California Cruising - Part 2

Coastal California cruising continues! Friendly people, warm sunshine, beautiful surroundings... What more does one need from a vacation?

As we left Southern California behind, along the Californian highways Interstate 1 and later 101 we got to see some amazing green and blue sceneries. On the way up we stopped to have dinner in Cambria but otherwise kept the speed going.

Because it was already dark when we arrived to San Francisco, the next day I got to know the area and saw what makes San Francisco so special. Our hotel was centrally located near Union Square so it was easy to walk to places.



The spring was quite far along and sunny, which is not typical in San Francisco. When inland is sunny and 40 degrees, the city by coast is better known for its usually foggy and much cooler climate.

The population of America's most liberal city is 744 000.

Union Square.

Fishermans Wharf on the Embarcadero in Marina.

Pier 39.

After booking a trip to Alcatraz for Sunday, we spent that Friday on rented bicycles, cycling on the Golden Gate bridge all the way to Sausalito and afterwards taking a boat back.

Cute little Sausalito is a picturesque waterfront community across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco.

Sausalito.

San Francisco is an interesting mixture of old and new, old-fashioned and modern, hills and seaside, parks and beaches, hippies and shoppers.







One of the must-see's in San Francisco in addition to Golden Gate are the beautiful Victorian houses on Alamo Square in Western Addition.

They are affectionately called the Painted Ladies.

And some of their cousins.

Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights is filled with restaurants, cafés, unique boutiques and one-of-a-kind stores.

After lunch, we had a coffee and cake at Jane's.

The amazing conditions - the sunny weather, the beautiful scenery and the incredible car - prompted us to do some posing.























The views from Baker Beach where so out-standing that even some couples came to take their engagement pictures there.

On Sunday we got to know the infamous Rock.

The federal prison has not been functioning on the island since the last inmates left on March 21, 1963. They shut it down due to high operating costs and deteriorating buildings.

The officers' barracks at the dock.

We learned something also about the local gull colony on the island, which is apparently one of the biggest on the Northern California coast.

Listening to the audio guide gave a fascinating image of the inmates' lives on the island.



Alcatraz had 336 regular cells and 42 isolation cells but it was never filled to its full capacity. The average number of inmates was 260 at a time. The most famous prisoners on the island were Al "Scarface" Capone and Robert "the birdman of Alcatraz" Strout.

"You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege." #5, Alcatraz Prison Rules and Regulations, 1934.



The Rock was partly famous for being so difficult to break out, although there were some attempts and even a few people managed to disappear. Nobody knows did these people succeed in escaping or were they washed away by the currents of the icy ocean.



The unruly inmates were put into isolation, where 42 pitch black cells were located.

The main "street" was called Broadway.

The view the prisoners had left some of them wanting and even trying to escape.

After the Alcatraz tour we met with a friend for dinner and drinks. The view is from Grand Hyatt Hotel's 36th floor, overlooking Telegraph Hill with the Colt Tower and Marina on the right.

The gate to Chinatown.

Having a taste of local, Californian wine in Little Italy.

The next day it was time to leave San Francisco behind but before that we wanted to try the real American cheesecakes. The Cheesecake Factory is also famous from WB's sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Here's Union Square as seen from Cheesecake Factory's balcony.

I tried their most popular cheesecake with strawberries at the Cheesecake Factory.

Even the seagull was drooling behind the window!

It's not a proper visit to San Francisco if you don't drive the cable car.

In the cable car of Powell & Masons.

After the ride up San Francisco's famous hills with the cable car, we had to start driving back to south, towards LA.

We had planned to make an overnight pit stop in Monterey. We arrived in Monterey at dawn but we still got to have a looksee in the city.

Monterey harbour had some intriguing stores and restaurants.

Cannery Row is a place that has inspired the famous author John Steinbeck. All was well preserved, well taken care of and neat, like everywhere we went in California.









In Monterey you can get many mesmerising experiences by visiting the aquarium.



Did you know that with seahorses it's the male that carries the babies and gives birth?





Jellyfish are nature's art.



The aquarium was fascinating and would have offered much more to see and explore but unfortunately our schedule did not allow us to stay longer.

On the drive back we also took a moment to admire the sceneries.





A quick dinner in Santa Barbara...

...before hurrying off to Camarillo Premium Outlets to do some extreme last-hour power shopping.

I can't believe the trip is over! California offers still so much to see that I have to go back one day: vineyards, movie studios, entertainment parks, shopping, museums, and all the movie stars that I missed...

It's such a lovely place, such a lovely face,
anytime of year you can find it here...
Eagles - Hotel California

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Live as if you were
to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were
to live forever.

-Mahatma Gandhi

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