembered the stall number of where I parked my car or I still would be wondering around on the HUGE second floor of the parking garage.  It was funny because while I was looking for my car a guy came up to me and was asking me where to find the elevators for the terminal.  I had to laugh and say I don’t think you want to ask me because I’m still looking for my car. 

DAY 42- Golden Gate Park, Cliff House, & Sutro Baths...

I decided to commute into San Francisco city with Mona and spend the day sightseeing the HUGE Golden Gate Park.  The park is situated near the downtown area.  The edge of it starts in downtown and then spans all the way to the Ocean Beach on the other side.  It’s about half mile wide (north to south) and a little over 3 miles long (east to west).  It’s touted as being 20% larger than Central Park in New York and it consists of 1,017 acres.  The park started out as nothing but “outside lands” in the 1860’s which consisted mostly of unwanted sand dunes.  The park was started under the guise of recreation; it was really the hopes that if they could stabilize the sand dunes that they could eventually develop it and expand housing to the area. Check out Wikipedia for more info, but it really had a somewhat checkered past.  But with all of this going for it, you could easily see that visiting this park could be an all-day affair.

At about 9am, I started into the south east corner of the park near the Haight-Ashbury section.  You may recognize the Haight-Ashbury as the site of the “Human Be-In” of 1967 preceding the Summer of Love which led to Free Love.  I was hoping to explore this section of San Francisco if I had time later on in the day.  But I really was interested in exploring the Golden Gate Park today. 

I was told to start a little later in the morning because there are a great deal of homeless people that sleep in the east section of the park and some of the younger homeless can get a little rowdy.   By 9am most of the homeless people are awake and packed up for the day.  But as I entered in you could see people walking out of the park with full shopping carts.  Most of them returned my good mornings.

Photo- The Children's Playground area look like a fun area for kids to play.

It was rather amazing walking into the park because within moments you are enveloped in trees and paths; you almost lose the noise of city traffic.  People are running and walking; getting their exercise for the day.  One of the first interesting sections of the park that I came across was the Children’s Playground.  I skirted around the edge of this because it said no adults allowed without a minor.  I just took a couple of pictures of it but I could imagine that this playground area would be filled up later in the day.  There was a wonderful sandstone like building that was surrounded by potted red blossomed plants called Sharon Art Studio that wasn’t opened yet but appeared to be an area where kids could experiment with art.

Photo- The entrance to the wonderful little Shakespeare's Garden.

Photo- Inside the Shakespeare's Garden, a lovely walk under trees
with a sundial in the middle.

I walked by an area that had two large baseball diamonds with stands.  There were signs for an AIDS Memorial Grove which looked like a forest from the outside area as I walked by.  I continued on and discovered a Shakespeare’s Garden.  I walked into a wonderfully arranged mature garden area where there were nice benched sitting areas, a walk arched by trees with a sundial in the middle, and a little cement patio area where three men appeared to be working on rehearsing some kind of play while I was there.

Photo- The Bandshell on the Music Concourse.

Photo- The Scott F. Fitzgerald Statue with a dedication to the Star Spangled Banner.

My favorite section was the Music Concourse, where there was a music Bandshell which is called Spreckles Temple of Music which was built in 1894 for a California Mid-Winter International Exposition.  The area also has several statues of various musical geniuses scattered about like; Verdi, Scott F. Fitzgerald, and Beethoven- just to name a few.  There are also 4 fountains and a gridded array of pollarded trees with benches sitting among them.  I sat down and had a little snack and watched a group of people doing their Tai Chi exercises.  It was very peaceful watching them and hearing the fountains in the background.

Photo- Groups of people doing their Tai Chi exercising.  I've been told that this is
a common sight in San Fran where over 45% of the population is Oriental.

Not far from the Music Concourse is the California Academy of Sciences which is touted as one of the largest natural history museum in the world.  It was not open yet and I chose not to wait.  Their current exhibition was called “Earthquakes” and being in the area that I was the thought of going in an exhibit about earthquakes just made me think too much about the possibilities of something happening while I was in the area.  I was very much playing with the idea that ignorance is bliss.

Photo- The very modern De Young Museum.

