San Francisco: Hilly and Chilly

~I recently traveled to San Francisco for the first time, and found it disconcerting to see people bundled in coats and hats in late July.  In the morning, the city was blanketed by fog, while during midday a strong, cold wind roared through the steep streets.  It was a welcome relief from the heat and humidity of North Carolina.

Here are some pictures from my trip Down By the Bay:

View of north San Francisco from my hotel room.

Panoramic picture of the harbor area, looking south, taken from a pier.  Click on it for a larger view.

Panoramic picture of the bay area, looking north. Click on it for a larger view.

The famous TransAmerica Pyramid skyscraper dominates the bay skyline.

Welcome to the Rock!  Alcatraz Island is surprisingly close to the mainland, but don't be fooled: the surrounding water has very strong currents that make swimming in the area very difficult.

Alcatraz and the bay are popular areas for sightseeing.  There were a lot of tourists, both foreign and domestic, throughout the city.

The Golden Gate Bridge hangs in the mist.

The Balclutha: a three-masted,  square-rigged, steel-hulled, many-hyphened cargo ship launched in 1886, now on display at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

Graffiti poetry on display on a pier wall facing Alcatraz.

One of San Francisco's iconic street cars; SF is one of the few cities in the U.S. to retain a functioning street car system.  Nowadays, they are mostly used for sightseeing; the city has an electric bus system powered by overhead wires for actual travel.

Although the narrow, steep, crooked streets are a nightmare to drive in (and don't get me started on the cost of parking), there are lots of interesting places in San Francisco and plenty of ways to travel other than by car.  I enjoyed my brief visit and look forward to exploring more of the city at some point.