US West Coast Highway 1 Road Trip – San Francisco
This US West Coast Highway 1 road trip took a total of 7 days from San Francisco to Los Angeles, with 2.5 days in San Francisco, 2.5 days on Highway 1, and 2 days in Los Angeles. It will be presented in three parts.
At the San Francisco airport subway station, I tried to buy a transit card (CLIPPER) from a vending machine. Several of my domestic VISA cards were declined. The machine only accepts cash under $20. So it's best to bring some small denomination US dollars, which are also convenient for tipping. Besides the transit card, San Francisco's subway and buses also accept Apple Pay and cash.
Strolling around downtown San Francisco:
Union Square, nearby streetscapes, cable cars, Golden Gate Bridge (when we were on the south side of the bridge, a thick fog obscured most of it; after crossing to the north side, the bridge was fully visible), Lombard Street (there was a long line of cars queuing to drive down this road that is less than 100 meters in a straight line). On buses, tapping a transit card or an Apple Pay-linked transit card costs $2.50, while cash fare is $3. Cable cars cost $8.
Fisherman's Wharf – Pier 39:
Fisherman's Wharf offers a full range of dining, entertainment and shopping. From Pier 33, boats depart for Alcatraz Island. The famous Pier 39, besides having various restaurants, drink shops and souvenir stores, is known for its large groups of sea lions (I learned how to distinguish seals from sea lions, and based on that knowledge, I personally think the animals at Pier 39 are sea lions). From the pier, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge leading north to Sausalito and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge heading east to Oakland. Sitting on a ferry, you can get a distant view of San Francisco landmarks.
Take a ferry from the Ferry Building to Oakland, then take a bus or Uber to Berkeley to visit the world-renowned University of California, Berkeley. Many of the entrances have no one checking. The tower closes at 4 PM; we arrived exactly at 4, unfortunately. Admission is free for students, and $5 for outsiders. There is an elevator to the top, offering a panoramic view of the campus and the Bay Area. The campus architecture is mostly uniform white buildings. The town of Berkeley is small, with bus and subway connections to downtown San Francisco. We took the Red Line subway to Powell Street, which also goes directly to the airport.
Visiting Alcatraz Island: From Pier 33, a 15-minute ferry ride takes you to the island. There are many departures daily, starting at 8:45 AM, with boats every half hour to hour. However, it's best to book a few days in advance. When I tried to buy tickets yesterday at noon, there were none left for the same day; the earliest I could get was for 9:20 AM today. The ticket price is $45. You can board any return ferry. Outside areas are open for free exploration; inside the main cellhouse, there are audio guides, and staff will show you how to use them and set them to your preferred language. Many movies have portrayed the island's prison as gloomy and terrifying. Actually, after seeing it, it seemed quite humane – I didn't see any interrogation rooms like those in Kuomintang or Japanese prisons. According to the introduction, prisoners and staff ate the same meals, which were varied. The cell conditions, except for the so-called 'black hole' solitary confinement cells that had nothing (including light), were individual cells with separate washing and toilet facilities, and later even had headphone jacks for listening to the radio. Figure 13 shows the cell from which a successful escape was made. Now, the island's wildlife (including seabirds and succulents) seems particularly thriving.
San Francisco part ends here; the Highway 1 journey is about to begin.
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