From Vegas we flew to San Francisco. To our surprise we caught a view of the Yosemite bushfire frontline belowing smoke as it ate into the national park. This had been dominating news bulletins in the US as some of the bushfire was largely out of control, quite a sight.
We were both pretty excited about visiting San Francisco, hearing great things about the city itself and of course the America's Cup which Team New Zealand had just qualified to race for. Our hotel in San Fran was near the waterfront which had amazing views to the Bay Bridge and was just a short 25 minute walk to the America's Cup village. The day after arriving we caught the ferry out to Alcatraz and were treated to close views of the Team NZ and Oracle boats training in the harbour.
The audio tour of the Alcatraz prison was exceptional. It led us up and down the cell blocks regaling us with stories of escape attempts and what daily prison life was like.
On the Saturday we caught up with mates Mojo and Alicia for a tiki tour around San Fran. We ended up chilling out at the Americas Cup village swilling beers on bean bags in the sun watching the Red Bull youth racing series on the big screen. That evening we caught the BART train out to the Oakland-Alameda County Colosseum to watch the Oakland Athletics take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Major League baseball - we had amazing seats right in behind home plate. We settled in with hotdogs and beers for a close game where the 'A's (my adopted team) won 2-1.
For the final few days we went out to Lodi and Tahoe to get a bit of an outer city experience of the area. We visited Squaw Valley resort and Lake Tahoe, where unfortunately the smoke from the Yosemite bush fires spoiled the views of the surrounding mountains. This all cleared on the second day revealing some stunning vistas across the lake.
We were both pretty excited about visiting San Francisco, hearing great things about the city itself and of course the America's Cup which Team New Zealand had just qualified to race for. Our hotel in San Fran was near the waterfront which had amazing views to the Bay Bridge and was just a short 25 minute walk to the America's Cup village. The day after arriving we caught the ferry out to Alcatraz and were treated to close views of the Team NZ and Oracle boats training in the harbour.
The audio tour of the Alcatraz prison was exceptional. It led us up and down the cell blocks regaling us with stories of escape attempts and what daily prison life was like.
On the Saturday we caught up with mates Mojo and Alicia for a tiki tour around San Fran. We ended up chilling out at the Americas Cup village swilling beers on bean bags in the sun watching the Red Bull youth racing series on the big screen. That evening we caught the BART train out to the Oakland-Alameda County Colosseum to watch the Oakland Athletics take on the Tampa Bay Rays in Major League baseball - we had amazing seats right in behind home plate. We settled in with hotdogs and beers for a close game where the 'A's (my adopted team) won 2-1.
For the final few days we went out to Lodi and Tahoe to get a bit of an outer city experience of the area. We visited Squaw Valley resort and Lake Tahoe, where unfortunately the smoke from the Yosemite bush fires spoiled the views of the surrounding mountains. This all cleared on the second day revealing some stunning vistas across the lake.
Flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco - frontline of Yosemite Bushfires
Watchtower on Alcatraz
Welcome message - Alcatraz was taken over by native American Indians to protest unfair land takeovers by the US Government.
Emirates Team New Zealand training in the harbour
Team NZ (photo taken from Alcatraz)
Alcatraz main prison building facade
Famous inmate Al Capone 'Scarface'
Basic cell layout
Upper deck (an eerie feeling imagining the history of this building)
View from Alcatraz towards San Francisco
Alcatraz island
Thumbs down at the foggy Golden Gate Bridge
Whamp whamp = GG Bridge
Beers and beanbags in the sun
Beers in the sun at the Americas Cup Village on the waterfront
Oakland 'A's vs Tampa Bay Rays baseball game
Go 'A's!!
After the baseball
Hiking near Tahoe
Squaw Valley Tahoe
Riding the Cable Cars in San Fran
Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista - a San Fran institution
No comments:
Post a Comment