May 18th, 2023
The plan for today was pretty simple but also not. We were basically going to head out and explore the City but were not really sure of an exact plan or timeframe. We had a Go City San Francisco Pass, so would be hitting attractions using the Pass. The weather forecast had been very favorable and had not been predicting the usual Foggy Grey mornings that blight the Bay area this time of year.
Cable Cars
The Forecasts were very wrong and we woke to some pretty appalling grey murk. Cool and spotting with rain, it was not the weather for an open-top bus tour which had been our original plan. Instead, we headed for a quick breakfast at IHOP and then headed to the Cable car Stop at Powel and MAson to take advantage of the low crowds. We had thought we could visit some of the close by attractions such as the Aquarium of the Bay and Madame Tussauds, but alas these were 11 am opening times and we had risen very early due to the Jet Lag.
We bought a 24-hour passport from the Muni App for $13 and hopped on the waiting cable car, sitting on the rail. We love riding the Cable Cars, this quaint and historic form of transport is perfect for chugging up and down the super steep hills. It feels so rustic and dangerous we are surprised it’s still allowed in such a litigious country.
After a fun-filled ride on the rail, we alighted in Union Square for a look around. One unfortunate purpose of this trip was to investigate the Homeless situation. Certain commentators have been bemoaning the State of the City claiming the homeless have taken over and the City is overrun with Drug Addled Drug Users. We wanted to investigate this narrative and see if it’s all political point-scoring or if the homeless issue is a real blight on the City.
Union Square is often cited as ground zero for this issue, and on the whole, there is very little evidence here of a serious Homeless problem. That is not to say it doesn’t exist, we are just looking at how we as tourists may be impacted to help others judge what their trips to San Francisco may be like and if you should even think twice!
After looking around the square, which was looking magnificent in its full-bloom colors, we headed into Macy’s for a little retail therapy, mainly as it was all that was open. After navigating the many floors we headed back outside and notice the gloom was lifting. So we hopped back on the cable cars and chugged over Russian Hill back to the Wharf. However, we decided at the Top of Russian Hill to jump off. The short walk down would be easy as it’s gravity assisted and we want to grab some shots of Lombard Street, and maybe recreate my favorite shot of San Francisco with the better equipment I now own. Timing is key to the perfect shot and I was thwarted this time by an impatient Uber objecting to me standing in the road (fair enough really).
Madame Tussauds
Our first attraction was Madame Tussauds. We have visited many Tussauds around the country but this was the first time at San Francisco’s edition and it was one of the better editions of the exhibit. On par with L.A., but inferior to Las Vegas and much better than NYC!
We like Tussauds to reflect the character of the Cirt and San Francisco defiantly did this with vibrant hippy culture exhibits Characters from the TV and Film shows of the City and plenty of Big Names associated with San Francisco. Along with lots of other unrelated but still fun displays.
It is a pretty short experience and one that would sting a little if we had paid the $30 entry fee, but being in the Go City Pass it takes the sting out a little. The pass was seriously easy to use here, just scan at the turnstiles and you are in.
Aquarium of the Bay
The Aquarium of the Bay is a nice little aquarium situated on Pier 39 and is fairly unique as if focuses on the Marine life of the Local area. It’s hard to believe staring into the Murky Brown gloop of the Bay that anything lives in there, but the Aquarium of the Bay really lifts the lit on the stunning and Diverse Marine life of the Bay Area.
There are two large tanks with tunnel walk-throughs filled with LArge Animals such as Giant Black Bass, Leopard Sharks, Sturgeon, Sting Rays, and several other large species. On the upper floors are a host of smaller but still enjoyable exhibits from Starfish and JEllies to Intelligent Octopus and adorable Otters. It really is a nice and compact little aquarium and we love the fact it focuses on the local waters, but just in case you are worried, there is still a Dory and Nemo tank as we know that’s all the kids want to see.
And for our visit that was also a problem There were a lot of kids visiting at the same time. And we have no problem with families visiting these places, as after all that half the reason they are here, is to help encourage and inspire the next generation. But this was different, there were literal armies of school kids all running ramage through the exhibits with the scarce teaching staff barely able to even locate the herds of youngins, let alone control them. It was pretty chaotic and the rest of the visitors including families with well-behaved kids, were all a little caught in the maelstrom. In the end, we were happy to get out with our lives. It seems the couple of years of Covid isolation has not helped kids learn how to react to the real world very well!
