Monday - straight into town for my Alcatraz tour, Pier 33 & once again hordes of people. Tour well worth the $30 - audio tour around the cell block, narrated by former guards & inmates, quite eerie really. Then a talk in the dining hall on escape attempts by a park ranger, also very good. Considering the place was only run as a prison for 29 years it has certainly made an impact on the public consciousness....that's Hollywood for you.
By the time I got back it was 3pm, so as quite near Coit Tower, up she goes. Coit tower was built in 1933 with money left by a wealthy eccentric & as way to add beauty to SF, which it does, just a slim tower on top of a hill. Of course they don't mention at the bottom how many steps to get up Telegraph Hill to get to the tower....call the paramedic! Anyway well worth the climb as there are murals on the interior wall from the same era, depicting SF life in the depression.
From there I toiled up Nob Hill to the Grace Cathedral, a Notre Dame knock off & then onto the Fairmont Hotel to view an art nouveau chandelier by Julia Morgan, in fact she gave the whole place a makeover & very flash it is! I expected to be kicked out at any stage, but managed to wander around undetected as an imposter.
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| Street mural in the Mission districe |
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| Lots of the alleys are covered in th murals |
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| Some quite beautiful |
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| Some with message about the area or whaever |
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| The little building is the Mission Dolores, oldest surviving building in SF - 1776 |
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| Flags signifying gay pride in the Castro district |
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| Cousin Chris & son Russ- out for tea |
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| View from Mount Diablo |
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| Coit Tower from the Embarcadero |
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| Alcatraz Head Warden's quarters with cell block in background |
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| The place - Alcatraz - is full of pidgeons & pidgeon poop |
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| The cell block Alcatraz |
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| The Alcatriaz Hilton |
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| 3 tiers of cells |
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| The vent widened with a spoon for one escape attempt |
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| Eg of the murals in Coit Tower |
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| Bit misty but Lombard St - crookedest st - from Coit Tower |
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| Interior top of Coit Tower |
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| Me hanging off a cable car |
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| Juli Morgan Art Nouveau chandelier Fairmont Hotel |
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| Interior Fairmont Hotel |
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