Immediately to the north of the Music Concourse is the DeYoung Museum which is a fine arts museum originally opened in 1921 but was totally rebuilt in 2005 after the earthquake of 1989 had severely damaged the building.  Now can you understand my ignorance is bliss attitude?  I’m right in the center of earthquake territory.  Of course, this Art Museum did get the memo that I would be in town and was of course, closed for the day.  Go figure!  But I did very much enjoy walking around the very modern building and its unique landscaping.

Photo- Stowe Lake the largest of the lakes in Golden Gate Park.

Next I came upon Stowe Lake which is one of the larger lake areas in the Golden Gate Park.  You can rent a pedalboat or a rowboat to go out on the lake.  There’s a large island in the middle which is called Strawberry Hill.  I took the hike that goes around and up to the top of the hill.  You can see above the trees and into the city area; some amazing views.  To the north of the Stowe Lake there’s the Japanese Tea Gardens which is touted as the oldest public Japanese garden in the U.S.  There’s an entrance fee to get in and I was still only halfway through the park.  I felt like there was still enough free stuff to see.

Photo- The view from Strawberry Hill of the downtown. 
You can just see the tops of the downtown buildings.

I continued westward in the Park.  I walked by a waterfall just off a street area I was walking on.  I walked by the soccer/polo fields.  There was a paddocks area where buffalo were resting.  My feet and legs were really starting to feel all the walking.  There were picnic areas and barbeque pits.  I walked by a couple more small lakes.  Then as I got closer to the west side I saw a HUGE Dutch windmill. 

Photo- People lounging on the beach and surfers catching the waves.

Then, I saw the “Great Highway” which is a main road that goes along the beach area.  I walked across the street with a stoplight.  I walked along the ocean beach where there were all kinds of activity.  People were resting, sunning, and playing on the beach.  There were even a few surfers catching the waves.  I sat on a bench and watched.

After a while, I decided to walk back across the street to the Beach Chalet which has a couple of restaurants and holds a visitor’s center for the Golden Gate Park.  I looked at both of the menus for the restaurants and looked over the restaurants interiors too.  I felt more at ease with the back patio area of the Park Chalet restaurant.  It was a much more casual atmosphere.

Photo- Wonderful views from the back patio area of the Cliff House.

After I ate and had a beer, I headed north along the beach and over to the Cliff House which is about ½ mile and a walk up a hill.  It was a wonderful view from the back of the Cliff house.  I then climbed a back walled area and hiked into the Sutro Baths ruins.  At one time the Sutro Baths were the height of public swimming pools; featuring 7 different swimming pools- one of which was fresh water and 6 others of salt water with various temperatures.  All of these pools were enclosed under a steel and glass ceiling that was inset into the lower beach area next to the Cliff House.  The pools were directly filled with water from the ocean at high tides and at low tides there were turbine powered pumps; keeping the water consistently moving.  There used to be a railroad that dropped off visitor’s to the Baths.  Eventually, the Baths became too costly to operate and closed.  Shortly, after that in 1966 there was a fire that destroyed the Baths.  But it was interesting imagining the place by the remains of what was left.

Photo- The Sutro Baths ruins with the Cliff House in the background.

Next, I walked down the hill from the Cliff House and over to Fulton Street to catch the 5 Fulton Bus back to near where I started the morning.  My feet were very tired by this time and I was ready for a bit of riding in the bus.  While waiting for the bus, an older man was smoking pot and offering it to the teenagers that were also waiting for the bus.  I stood on the other side farthest away from them.  He probably had a medical pass to have the marijuana which is becoming more and more common in the state.  It’s almost a joke how they get these passes that they might as well legalize it in the state.  I was told that even I could go in and get one in a few hours no problem if I wanted it.  I will admit that it was bit of a cultural shock for me coming from Utah.

Photo- The outside of the beautiful St. Ignatius Church.

The bus finally came and I rode it back into the downtown city area.  I still had a bit more time before I needed to meet Mona.  So I stopped by the University of San Francisco campus for a bit.  The University of San Francisco is a Roman Catholic Jesuit school and is the second oldest institution of higher learning in California.  The nickname for the University’s 50 acre campus is called the “Hilltop” because the campus is located at one of the peaks of the San Francisco’s hills.     I visited inside of the beautiful Saint Ignatius church which some people have said reminded them of the cathedrals in Europe.  It was very beautiful inside I will admit but I have never been to Europe so I can't say how it rates.  But I also have never felt comfortable taking pictures inside a Catholic church, a silly Catholic thing with me, so I didn’t take one except for the atrium area just inside the doors.

