San Francisco – Palace of Fine Arts, Victorian Homes, Stanford University and Alcatraz Cruise


Palace of Fine Arts

This place is the only place I have seen in San Francisco that reminded me of the buildings in Europe. I wanted to go here because it looked pretty in the photos and I remembered it from the movie The Rock. One of my favorite movies. I made it here on my last day in San Francisco. It is near Crissy Field, and I was able to find free parking. 

It is a beautiful building. I would imagine it would be more beautiful with greenery in the summer. I was here in January. This place was built for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. That was a huge world fair held in SF. I learned this by reading the signs at this place.  I would recommend a visit here if you are in San Francisco. Beautifully designed building and pillars. 

Victorian Homes

San Francisco is famous for its Victorian Homes. I was part of a hop on and hop off tour, and it included many neighborhoods with Victorian homes. Some of them needs to be renovated, a lot of them are painted in different colors. I also show the home that is featured in “Full House”. You can some in the photos below. 

Alcatraz

Alcatraz is rated as the #1 Tourist place by Trip Advisor. Alcatraz is a former federal prison located in a small island near San Francisco. Only one person is known to have escaped this prison. I first learned about it in the movie “The Rock”. Loved that movie. To me a visit to the prison itself wasn’t interesting. I would have found it to be sad. I took a cruise of the San Francisco Bay, and the cruise took us near the island. From the boat the buildings on the island looked worn out and crappy. I was glad I didn’t do the tour. I did take some photos of it from the boat and from land. You can see them below. 

Stanford University 

I also visited Stanford University on my trip to SF. It is a beautiful and charming campus. It resembled a tropical resort more than a university campus. The Starbucks on campus had the history of coffee outlined on one of its walls. It was an interesting read!  I have added some photos of the campus below.  

Overall I loved my trip to California and San Francisco. It is a beautiful city filled with many breathtaking places, great dining and interesting people.  I also stayed with a lovely family whose hospitality made my trip so much more enjoyable! 

Palace of Fine Arts

Palace of Fine Arts

Victorian Home

Victorian Home

"Full House" House

Alcatraz

Alcatraz

Alcatraz

Alcatraz

Palace of Fine Arts

Palace of Fine Arts

Palace of Fine Arts
Stanford University

Stanford University

Stanford University

Cruise off Pier 39