Fresh & Fishy San Francisco!

The common room. Wireless is free, but they charge $1 for 10 minutes on
the Internet. There is a fireplace in the middle, which they did use once
while I was there. It was generally pretty cold in the hostel.

During my stay in San Francisco, I stayed at the Fort Mason Hostel, owned by
Hosteling International. The hostel is located in building 240 of Fort Mason, which is
a National Park. The location is great as far as safety goes, but it is a little walk to
most of the bus stops. The 24-hour Safeway store is a 5-minute walk, though, and
that is great convenience! If you don't already have a discount card for Safeway, get
one—you can save yourself a lot of money! The hostel itself was very clean, and I
found the staff to be very friendly. They have a person at their information desk
during daytime hours, and they have a receptionist 24 hours a day. The 24-hour
check-in policy is also nice, since I arrived at the hostel at around 1am. If you are
allergic to cats, this may not be the spot for you, as they have a resident cat. Very
sweet, but a little nippy at first. It did poop on the carpet one day, but it was
quickly dealt with. It seems like an older cat…Anyhow, the hostel is located right
off the coast. Behind the hostel is a very nice paved walking path that leads to
either the Safeway, or the Wharf. Eating breakfast in the cafe provides for
beautiful scenery of the ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz.
I recommend taking Lorrie's Airport shuttle to and from your destination. They are
affordable—I only paid $12 each way, and our driver was not driving like a madman—
a definite plus! Their vans are located outside of the SF International Airport's
second level with the other shuttle vans, and they are red and yellow.

The hostel offers free breakfast to guests at its cafe.
You get coffee, tea, orange juice, and your choice of a
bagel or two waffles. If you are a cream cheese or
peanut butter fan, make sure to buy your own. The
only toppings they have for the bagels are butter and
jelly. The cafe also serves lunch and dinner for a
reasonable price. And I must say, the candy in the
vending machine was a better price than at the
supermarket.

I have gone on the Alcatraz Tour twice now, both times utilizing Pier 39's Blue and Gold Fleet. Both times I was very impressed with the boat quality, and enjoyed the quick ride out to the rocky and dangerous island. Once you arrive on the island, you are greeted by a cheery and informative ranger, who speaks to the group for a few moments. You are then guided up the large hill (take a big breath everyone!) and to the beginnings of the building structures.

You are able to view previous quarters of the guards, along with the rubble of some quarters that had caught fire. You eventually reach the actual prison, which is in quite nice condition on the inside. You are given headsets to wear and guide you through the prison house. This is very nice and convenient. It allows you to take as much time as you'd like in the prison. There are boats that head back to the city every 30 minutes or so, so you may take as much time as you'd like on the island. It is a great photo opportunity of the city!

Also, if you go during the winter months, you are allowed on the fenced path around the edge of the island (during other months, there is bird migration in those areas, so they prohibit it). I have also heard that their evening tour is superb. Apparently, they take you into other areas of the prison, that the day tours do not go into. I will be doing that tour on my next stop!

I went to the National Maritime Museum for the first time on this visit. I am into boats, and the museum was free. So I thought, hey, why not!?! Well, now I know why not. I found this museum to be boring. Nothing more to it. I found the highlights to be the figureheads from different ships over the years, and the Morse code working light machine. The Morse code machine was for the kids to play with, but there was little else interesting there. The Morse code shot out over the bay, and you had to wonder if boats were picking up what you were doing in the fog. Anyhow, there's lots of uninteresting artifacts in the museum, such as pieces of wood from an old boat, or an old hammer from making the boat. Some people may find this museum interesting, but coming from someone who has an intense interests in boats, I doubt it. There's a reason this one is free.

We spent one day driving up the coast to Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, and then up into Napa Valley. In Napa Valley we visited the Clos Du Val Winery, which was very interesting. It was one of the smaller wineries, and I think we received great personal attention because of that. We stayed at the winery for about 3 hours. The same man stayed with us the whole time, and he was a little buzzed-up himself. I'm not so sure if this ended up being a good thing, or a bad thing. We couldn't get him to stop talking for the life of us, but he did have some interesting things to say. I believe we paid $20 for the both of us to do the tasting, and that was credited to the bottle of wine we bought. I asked a lot of questions about how to taste wine, and he was more than helpful. He went on to explain to us the process of wine tasting, and some people's different ideals about it. At then end of the day, we left to head back for San Francisco. We got stuck in rush hour traffic on the Bay Bridge, and let me tell you, that is something you want to avoid with your life!!

We spent 1 day in San Francisco while driving up the Northern Coast. We took the drive the the infamous Stinson Beach, and it was well worth it! The beach is a classic with surfers and Great White Shark enthusiasts alike. Personally, I would never go swimming there, and the several signs warn against it. If the sharks don't get you, the rip tide will! I don't think anyone really surfs here anymore, but I'm not positive. It was a big spot in the 1950s. Anyhow, the drive is terrible if you have a fear of heights, but it provides a gorgeous view of the coast! There are hardly any guard rails, and the extremely windy road is perched right atop giant jutting cliffs!

After Stinson Beach, we continued our drive into Muir Woods. This National Park is famous for it's spectacular Redwood Trees. These trees are some of the tallest in the world, and grow up to 260 feet in the park. There are several paths for you to explore these great trees on, which I definitely recommend. Also, if you go in the winter, you can get a chance to see the trout swimming up the river- a spectacular sight in itself! This is a must see, especially for the family! It is a perfect spot for the afternoon picnic. Beware, though—make sure to bring a sweater along, even if it is a warm sunny day. Once you get in the shade of the forest, it is suddenly very chill and cool. A fun fact about Muir Woods—they shot several scenes from the movie "Return of the Jedi" here.

I have never been to China, but I could only imagine this is what it would be like, minus the steep streets. Most of the residents here speak very little English, if any, and they are obviously first or second generation from China, or other Asian countries. All in all, the residents are very friendly if you take the time to get to know them. The area has an equal amount of tourist shops, as it does authentic markets. They sell everything from gorgeous dresses, to traditional Chinese weapons, to medicinal herbs and concoctions. I definitely recommend stopping to eat at one of their many authentic restaurants in the area. The food is top notch, and usually dished out in large portions. Last time I was in Chinatown, I had my haircut. It was a great value at only $7. So, if you need your hair trimmed on your next vacation...

If there is one thing in San Francisco that screams tourist, it is Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Yet, it has to be one of my favorite things to do in this fishy city. Fisherman's Wharf is perfect for the seafood lover, with fresh seafood in the numerous street vender's carts that surround you. Crab is the specialty, but there is also an abundance of fresh clam chowder (in the infamous sourdough bread bowl). If you don't eat seafood, make sure to at least stop at Boudin's for some sourdough bread—the finest there is! There are a lot of homeless people around this area, but they generally keep their distance. Watch yourself at night though, make sure you don't walk it alone.

There is also an abundance of street performers around this area, who are lively and entertaining for the entire family to watch. Just be sure to throw them a dollar or two—remember, this is how they make their living. Going down to Pier 39, you can catch the Sea Lions barking away. That is nature at its best, and although stinky, the kids will love it. Also, near the sea lions you will find a cove of little shops and restaurants, among them Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Here is also where the boats take off for the tours of Alcatraz.