After a day in Japan, we finally got on the plane and get ourselves to San Francisco. We are trying two AirBnB apartments this trip to observe how they operate so we will know what to do when we start ours next year. This AirBnB apartment we booked is in Balboa park, five train stations away from the airport.
The host are two friendly ladies, one Korean and one American, didnt see them a lot, the stay was not bad. To note, apartment or even some hotels in SFO doesn't comes with aircon, the weather is cooling but humid, i didn't like the feeling of humid bedsheet when the bedroom doesn't equipped with aircon.
Decided to settle our lunch in the Bubba Gump Shrimp and co., the restaurant in Forest Gump movie.
Caramelized apples!
Ghiradelli Square, the chocolate factory turned shopping center.
I love their chocolates
The factory is no longer here (moved to somewhere cheaper) but they still kept a set of their chocolate churning machines in the main restaurant.
Fresh chocolate fudge ice cream is a must try if you are around the corner.
The Alcatraz
"Surrounded by strong currents and fortified by steel and concrete, the Alcatraz federal prison was meant to be the highest-security prison in America, a place no one could escape from. The island on which it rests shuns even plant life. Alcatraz is essentially a rock surrounded by water — hence its forbidding nickname “The Rock“."
"The main obstacles were the cold temperature (averaging 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit), the strong currents, and the distance to shore (at least 1-1/4 miles). During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary claimed that no prisoner successfully escaped. A total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, two men trying twice; 23 were caught alive, six were shot and killed during their escape, two drowned, and five are listed as "missing and presumed drowned"."
Highly recommend to join the free guided tour instead of walking with only audio guide and if possible use the English audio guide, the Korean one is monotone and ultimately boring.
Alcatraz was used as a fort in the past before it turned into a federal prison.
Our enthusiastic guide, she made the tour very interesting. The ruined building behind her is the hair salon during Alcatraz time, also one of the important contribution to the only rumored escaped, this is where the prisoner who is working as hairstylist collected hairs to create the fake heads for the escape.
This is where they stripped you off your belonging, your clothes, your name, your identity. After this, they are only a number.
Mass showering roon
The legendary failed escape, a prisoner working as a kitchen chef planned an escape with these huge kitchen pots but he never knew that pots with a round base cant balance on water, they had no chance to row away from the shore.
Second floor gun gallery, guards armed with guns will shot if there is an emergency.
The artist of Alcatraz spent his life painting in his cell.
See that little hole under the sink, the rumored escapee expanded that venting hole and squeeze themselves through it, of course diet helped.
Sample of the fake heads those rumored escapee created so guards will not be aware that they escaped in the middle of the night. Their story has inspired a film Escape from Alcatraz (1979), a nice classic worth a watch.
SFO city across the sea
Inho is very sian and want to get out because his Korean audio guide is very monotone, machiam Korean news. lol
Back to Pier 39
Napping is the happiest thing one can do
Tried In-and-Out not-so-secret secret recipe, animal style fries.
In Korea, the cheaper the house is the steeper you have to "craw" home. In SFO, one of the most expensive state in USA is full of hills, climbing up and down is so challenging and please do not trust google map estimated walking time in SFO.
Lombard street, the world's crookedest street and also the most overrated attraction in SFO because the only way you can take nice photos like those you seen in tourist book is to take is from one for the private apartment opposite Lombard street, and that is not tourist possible.
Golden Gate fortune cookie factory 金門餅食公司 since 1962
This is how fortune cookie are made
Many newspaper review
The (illegal) majong street within Chinatown. I didnt like China town here, the immigrants here looked very poor, the place is dirty and run down.
Checked into Hotel Fusion near Union Square, no aircon again.
Breakfast before Yoshimite hiking starts.
I love Mexican refried beans
The trail for a hike (two mile round trip hike) to the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias.
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Sequoiadendron giganteum
The Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan, Inspiration Point, Half Dome. Cant see Yosemite Falls, not the season, dried up.
Yosemite Valley
Burger is stable food, very scary.
Mama's, rated under essential San Francisco Eats in tripadvisor, must go early!
Golden Gate Bridge
This marked an end to our SFO trip, next up, we flown to LV that afternoon.
Credits: Destination information with "" are quoted from Wikipedia or the internet.
Credits: Destination information with "" are quoted from Wikipedia or the internet.
