“If you disobey the rules of society, they send you to prison. If you disobey the rules of the prison, they send you to us.”
From the movie Escape from Alcatraz, by C. Eastwood, 1979
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Itinerary in summary
- Day 0: Arrival in San Francisco
- Day 1: Union Square, Painted Ladies, Golden Gate, Lombard Street
- Day 2: Fishermen Wharf, Alcatraz, Twin Peaks, Haight-Ashbury, Treasure Island
- Conclusions
Introduction
If in your childhood you were not fascinated by tales of unscrupulous gangsters who ended up serving their time in maximum security prisons, I would ask you the same question Charlie asks Frank in the movie “Escape from Alcatraz”, when the latter admits he does not know the date of his birthday: what kind of childhood did you have?
Just kidding come on, I just needed a slightly wacky way to introduce you to my tale of travel in the city that has made wackiness one of its hallmarks. San Francisco is one of those cities that you begin to get to know through cinema, which nevertheless fails to give you an exhaustive idea of what it is actually like. For example, the huge skyscrapers make one think of an immense and populous city, as well as one with an aesthetic quite in line with the great metropolises of the United States, but in reality things are not exactly like that. First of all, it is a common mistake to confuse the San Francisco Bay Area, a metropolitan area that encompasses 9 counties and is inhabited by about 7 million people, with the city of San Francisco, which instead has less than a million inhabitants (despite the fact that it is still the most densely populated city in California), and is “only” the economic and cultural center of the area itself. Moreover, the mix of architectural styles, predominantly combining typical elements of modern architecture with the Victorian style, set in a hilly landscape overlooking the sea, creates a peculiar atmosphere rarely found in other U.S. cities (think also of the typical summer fog that serves as a backdrop to some of its major attractions).
Although the city itself is not huge, it offers several rather remarkable points of interest, located at distances that are not excessive but not always walkable. Also part of San Francisco are Alcatraz and Treasure Island, among others.
In this article, I will describe the itinerary I followed to manage to get the most out of it in a short time, spreading visits to the main attractions over two full days. The trip took place in July 2019, but although it was the middle of summer, it was really cold in the evenings. In fact, the city is known for its somewhat peculiar weather, not surprisingly Mark Twain claimed that his coldest winter was a summer in San Francisco.
Itinerary in summary
San Francisco was the first stop of an on-the-road trip, during which I crossed 4 different states (California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona) in the company of two nice but unknown girls, with the main objective of visiting some of the most important parks in the Western United States. For the night, we leaned in a Bnb in Daly City, a strategic village selected for its more affordable costs than the insane ones demanded in San Francisco, from which one can easily reach the airport and downtown by public transportation. Below is the itinerary at a glance:
| Day | Location | Notes | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Arrival in San Francisco | Flight MAD-SF, night in Daly city | – |
| 1 | Union Square, Chinatown, Ferry Building, Painted Ladies, Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate, Lombard Street, | Night in Daly city | Day 1 |
| 2 | Fishermen Wharf, Alcatraz, Twin Peaks, Haight-Ashbury, Treasure Island | Night in Daly city | Day 2 |
| 3 | Departure to Yosemite National Park in the morning | – | – |
Day 0: Arrival in San Francisco
We land at San Francisco airport (SFO) in the early local afternoon, after a very long layover in Madrid, in which we had spent the night before our flight. Everything runs quite smoothly, we reach by subway our bnb in Daly city, where we are greeted by a Filipino immigrant family, who very kindly helps us with the first organizational things, from buying a SIM card to planning local transportation to downtown for the next few days. The first day ends fairly quickly, in the sense that we go to bed around 6 p.m. local time, which for us, however, corresponds to 3 a.m., given the 9-hour time difference from Italy.
Day 1: Union Square, Painted Ladies, Golden Gate, Lombard Street
We wake up very early because of the jet lag, but fortunately the breakfast offered by the bnb is quite filling and allows us to recover as best we can. We head straight to the city center, which we reach by bus. Our first stop is Union Square, the central point of the financial district located in Downtown. The square, built in 1850, owes its name to the demonstrations held there in support of the Northern army during the War of Secession (pro-Union). The center of the square is dominated by the Dewey Monument, a 25-meters column at the apex of which stands a statue of the goddess Nike. The district is among the most chaotic parts of the city and is known for its shopping streets and luxurious housing. Among the noteworthy things to note around Union Square is definitely the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), which houses works by major artists, including Picasso, Warhol, Matisse and Frida Kahlo.
