San Francisco is one of the most amazing places I was able to visit in my life. With its steep rolling hills, an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, and a cosmopolitan population that is highly diverse, San Francisco is the place where you can experience great feelings. The climate may include chilly fog, but I was lucky enough to have a perfect clear sky for my whole stay.
Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf are typical tourists destinations, where you can go shopping or simply listen to the sea lions rejoice and see them sunbathe on the wood boards.
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually- operated cable car system, and is now an icon of the city.
San Francisco Chinatown is the oldest in the world. Established in the 1850s, it presents an authentic Chinese look and feel, with its produce and fish markets, stores, and restaurants.
Construction of the Golden Gate bridge began on January 5, 1933.The center span of 4200 feet was the longest among suspension bridges until 1964. The Golden Gate Bridge also had the world's tallest suspension towers at the time of construction, and retained that record until more recently.
Alcatraz Island (sometimes informally referred to as
The Rock) is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay.
Following the acquisition of California by the United States , the US Army began studying the suitability of Alcatraz Island for the positioning of coastal batteries to protect the approaches to San Francisco Bay. The island's first garrison, numbering about 200 soldiers, arrived the following year. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861 the island mounted 85 cannons around its perimeter. Alcatraz never fired its guns in anger, though during the war it was used to imprison Confederate sympathizers on the west coast.
Because of its natural isolation in the middle of a bay, surrounded by cold water and strong sea currents, Alcatraz was soon considered by the U.S. Army as an ideal location for holding captives. By 1912 a large cell house had been constructed on the island’s central crest, and by the late 1920’s, the three-story structure was nearly at full capacity.Alcatraz was the Army’s first long-term prison.
The Great Depression and Prohibition contributed to a severe crime increase during the late 20's and 30's, which produced a new era of organized crime.
In 1934, in the middle of the Great Depression, it was equipped with elements that made of Alcatraz the most secure prison in the world. During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary logged no prisoners as having ever successfully escaped. Thirty-four prisoners were involved in 14 attempts.
Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the "birdman" were two of its most famous inmates.
Link to Alcatraz Island (National Parks Service site) : http://www.nps.gov/alcatraz/
