Mark and I vacationed in San Francisco in April of 2001. It was the very first time I has ever seen the ocean, mountains,
or redwood trees other than in pictures (I don't get out much),
so I simply had to put a few
pictures (a few, relatively speaking--I shot over 30 rolls--everything was so beautiful, I just couldn't contain myself)
on my web page. I am a full-on San Francisco-phile now! I am firmly of the opinion that we could spend YEARS in
San Francisco and not see all its beauty.
Sunday
We flew in on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We checked into the Golden Gate Hotel
and spent the remainder of the day walking around Chinatown.
Click here to see pictures of the hotel, the hotel's feline proprietor, and the Chinatown Gate.
Monday
We took our very first cable car ride to take a Bay Cruise Monday morning. We saw wonderful views of the Golden Gate and
Bay Bridges.
Afterwards, we visited the Cable Car Museum, City
Lights Bookstore, and the
"Painted Ladies."
Click here to see pictures of our Bay Cruise, the City Lights Bookstore, and the Painted Ladies.
Tuesday
We toured Alcatraz island and federal prison early Tuesday morning. The views were absolutely spectacular! We spent the rest of the morning
puttering around Fisherman's Wharf (the best Clam Chowder and Sourdough bread in my admittedly limited experience--
we also experienced
our first fresh cracked crab that day as well--mmm, mmm, good!).
We spent the afternoon trekking to Mission Dolores (one of the first Catholic missions in California and site of a very famous
scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo). Vertigo really should be required viewing for anyone about to visit
San Francisco for the first time.
Click here to see our Alcatraz pictures.
Click here to see our Mission Dolores pictures.
Wednesday
We awoke early Wednesday morning to drive south on Coastal Highway 1 to San Simeon to visit the Hearst Castle. During this drive,
I had my very first encounter with the ocean at Pomponio State Beach (very cold but very worth it). We stopped at the Old
Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey for lunch. We were rather underwhelmed by Hearst Castle, which was built by newspaper tycoon William
Randolph Hearst in the early 1900s, but it was worth the price of admission (and
the drive) to see those amazing views. We spent the night in San Jose (where Mark had to attend a conference the next day).
Click here to see my first ocean encounter at Pomponio State Beach!
Click here to see our Monterey pictures.
Click here to see pictures of the beautiful sites between Monterey and San Simeon.
Click here to see pictures of the Hearst Castle and the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.
Thursday
Mark had to attend his conference in San Jose, but we were able to visit the Winchester Mystery House late in the day. The Winchester Mystery
House was a good deal more interesting (and, frankly, more attractive in many ways) than the Hearst Castle (the words "garish"
and "tacky" come to mind when thinking of the "Castle"). Sarah Winchester, Winchester Rifle heiress, started building on this
Victorian home in 1884. Apparently, she believed that she must build continually to keep the spirits of those killed
by Winchester rifles from haunting her. This building project lasted round the clock until her death 38 years later. We traveled
NORTH to spend the next two nights at the Point Reyes Seashore Lodge in Olema ("Olema" is Miwok Indian for "Coyote").
Click here to see pictures of San Jose and the Winchester Mystery House.
Click here to see pictures of the Point Reyes Seashore Lodge.
Friday
We spent Friday exploring northern Marin County--Olema, Muir Woods, Mt. Tam, and Point Reyes National Seashore. We went to the Muir Woods National Monument
to see the Mighty Redwoods. It was cold and rainy--quite appropriate for visiting the redwoods not to mention the site
of a particularly "atmospheric" scene in Vertigo. Next, we drove around and UP
the Mount
Tamalpais (Mt. Tam) State Park--MOUNTAINS! We lunched on Tomales Point at the famous Tony's Seafood, which is only open on
Fridays and Saturdays. I experienced barbecued oysters and clam linguine (both were firsts for me) while Mark opted for the much safer, but
every bit as delicious, fish and chips. The afternoon was spent tooling around Point Reyes National Seashore, where we visited
Point Reyes Light Station, Drakes Beach, and Muir Beach Overlook. Point Reyes Light Station was quite an experience.
We walked all the way DOWN the 301 steps--only for the really athletic or
foolhardy--I am definitely in the latter category. Drakes Beach, where Sir Francis Drake is believed
to have landed his Golden Hinde in 1579, was gorgeous. We even met a pregnant cat there (whom we dubbed "Frannie" after Sir Francis)!
Leave it to us to find cats ANYWHERE we go.
Click here to see pictures of Olema Farmland.
Click here to see pictures of the mighty redwoods in Muir Woods National Monument.
Click here to see pictures of Mt. Tamalpais State Park.
Click here to see a picture of Tomales Point.
Click here to see pictures of the Point Reyes Light Station.
Click here to see pictures of Drakes Beach.
Saturday
We had to fly out Saturday afternoon, so Saturday morning was a flurry of activity. We drove around the Marin Headlands seeing
the sites and visiting the
sick sea mammals at the Marine Mammal Center. Our whirlwind drive through San Francisco on the way to the airport entailed
VERY brief stops at the Presidio, Fort Point, and Crissy Field. We almost missed our flight, but it was well worth the harried
headlong trip to the airport!
Click here to see pictures of the Marin Headlands.
Click here to see pictures of the elephant seals in the Marine Mammal Center.
Click here to see pictures of the Presidio, Fort Point, and Crissy Field.