Photo- Just inside the doors area of Ignatius Church.

I quickly walked by and admired the outside of the Gleeson Library and a large open campus area where students were camped out on the lawn area reading their books and catching some sun.  It looked like a wonderful place to be learning.  But it was time to meet Mona and get started on the commute back to Walnut Creek which can be rather grueling at times.  I teased Mona that I must have brought her luck because it only took about an hour when she says it usually will take her an hour and a half.

DAY 41-San Francisco – A Day of Highlights…

It was a quick day of highlights and beautiful weather.  The day was sunny and in the low 90's; which is unusual for the San Fransico area.  Mona had the day off and wanted to show me some of her favorite spots of the city.  We started out with a quick visit on Treasure Island; yes, there’s such a place and it’s the last exit on the Bay Bridge before you enter into San Francisco County.  Part of the island is a naval base.  On Treasure Island, I got to see my first true look of the city skyline of San Fran.  Mona also showed me a cool sculpture of a large woman all hollow and made with pieces of metal.  It was huge and cool!

Photo- My first true sight of San Francisco skyline on Treasure Island.

Photos- Of female statue made of metal on Treasure Island.

Next stop was the Golden Gate Bridge; where Mona drove the car around in circles because of a shortage of parking while I walked over and on part of the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was very windy and noisy but a clear day.  Just beautiful!  But the parking was a pain.  While we were there a double decker bus broke down and it was causing all kinds of traffic issues in the parking lot.  A bus even had to back up over the curb to go around the broken down bus.  It was a bit of frustrating entertainment for a bit but I was glad to be moving along.

Photo- The Golden Gate Bridge behind me.

Photo- The Golden Gate and Fort Point down below.

Photo- The inside of Fort Point.

Photo- Some incredible views from the top of Fort Point.

Then, Mona showed me one of her favorites just down the hill from the Golden Gate Bridge—Fort Point.  Fort Point was the Fort and lighthouse that used to be there before the Golden Gate Bridge.  In fact, the Golden Gate Bridge was built over it.  It had some wonderful views from the top and was still windy but was not nearly as noisy as the top area of the bridge.  We also explored the actual fort area where soldiers had bunked and ate.  They even had cannons.  It was interesting looking at all of it and reading about the history of the fort.

Photo- The famous Lombard Street in San Francisco.

We also took our turn driving down Lombard Street.  So of you may know this as the crookedist street in San Fransico.  There were groups taking pictures at the top and the bottom of this road.  Also there was a bit of waiting to drive down it.  I'll tell you this much-- make sure that your car brakes are in good shape bfore you head down this street.  It was wonderfully landscaped and a brick roadway.  I would imagine that the people that live on it would hate it to a certain extent because of all the tourist traffic on the street.  But then again it might be part of the prestige of living at such an address.  Or maybe they have a way out the back?

Then, we drove through the Presidio on our way to the Aquatic Park.  We finally found a parking spot in Aquatic Park, where you can park for free on Sundays or up to 4 hours other days.  We walked along the beach area over to Fisherman’s Wharf.  But first we made a stop at the Ghirardelli Square.  You could smell chocolate in the air and they were handing out free samples of a pumpkin spiced caramel squares.  It was an interesting flavor.

Photo- Ghirardelli Square's Original Chocolate Shop.

We continued walking towards the wharf area and walked by a ton of street market artists.  Some had drawings or paintings of the area for sale, others would draw pictures of you, and then others had jewelry of all types for sale; all of their prices were for a few bucks.

Photos- A parade near Fisherman's Wharf.

Fisherman’s Wharf is fun to walk through but very crowded.  We walked a little ways looking for a spot to have a beer.  We ended up at a place called Pompei’s Grotto.  It was a nice casual easy going place with wood paneling and polished wooden tables and bar area.  We sat inside but there was a very nice sidewalk patio area where you could sit under umbrellas.  As we were sitting there a little parade went by on the street.  I, of course acting like the total tourist, ran out with my camera and got a few pictures.  After a beer and a bit to eat, I left Mona at Pompei’s to venture on the wharf more. 
 

