San Francisco: Unique For Its Attractions
San Francisco:Golden Gate Bridge (courtesy:www.wallpapers.free-reviews.net)
Few years back when my extended family thought of visiting me here in San Francisco, shiver used to run down my spine. Neither they are ghostly creatures nor am I inhospitable by nature. But I knew entertaining them would be beyond by budget. But who is going to explain them, they labeled me with the tag of being a mean guy. But I was helpless; the dot com explosion had totally changed the face of San Francisco, we were paying double the price for the actual cost of the commodity, forget about entertaining the guest.
But this scenario soon changed and I heaved a sigh of relief. Soon the city became somewhat humbler for the travelers and natives, to invite their relatives and make them feel and enjoy the city. The honor of being my first guest goes to my uncle, who is dear darling of my heart. Seeing him after 8 years would be a nostalgic moment
San Francisco: Cable Car (courtesy www.geocities.com)
My happiness knew no bounds when I first saw him, the same glowing face, big paunch and as usual a packet of wafers in his hand. I have never seen such a voracious eater, keeps on gobbling all the time. For three days I kept myself free for my uncle. I arranged two city passes which included the most popular tourists’ attractions and cable car to move in the city.
Buying the city pass proved to be a wise choice as it saved me from standing in a long queue with an added advantage of saving 50 % on my overall tickets. The weather here is Estesian type, unusual but likable. Moving around San Francisco is not a big deal.
At first I was reluctant with the idea of moving in cable cars and public transportation, but my uncle’s enthusiasm left me with no option. Our first targeted destination was the Golden Gate Bridge, the most photographed site in the world. When we reached to this bridge my uncle could not stop admiring its marvelous construction
The golden gate bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County. We walked on the bridge and while coming back we took ferry back from the Sausalito and to my amazement we saw the best view of the Bay and the Pacific. It seemed nature has endowed all the beauty to this place. To take a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge we moved down to Fort point, the sun rays when drop on this orange color bridge makes it appear golden.
San Francisco: Stowe Lake (Golden Gate Park courtesy www.flickr.com)
The clear sky and no signs or traces of fog instantaneously moved me towards the Golden Gate Park, a hub for complete family entertainment. Meanwhile my uncle was busy munching snacks and relishing the beauty of San Francisco. It is a large park spread over the area of 1017 acres. In its rectangular shape it accommodates Japanese Tea Garden which has everything in its unique Japanese style right from the sculptures and bridges to Japanese and Chinese plants.
Next we moved on to Strybing Arboreteum and found immense pleasure to see 7,500 species of plants, the best being redwood forest section. I have been in SF for almost 8 years but never ever went out to see the place where I stay. I pity those people who like me overlook such wonderful beauty around them.
We relaxed on the cool green grass for a while and moved on to see the De Young Museum, a place where the interwoven cultural fabric of San Francisco still remains intact. My uncle was surprised to find so many attractions at one place. The best surprise was the leisure boating on the Stowe Lake, the cool water and the lush greenery around pumped in energy in our tired limbs. But we decided to get back to the pavilion, rest and come out fresh for the next day’s expedition.
We refreshed our morning with java and decided to have breakfast in one of the restaurants of Chinatown. Uncle was very happy to relish his breakfast in an inexpensive but good restaurant. Going around was a real fun with innumerable stores and mini-malls having Chinatown souvenirs and cool t-shirts.
San Francisco: Alcatraz Island (courtesy: www.geocities.com)
The clear sky and sunny day had already filled in immense excitements, our next destination was Alcatraz island but their was one hitch to reach to this island. One needs to book the Alcatraz cruise in advance and I was totally unaware of this. But a short ferry ride from the Fisherman’s Wharf dropped us to this island which was once the most dreaded place.
The most visited place, Alcatraz Island is a barren rock in the center of San Francisco bay. We were on a self guided tour so the self-guide brochure helped us to move around on the island. The moment we stepped on it we felt calm and at absolute peace. Most of the buildings are now a heap of ruins. The guard’s residence is in a dilapidated condition, what remain are the barracks, cell house and lighthouse.
Our brochure helped us to move from former penitentiary’s dock to its cell house. We knew, nothing is available on the island so we were well equipped with water and refreshments- the most integral part of my uncle’s life. Our trip to Alcatraz Island was not the pre-planned one so we could not enjoy so much; if you want to put thrill in your life go for evening tours led by park guides.
The mist sweeping over the island can be mistaken as the presence of ghostly elements. Meandering through the dim halls with self guided audio will make you scare at least once. When we came back, the satisfaction and happiness that I saw on my uncle’s face made my whole evening. Out trip definitely satisfied us and I feel proud about my city and attractions it offers to the tourists.