San Francisco truly is one of America’s great cities.
We left a bit late in the morning. This was mostly my fault, since I work until 2:00 a.m.! We hit some pretty bad traffic around Sacramento and Vallejo, so the drive ended up taking more than four and a half hours. Still, San Francisco is a very manageable road trip from Reno, and the views along the way were amazing.
Golden Gate Bridge
An Icon of American Engineering
We planned our route so we could drive across the Golden Gate Bridge. As we crossed, we noticed Fort Point tucked beneath the bridge and decided to stop.
It was well worth rearranging our schedule.
I loved it!
Fort Point
Fort Point is a fascinating historic site with a story stretching from the Gold Rush era and the Civil War through later periods of American military history. And if the history isn't enough, it also offers some incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay.
My niece, sister and I wandered around the fort and enjoyed a truly fabulous fall day. Fort Point is maintained by the National Park Service, so my niece and I also got stamps in our NPS Passport books. While not every place we visit is technically a national park, we use our books to chronicle our stops at parks, monuments and historic sites.
We had originally planned to hike down to the ruins of Sutro Baths near Golden Gate Park afterward, but decided to save that for another day.
Instead, we headed toward the Palace of Fine Arts.
It was a Saturday.
The crowds were voluminous. LOL.
We couldn't even find a place to park, so once again, we changed plans. We were going to be in San Francisco for three full days, so we had some wiggle room.
That evening, we had reservations for an Alcatraz night tour, so we headed to our hotel, checked in and had dinner at Boudin at Fisherman's Wharf. Then we walked along the Embarcadero toward the pier where our tour would depart.
The people-watching was wonderful. San Francisco seems to encourage people to let their more playful side come out, and that was certainly on display on this warm fall afternoon.
We reached our pier with plenty of time to check in, look at the model of Alcatraz on display and chat with some of the other passengers.
And then we headed out onto the Bay.
We chose the 6:30 p.m. boat hoping we'd catch the sunset on the way over.
We were not disappointed.
The sun reflecting across the water, with the coastline and bridge glowing in the evening light, was something to behold. The wind had picked up, but the day had been warm enough that we didn't even need our jackets.
Then Alcatraz came into view.
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz is an amazing place—haunting, powerful and endlessly interesting.
We explored the island for a while before heading into the cellhouse for the audio tour. I had visited Alcatraz many years earlier, when I remember the tour being ranger-led, and I'm honestly not sure which experience I prefer. The audio tour incorporates the voices and experiences of former correctional officers and inmates, giving it a perspective that is both unique and incredibly effective.
It also reminded me of something that can be easy to forget when visiting a famous historic attraction.
Alcatraz is now a tourist destination managed by the National Park Service—and yes, another NPS Passport stamp for us—but it was once a place of isolation, heartache, misery and danger.
There were ghosts here.
And I don't necessarily mean the fun kind.
There was no need for a separate ghost tour or manufactured haunting. The real history of this island was enough.
We returned to the hotel exhausted and a little more quietly introspective than we'd been when we left.
My niece, however, insists that she saw the ghost of a small boy named Billy on the island.
Who knows?
She believed it. And sometimes, that's enough.