Photo- The sea lions at Pier 39.

I ended up walking around Pier 39; where I saw sea lions.  I watched them for a bit but they were rather a smelly lot.  So I explored some of the shops on Pier 39, but after a while I just felt like I had enough of the large crowds and turned around to meet up with Mona at the bar.  We had one more beer and then proceeded to commute back to Walnut Creek.  I had enough sightseeing for one day.   

Photo- A cool photo I took of the Trans American Building
thru Mona's Sunroof as we drove out of San Fran.

 

DAY 40- Sacramento to Walnut Creek...

I woke up shortly after 6am with the plan to check out a bike path that went along the river in the Sacramento area.  Off I went through a quiet neighborhood street that was parallel to the busier street.  I ended up crossing a busy expressway with a light and then a quick right turn and I was on the bike path.  Sacramento has a very well maintained bike path system that centers on a main path that goes along the river.

Photos- Scenery along Sacramento's bike path.

 

I started off going north on the main bike path.  The sun was coming up and it was just beautiful along the river.  There were a few other cyclists and runners out on the path but not too many.  I was amazed at the wonderful etiquette concerning using these paths.  Most of the walkers/runners face the bicycle traffic and will step off to the side when a cyclist comes by.  The cyclists are asked to keep it below 15mph.  I turned around after 8 miles and decided to go back where I started.  I went past where I was on the bike path and went south this time.  The path went down along a park called Discovery Park. 

Photo- The entrance to the Crocker Art Museum.

After that I headed downtown to visit the Crocker Art Museum.  It had an interesting china dishes on display and talked about how the country of China had excelled in making porcelain until the late 1600’s when some European craftsmen stumbled onto the process of making it.  It was all wonderfully displayed.  I found the reasons for using certain colors and patterns very interesting.  There were some patterns that had house flys and ants in the pattern; though, I couldn’t imagine why you would want that on your chinaware. 

I also visited a section of the Croker Art Museum that had teapots both modern and old.  They talked about how tea came into being used as a beverage.  It was very interesting reading about it.  There were all sizes and shapes of teapots and they even explained some of the Japanese tea ceremonies.

Photos- Old Town Sac on a Saturday.

When I left the museum, it was about lunch time so I went to the Old Town Sacramento again which was nearby.  I went around looking for parking on the street and lucked out by finding a space just on the edge of one street.  I put change in the meter.  If you come down to Old Town Sac be prepared with quarters for parking. 

Being a Saturday, things were in full swing in Old Town Sac.  I walked a couple blocks taking pictures all along the way.  I decided to eat at a Mexican place upstairs where I could sit over and watch everything going on in the street below.  It was fun to watch and eventually I got waited on by a server.  It was very busy at the restaurant.  I had a blended raspberry margarita that wasn’t too bad but past that I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant.  The food was very bland for being a Mexican place.  But I enjoyed my time on the balcony area watching.

Next, I drove out of town and on my way towards Walnut Creek which is outside of San Francisco.  That’s where I would be staying with my friend Mona for a few days while I explore the San Fran area.  Traffic became heavier but wasn’t too bad.  I put the cruise on for only about 5 miles above the speed limit and everyone was passing me like I was sitting still.  I had written myself a short hand note to know what highways to turn on to.  Some of these mazes of roads can be very confusing.  I actually surprised myself and found Mona’s place without having to call her and I was even about 15 min earlier than what I had told her.

Mona and I just took it easy for the rest of the night; catching up with each other.  She did take me on a quick driving tour of Walnut Creek while we got supplies for dinner.  We even made a quick stop at an art festival that was in the process of closing down in the Walnut Creek’s downtown area.  Walnut Creek is so called its name because at one time it was nothing but Walnut groves and a couple of creeks out this way, but as the city of San Francisco expanded the property became too expensive for just walnut trees.  The trees went and everything else came.  It’s a nice predominately white upper class area.  Mona made us dinner and we just sat and visited the rest of the night.