The Golden Gate and Alcatraz

The place is located in an excellent area, just at the entrance of Pier 39, so you won´t have to walk a lot and is very easy to find. They advertise "Tables by the Window available" and so take their word, ask for a table with a view, if the day is not foggy you will enjoy a great view of Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge and the pier were you board the boats to Alcatraz and the Bay cruise.

Service is fast and attentive, food was good but not the best thing I have ever had, even though I recommend the place if you want to try the local cuisine and enjoy the ambience of true San Francisco.

My guiding friend had the Fried Calamari which were ok and I had the Shrimp Scampi, this is a broth with peeled shrimps (they only leave the tail so you know is a real one) which came accompanied with mash potato and some veggies. The taste was good but something was missing as the mash potato is just ok to have with the shrimps, I would thing some rice would come nicely with this dish.

I guess you have been to a Chinesse Dim Sum house, now imagine an asian buffet! I said Asian as 85% is Chinese, but there is also sushi and other things like lobster and chocolate-covered strawberries, which is not exactly know to be traditional fare in China.

The price of the buffet may seem high ($25USD in April 2006) BUT, I truly recommend this place. I haven´t seen all my family so happy at a restaurant in many years. It may not be gourmet cuisine, but you get more from your money and leave the place completely satisfied but longing for more... more space on your stomach to be able to eat just a little bit more. And one nice thing, the tip is included in the price.

In a place where you can find spring rolls to Peking duck, from steamed lobster and all kind of sushi, you also have fresh fruit, hot capuccino, ice cream, and several kinds of cakes. You can´t have the excuse that you didn´t find something you didn´t like.

It´s a buffet, and they also cook on demand to offer you a special soup. Four different ones were made on the spot (all my uncles tried and were very happy with their selections).

Getting a table wasn´t easy if you didn´t had a reservation, so my advise, call in advance as this is a very, very popular place.

Sorry, not exactly close to the Golden Gate, but I didn´t want to open a new travel journal just to include this restaurant, altough it deserves it.

This little cafeteria is located in the entrance to the Sutter Garage, a few blocks from Union Square. It´s not unique or incredible, but is very useful as they have all you need for a quick bite when you are in a rush, when you are passing by, or when you are just window shopping. In one word: convenient.

Besides the normal fare of cookies, snacks, and coffee, you will enjoy the homemade fresh sandwiches and excellent cakes (trust me I know the bakery: Victor´s Bakery, 719 Taraval Street). You can even order special cakes for that special anniversary or to celebrate at the office.

Also if you are candy addict, here you will get you daily dose of sweets, like 30 different one to buy by the pound.

But, yes, there is always an ace under the sleeve--they make tamales. If you happen to like chicken tamales, you will definitely return as much as possible to get more, as they have the right consistency and moisture level. You see, somethimes you get soggy ones, most of the times you get really dry ones, and when you are in bad luck you get the greasy ones. Here you will find them made to the perfect point.

As in many other parts in SF Bay, you will find trilingual assistance in order of fluency: Cantonese, Spanish, and English.

A park with a prison on it doesn't sound like a good idea unless the prison is a famous one.Everybody wants to go to Alcatraz to view with their own eyes the place where the bad guys made their fake heads and feel the emotions of the movies. Once you get inside you will feel more oppressed of the truth, this is no movie, this is where people got punished and where there were violent episodes.But besides the prison, the place is a National Park and so kept in shape by guards, and you are free to roam at your will.There are nice views from the island if there is no fog on the bay.The ferry ride from Pier 41 is a non-event one and is really short, you don´t have much time to spend between boarding and snapping some pictures, they offer a bar service but time is so short you won´t be able to finish your first drink. They warn about not being able to buy water on the Island, it's true, so buy it before boarding the boat. One thing that is completely true and not a marketing trick, buy your tickets in advance, they are the most seeked tourist attraction on the bay area, I saw a bunch of people on the waiting area trying to buy last minute tickets and they had to wait a long time indeed.

There is a lot more to see in this park than the usual Museum and Japanese Garden, you have to travel to the other side, the seaside, to find some interesting gardens and windmills.

This a landmark for tourists, but also a really busy entrance to the city. At the beginning they built the bridge just because there was a gap in the bay, but now the northern side of the area has become very populated and you get incredible traffic jams during rush hours.You can walk the bridge, it is a nice tour, but be careful and bring your thick jacket as the wind can blow very strong and drop the temperature drastically.You can get to the base of the bridge by bus, take MUNI 28 or 29 lines and they drop you at the very entrance of the bridge.You get great views of the bay, at the other end of the bridge you get a view point with facilities, souvenir shop and those indispensable pay-binoculars.