Let’s be clear, we are not anti-kid and understand this is really their domain, but these herds were seriously wild!
San Francisco Flyer
Next up was the San Francisco Fler, a flying simulator situated on Pier 39. With this attraction, you got a ride on the Fler and a 4D immersive attraction as well. The 4d Attraction was pretty poor. A basic Zombie Shooting game, with poor graphics and fun motion-based seats. The Flyer itself was pretty fun and was a low-cost version of the Soarin’ over at Disneyland.
The film was based around the San Francisco area and was pretty cool considering the trip we had planned. It really gave us a peek at where we would be heading. Overall this is the sort of attraction we were glad we hadn’t paid for!
USS Pampanito
Our Final attraction was the USS Pampanito Museum. This is a WW2 Balao-class Subamrue that is now moored up in San Francisco as a Museum vessel. Entry to the Museum gets you aboard the Sub and the chance to explore the cramped and claustrophobic living quarters of the vessel.
It’s a short tour but gives you a real insight into the lives of the servicemen aboard the Subs.
Alcatraz Night Tour
We only used 4 attractions on the pass as the final attraction we wanted to do today was Alcatraz. This was not included on the Pass, but if we had been strictly using the Pass we could have done a Bay cruise instead but we wanted to set foot on the Island, and Alcatraz Cruises are the only operator allowed to do this.
We had chosen a night tour for a couple of reasons. One it gave us maximum time to do other things before hitting the Tour, and two, we really wanted to see the Island in its creepiest state, at night. In reality, the tour was over a little early, and instead of darkness, we got a staggering sunset.
We grabbed some fish and chips from Pier 39 before the cruise and this worked as our evening meal, then we headed over to the Cruise Pier to check in for the trip. The Grey morning had now become clear and bright with gorgeous sunshine and blue skies. The wind however was howling, and this seriously dropped the overall temperatures down to “bloody freezing!”
We boarded the Ferry out to the Island around 4:30 pm and quickly found a spot outdoors on the top deck. It was fiercely cod in the breeze but we wanted the full experience of an open-air crossing so braved the wind and the ocean spray in exchange for the simply stunning views of the Bay, the island, and the City Skyline.
After the crossing, we were split into groups and walked up the path to the main Cellblock by a tour guide who offered insights and information on the island along the way. Once at the Cellblock we were given an audio headset and made our way around the Prison via the Self-guided Audio Tour. The tour is narrated by past inmates and is really interesting and informative. After 45 mins of so, we reached the end of the tour. This was a little short, but we now had free time to explore the Island.
Outside of the Cellblock, the barren and rugged island has a real beauty to it. As the sun set into the Bay the colors of the Pacific Coastline burst into life. We spent some time exploring the island’s outer areas, the gardens, and the views across the bay as the light cycled through its gamut of evening colors. Finally, we headed back to the boat just as night fell and steamed back o the city with its beautiful twinkling lights.
Back on dry land Jet Lag was kicking in so we headed back to the Hotel. A quick stop at Trader Joe’s to stock up on snacks and such and we were off to sleep after a really busy day.
Go City San Francisco Pass – Day 1 of 2
- Attractions – 4
- Madame Tussauds – $30
- Aquarium of the Bay – $30
- San Francisco Flyer – $28
- USS Pampinito – $20
- Attraction Cost – $108
- Pass Cost – $129
- Savings – -$21
As you can see with pretty light usage we have already nearly broken even. Tomorrow we have big plans and intend to use the pass ALOT and all of that will technically be FREE! Also, we wanted to do Alcatraz but if we had been happy to just do a Bay Cruise we could have done this on the pass and saved even more, it’s all dependent on how important Alcatraz is to you and your party.
Walking Total – 24,188 Steps – 12.1 Miles
A Big day today after a lot of sitting around yesterday. While we walked an awful lot in reality, due to the excellently located hotel this was a fairly easy day for a big City Break. Still, we were knocking on the door of a half marathon!
<<< Day 1 – Virgin Atlantic – London Heathrow to San Francisco – Upper Class – 787 Dreamliner
Day 3 – San Francisco – Big Bus Tour, Acadamy of Sciences, and Ghost Hunting >>>
