Back to the Bay

Fort at base of Golden Gate Bridge, lines on the floor were for the movable batteries

Our one vacation of more than a weekend occurred in late September. We flew down to the Bay Area in California to see Kristin for her birthday weekend but we arrived a couple of days before to be tourists in San Francisco -- again. We enjoyed it so much the last time we were there and there were so many things we did not have the chance to see. 
Although we had stopped at Fort Point on the last visit (where we toured the bridge), this time we stopped and went inside the Civil War-era brick fort built right into the stone where Golden Gate crosses the narrow point. It was fascinating, with rooms for officers and enlisted men, huge fireplaces and many, many gun batteries facing all directions.
We stopped at the fort after a bike ride along the shoreline from Fisherman's Wharf. It took us through the edge of the Presidio and along some sandy beaches. I was riding an electric assist bike, my first time. I'm a convert.
 

View from Coit Tower downtown, looking towards piers

Although the views from the Coit Tower were amazing, one of the best parts was the Depression-era murals on the walls. They featured all manner of industry and culture found in San Francisco. The tower itself reminded us very much of the Astor Column in Astoria.

Palace of Fine Arts, remainder of World's Fair more than 100 years ago

One evening we headed to the waterfront and walked around a very peaceful Palace of Fine Arts, so beautiful at night. Then we hopped on a bus to sightsee but quickly discovered that didn't work well at night as we couldn't see through the windows. 
 

Kristin and Steven at Point Reyes beach

Our time with Steven and Kristin in Napa was short but lovely. We were able to see Kristin's school and meet a few of her students and on Saturday we drove to Point Reyes to get in some beach time. Then we drove north from there to another beach, had a lovely lunch in Point Reyes, a little hippie dippy town. 
On Sunday morning we went for a short hike in the hills outside Napa, then found a place for vegan brunch in Oakland. 
 

View from Angel Island

We were surprised to find that our visit to Angel and Alcatraz islands was not what we expected. Angel Island, which was huge and full of interesting things, included a old quarantine hospital, military barracks, gun batteries, and a charming little harbor. We only had a couple of hours there and wish we had more. 
Alcatraz was worth the time and money but so CROWDED. We decided to walk around outside first, to avoid the crowds. So once we circled the island and buildings on its edges, we headed to the main building but not where everyone else entered. So we were like fish going against the tide, a huge school of tourists with headphones, wandering around but flowing towards us. 

Alcatraz

 After Coit Tower we walked off the hills and down into Chinatown. We didn't go into a lot of places, since we'd done the shopping thing there before. We popped into a tea house to take a break and ended up staying there more than an hour. We tasted many types of tea and chatted with the very knowledgeable tea expert.

teahouse in Chinatown