Frisco!! - Blogabond

Our Hollywood time was over we were back on the road travelling. The hostel chain we were working for in Hollywood gave us 2 nights accommodation free at their other hostels across America.

We were first able to take advantage of this in San Francisco. Having not had a curry in some time, I was having withdrawal symptoms. These pains needed to be cured so off we went in search of the local curry house. We found one not far from the hostel and the food hit the spot. It didn't compare to a curry house in England but the food was good nonetheless.

San Francisco city was an instant winner with us both. We spent some time shopping in the downtown area and after agreeing we were both in need of some new trainers we went on the hunt. Nic fell in love with a pair of Adidas trainers that had wings (gangsta!) although they were a bit pricey. As we had been unable to make it to a Lakers game in 'hometown' LA we thought we would show our support in another way...

There were some strange people in San Francisco and I think the photo below justifies my comment... He didn't appear to be standing on his head for any particular reason (not even for money) and no one seemed phased by him except for us. As long as he was having a good time it's all good.

San Francisco had been a city we were both very much looking forward to, our initial attraction of course being Alcatraz! Our visit to Alcatraz via the iconic San Francisco tram and ferry was awesome and very informative. Alcatraz operated between 1934 and 1963 housing notorious criminals. It was interesting to learn that the area is now home to rare plants,

marine wildlife and sea birds. This was the second residency we had visited of Al Capone's (the first being the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia) so by now we were getting to know him a little better! We took an audio tour around the prison learning about the different sections, the living conditions, the high profile convicts, the running of the prison and the best bit... the escapes and the attempted escapes.

There were some great views of San Francisco city and you can imagine the torture the prisoners experienced on a daily basis. They could see the city (and even hear the city) but that normal everyday life was just out of reach.

That afternoon we took a stroll along the waterfront visiting Pier 33, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. This was supposedly a great place to see sea lions although we were very unlucky as we didn't see even one. We had also heard of Lombard Street – its claim to fame being that it is the most windiest road in San Francisco!

Our final sight seeing for the day was to be Golden Gate Bridge. On completion in 1937 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world so of course we took this as a challenge to walk it. We stopped along the bridge appreciating the beautiful views of the city and of Alcatraz.

Nic challengened me to a bridge lifting contest and put me to shame! It was a lovely evening and we decided to walk back to the city along the coast.

On our journey back we were lucky enough to witness an awesome sunset and the bridge certainly lived up to its name. At the harbour we also had a friendly sea lion come up and say hello – he had clearly felt our disappointment earlier in the day.

San Francisco was a great city, it was on par with New York. It seemed like an easy place to live, not just to visit. It was also much more down to earth than Hollywood (obviously!) and we both enjoyed being back in normality. That was not to last for long though, on to Las Vegas!

written by

SupandNic on May 26, 2010 from San Francisco, United States

from the travel blog: Sup and Nic's World Tour!

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