We next arrive by walk to Chinatown, which in addition to being the oldest Chinatown in the United States, is also home to the largest Chinese community found outside Asian borders. The tour of the neighborhood begins at Dragon’s Gate and continues along Grant Avenue, its most important and oldest street. Among the major points of interest in Chinatown are also worth mentioning:
- Portsmouth Square, central square of the district
- The Sing Chong, palace with a pagoda on top
- Old St. Mary’s Church, California’s oldest church (although actually built around the mid 1800s)
- Buddha’s Universal Church, The largest Buddhist temple in the United States
- Stockton Street, main shopping street
- The Tin How, ancient taoist temple
It is also here that the famous fortune cookies were born.
From Grant Avenue, it is also possible to glimpse the Transamerica Pyramid, a futuristic pyramid-shaped skyscraper among the city’s most iconic points of interest. The skyscraper owes its name to the Transamerica Corporation, a financial company founded in the early 1900s, which had it built as its headquarters. Since it is a private building, it is not possible to visit it internally.
Strolling through the downtown streets, we also see the Cable Car, a famous streetcar considered a real attraction in the city.
After visiting Chinatown, we proceed to the Ferry Building, a building constructed in the late 1800s known for, among other things, the Clock Tower, inspired by Seville‘s Giralda. This is the most important point of the Ferry Building Market, one of the most important markets and meeting places in the city. In the past, the Ferry Building was an important transit terminal for boats, a function it performs only minimally today. Near the Ferry Building is the Embarcadero Plaza, which houses the controversial Vaillancourt Fountain, while from the waterfront side, a view of the Oakland Bay Bridge is appreciable.
The next stop is Alamo Square, which we reach comfortably by bus. The square is among the most photographed attractions in San Francisco because of the presence of the so-called Painted Ladies, a sequence of very fine Victorian-style colorful cottages, beyond which it is also possible to observe an excellent San Francisco skyline. The little houses visible from the square, also called “Seven Sisters,” are private homes, so it is not possible to visit them internally. Other Painted Ladies less famous than the Seven Sisters, such as those on Scott Street, are also located around Alamo Square.
Continuing on foot westward, one arrives at Golden Gate Park. Among the park’s most popular attractions is the Japanese Tea Garden, a Japanese garden that also houses buildings in typical Japanese style. Admission to the garden for nonresidents is free only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the time slot between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., otherwise the cost varies between US$12 and US$16, depending on the time and period of the visit. Personally, I don’t think the cost is justified by the charm of the place, in fact I would say that among the attractions seen in San Francisco it is the one that impressed me the least.
After visiting the Japanese Garden, we continue north to reach the Presidio, a huge park within which there are several points of interest, including the museum dedicated to Walt Disney and the Main Parade Ground, a green space where outdoor events take place. Among the main reasons why the Presidio is worth a visit are the various points from which to view the city skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge. In addition, several shorter and longer trails and some beaches can be accessed from the park, including Baker beach (with a great view of the Golden Gate) and Crissy Field East beach. For Star Wars lovers, there is then inside the park the small Yoda Fountain.
We decide to skirt the Presidio from Baker beach to get to San Francisco’s most iconic attraction, and among the most famous in the United States: the Golden Gate Bridge. The structure is a masterpiece of engineering, it is in fact one of the longest suspension bridges in the world (it also held the overall record until 1963 with its length of 2.71 km), designed by Joseph Strauss and built to withstand the various weather conditions to which the bay is subjected, from strong winds to storm surges, and even earthquakes. The orange color comes from the color of the steel coating used to prevent corrosion, which was also selected to increase its visibility in foggy weather. From an aesthetic point of view, however, I must say that the Golden Gate Bridge itself did not particularly impress me; rather, I appreciated the context of the bay in which it is situated.
