The Island pictured isn't actually an Island. It is a floating mock up of an island. As the pontoon rocks, so does the light house & the palm trees.
Pier 39 (below) does have one saving grace, it's resident sea lion population. I have no idea why they have taken up residence here, but they seem happy enough. It is very surprising to see them so close to so much human activity. That is Alcatraz in the background.
The seals seem to sleep a lot, but you wonder how considering how much squabbling goes on in the colony for real estate.
We took a cruise from Pier 39 out around the bay including an up close & personal look at the Golden Gate bridge & Alcatraz. So we walked the bridge the previous day & we did the Alcatraz tour today. Didn't matter. We got a different perspective of those two land marks & had a look around the other parts of the bay.
Toward the Cruise we also got up close to Alcatraz! It's a sinister looking place. More on that later.
After the Cruise, we had a better look at Pier 39 & had some lunch. The only place that was worth a good look was the Wyland Gallery. (It's more of a sales outlet really). This guy is good! He does coloured bronze sculptures, paintings & photos.
The photos don't do the pieces justice, particularly the one below.
After the bay cruise and the nosey around Pier 39, we caught the bus up to Telegraph hill. The hill has a strange looking tower on it called Coit Tower (Strange name as well. Named after the lady who commissioned it I think). The tower is fairly uninteresting, but the view from the top of the hill is pretty nice. You can see most of the city & bay, pretty much unobstructed. The following pictures tell the story. This one is of the Bay Bridge.
Below is an arty shot of the bay bridge I took from Telegraph hill.
The Bay Bridge should attract more attention than the Golden gate bridge when you compare them side by side. The Bay Bridge is longer, taller & carries more traffic than the Golden Gate. I suspect that the Golden Gate is the centre of attention because it's RED! (I would think that the fact that it was built at the entrance to the bay & quite a bit earlier has something to do with it too.) The Bay Bridge carries it's traffic on two separate levels as opposed to the Golden Gate's single level.
I have already posted a photo of Lombard street up close, but this is a shot from Telegraph Hill. You will notice the wiggly street just to the right of centre of this shot.
Below is the Fairmount Hotel on Nob Hill. Nob Hill is pretty much the highest point of San Francisco's CBD. There is a park square in the middle & it's surrounded on 3 sides by a bunch of very swank, very expensive hotels. The Western side is bordered by Grace Cathedral (See next entry).
The Yanks like to copy stuff from Europe so they don't have to travel out of the US to see it! (eg. The White House, which looks like the Popes joint or St Paul's in London.) Idiots! No wonder they think Kangaroos jump around in our back yards
P.S. before you write to me & tell me you DO have kangaroos jumping around in your back yard; I know but you get my drift.
Seagulls in Australia annoy me nearly as much as pigeons. They are noisy scavengers that crap everywhere. Northern California seems to have an extra level of trouble in that respect. These ones are louder, more aggressive & there are more of them.
Oh and another thing. THEY'RE HUGE!!
They are at least twice the size/weight of you run of the mill Aussie gull. The photo doesn't show the perspective, but believe me, they are big! And what's worse, Alcatraz Island is now a protected rockery for the blighters!
They have a habit of getting themselves into your photos as well. I've had at least two shots spoiled by these guys.
