Table of contents for USA and Mexico 2000
- USA and Mexico 2000 – Intro
- USA and Mexic 2000 – Day 2: San Francisco; Alcatraz and Pier 39
- USA and Mexico 2000 – Day 3 Santa Cruz and the West Coast
- USA and Mexico 2000 – Day 4 and 5: Down Mexico way
- USA and Mexico 2000 – Day 6: Vegas bound, and gambling on accommodation
- USA and Mexico 2000 – Days 7,8 and 9: Utah to Denver
- USA and Mexico 2000 – Days 10, 11 12: Denver to home
San Francisco: 37°47N 122°25W, pop (1995e) 793 000. City co-extensive with San Francisco Co, W California, USA; bounded W by the Pacific Ocean, N by the Golden Gate, E by San Francisco Bay; built on a series of hills; connected to Marin Co (N) by the Golden Gate Bridge and to Oakland (E) by the Transbay Bridge
; Golden Gate Bridge is one of the longest single-span suspension bridges in the world (1280 m/4200 ft, excluding the approaches); mission and pueblo founded by the Spanish, 1776 (named Yerba Buena); Mexican control, 1821; taken by the US Navy, 1846; renamed San Francisco, 1848; grew rapidly after the discovery of gold nearby; from the 1860s developed as a commercial and fishing port; terminus of the first transcontinental railway, 1869; devastated by earthquake and fire, 1906; several areas seriously damaged by earthquake, 1989; tram (cable-car); railway; airport; four universities, including Berkeley (1868) and Stanford (1891); financial and insurance centre of W coast; trade in fruit, cotton, mineral ores; fishing, textiles, printing, plastic and rubber products, shipbuilding, aircraft and missile parts; major tourist, cultural, and convention centre; professional teams, Giants (baseball), 49ers (football); largest Chinatown in the USA; Mission Dolores (1782), Cow Palace (shows, exhibitions, conventions, circuses), Museum of Art, Civic Centre complex at City Hall, Fisherman’s Wharf, Nob Hill mansions; Alcatraz I in San Francisco Bay, site of the first lighthouse on the California coast and of a Federal prison (1934-63).
Starting early, we decided to head for the seafront. We’d seen Alcatraz across the water, and decided that this was a must. You’ve seen ‘The Streets of San Francisco’ on TV, and thought the hills looked steep? That’s nothing to trying to walk up them – you try walking half a mile of 1-in-3 grade. I’ve now got muscles on my thigh muscles! Back down the other side we went, and across to Lombard Street, the curviest street in the world. On down to the front and the famous touristy Pier39. It’s at time like this I really wish we weren’t traveling on a shoestring budget. There were some lovely restaurants serving all sorts of delicious-smelling things, and endless chowder stalls, serving the clam soup up in hollowed bread bowls. We attempted to buy a ticket for Alcatraz, but were disappointed to find it was sold out until the next day, as it usually is. A ticket tout sidled up to us, but he had no problem in us taking him to the booking office to check the tickets. And so it was we parted with face-value for the tickets, and found ourselves on a boat to Alcatraz.
Alcatraz is the Spanish word for pelican. The island started it’s life as fort, then military prison, the maximum security penitentiary. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz Island by Indians of All Tribes. Briefly, on November 9, 1969 Indian people once again came to Alcatraz Island when Richard Oakes, a Mohawk Indian, and a group of Indian supporters set out in a chartered boat, the Monte Cristo, to symbolically claim the island for the Indian people. On November 20, 1969, this symbolic occupation turned into a full scale occupation which lasted until June 11, 1971. It is now a National Park. Upon arrival, we chose to watch the orientation video, and the proceeded up to the cellhouse, where we were given headsets for a detailed self-guided tour around the blocks. Interesting it was too – see more at the National Park Services excellent Alcatraz page.
We rode back that evening on a Cable Car, San Francisco’s unique method of getting people up and down those steep hills. The entire network of trams on four routes is run by underground wires, which all meet up to be powered in the cable barn. To stop and go, the ‘gripman’ simply pulls a lever to grip or release on the cable below the street running at 9.5mph. And all you hear is the quiet trundling of cable over spool on the corners. Pretty smart, huh?
Tags: america, travelogue, usa