At the end of the visit, with a convenient cab booked through Uber, we head to Lombard Street, another of the most well-known attractions. It is actually a rather long and generally unadventurous street, which has a very peculiar section, however, on the famous Russian Hill, consisting of a series of 8 close hairpin bends made to reduce the hill’s slope, on a reddish brick pavement distributed over a total length of about 400 meters. The speed limit on that stretch, recognized as the most twisty in the world, is only 8 km/h. From Lombard street you can also easily get to Coit Tower, from which you can appreciate one of the best panoramic views of San Francisco.
We finally walk to Fishermen Wharf, the fishermen district. We postpone a proper visit to the neighborhood until the next day, however; the main reason we end the day there is just dinner. Along the wharf, in fact, there are several stalls that at low cost (which is rare in San Francisco) offer good meals that are absolutely unmissable. We dine in this regard on a wonderful loaf of bread filled with crab soup, among the most famous typical dishes to taste in San Francisco, picked up for the modest sum of 8 USD. Philosophically, it is somewhat reminiscent of the swordfish sandwich that can be enjoyed in Calabria. We finally return by bus to Daly City.
Day 2: Fishermen Wharf, Alcatraz, Twin Peaks, Haight-Ashbury, Treasure Island
We start the day where we left off on our city tour, which was at Fishermen Wharf. We take a long walk on the wharf and through the streets of the neighborhood, stopping particularly at Jefferson Street, known for the many street performers who make the street quirky and picturesque. The most interesting spot in the neighborhood, however, is definitely Pier 39, from which you can see some very friendly sea lions.
We then coast the bay to arrive at the Embarcadero, the point from which ferries depart for Alcatraz, the day’s main attraction. The visit to the famous prison takes about half a day between island tour and boat ride. The cost of the day tour was at the time of the events 36 USD (we are talking 2019), now it has risen to about 50 USD. Tickets can be purchased online at this website. The tour of the prison once we disembark is free; we take as much time as we need to read up on the history of the prison, the characters who were incarcerated there (Al Capone, to name one, among them) and the various escape attempts, also narrated on film. The boat ride also offers beautiful views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge throughout its length.
Having returned from Alcatraz, we head to the airport area to pick up our rental car (prices were much more competitive by choosing this option), in preparation for the start of our on the road, scheduled for the next day. However, we also use the car to go visit some attractions that are more inconvenient to reach by vehicle.
We start with Twin Peaks, or the twin peaks Eureka and Noe, about 280 meters high and located in the geographic center of the city of San Francisco. Twin Peaks is a location famous not only for the striking panoramic views of the city, but also for the movie and series directed by David Lynch… Okay, you fell for it too, actually David Lynch’s Twin Peaks is a charming town in Washington State!
It is also possible to get to Twin Peaks by bus, but that bus leaves at the foot of the knoll, so possibly budget for a decent walk to the top if you are not self-driving. The view is quite picturesque, as is often the case there is a bit of fog clouding the landscape, but we still manage to catch a glimpse of the city skyline.
Since we are on our way, we take the opportunity to take a tour of Haight-Ashbury, the neighborhood where the hippy movement was born. The neighborhood runs along Haight Street, in which you can find stores, clubs and colorful buildings.
Finally, after a walk around the neighborhood, we drive across Oakland Bay Bridge to head to Treasure Island, in which it had been suggested that we go to our bnb hosts to see the city’s best skyline. Although the photos do not render much, I must say that the spectacle is indeed worthwhile. What’s more, it’s just us there at the time.
Conclusions
Although I do not prefer modern cities, I liked San Francisco very much, indeed it is the one belonging to that category that impressed me the most, tied with Sydney. It is a city that is a little different from the large U.S. metropolises, partly because of the mix of modern and Victorian that make it much more striking in my opinion. Two full days were enough for us to visit the different attractions in the city, but it was important to plan our travels properly; distances are not always easy to cover.
Having to make my very personal ranking of the attractions I enjoyed the most, I would dare to say:
- Skyline from Treasure Island
- Painted Ladies in Alamo Square
- Fishermen Wharf
I am not including the Golden Gate Bridge in the podium because it did not particularly excite me on an aesthetic level, although as an engineer I can only appreciate its scientific value.
The idea of staying overnight in Daly City was a good one; it saved us a lot of money while allowing us to move easily from the airport and into the city center. One final aspect that I recommend paying attention to is the weather. During the day we could even walk in short sleeves, but in the evening we really felt that July was a winter month.
