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Photo: Don Ramey Logan, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The infamous island prison in San Francisco Bay, once the holding site of notorious mobsters.
Alcatraz Island is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison. In 1934, the island was converted into a federal prison, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. The strong tidal currents around the island and cold water temperatures made escape nearly impossible, giving the prison one of the most notorious reputations of its kind in American history. The prison closed on March 21, 1963, leaving the island a major tourist attraction today with nearly 1.4 million people visiting the island annually.
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Fort Mason was a U.S. coastal defense port and military post for over 100 years. In 1985 it was ordained a National Historic Landmark, primarily for its critical logistical role during World War II and later during the Korean War. Today it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and falls under the National Park Service. Located on a promontory, Upper Fort Mason offers stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The approximately 5-hectare Lower Fort Mason is the site of the former military port and now houses the Fort Mason Center, which is dedicated to non-profit cultural activities. The center emphasizes recreation and education in areas such as visual arts, humanities and the environment. It has three museums and six theatres. The area hosts nearly 20,000 events each year. Most activities are offered at minimal or sometimes no cost to the public.
Hosts exhibitions of photos and the work of Italian artists.
The Long Now Foundation was created to foster a better understanding of a "slower/better" mindset, as opposed to a "faster/cheaper" mindset. In addition to holding many seminars, the foundation is a museum and offers local products in a store.
Housed over two floors, SFMOMA showcases the works of more than 1,000 established and emerging Northern Californian artists in a variety of styles and mediums.
Founded in 1776, the Presidio was the oldest military post in the United States before becoming a base in 1994. It is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and has been designated by Congress as a National Historic Landmark . The highest historical designation that can be given to the United States. The park is a magnificent set of 775 hectares of mainly hilly and wooded areas. The Presidio has approximately 800 buildings within its perimeter, many of which have historical significance. Some buildings have residential tenants, others commercial. At the end of 2005, about 2,500 people lived in the Presidio, which houses the headquarters of Lucasfilm (owned by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas), a unique situation for a national park. Some of their drinking water comes from Lobos Creek (Rio de los Lobos), the last free-flowing creek in San Francisco. The Presidio Trust, which manages most of the park, is renovating the rest of the buildings with a view to increasing the number of its residents to 5,000. The Presidio contains 11 miles (17.7 km) of hiking trails, including the Golden Gate Parkway, Coastal Trail, an Eco Trail, and portions of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, Bay Trail, and Anza National Historic Trail. Cyclists can explore the area on 22.5 km of paved roads and along some unpaved parts of the Bay Area Ridge Trail. A world-class windsurfing area borders Crissy Field, while the nearby rocks and pier offer plenty of fishing and crabbing opportunities. Along the way you will also find many historical and architectural sites, as well as fantastic views and natural landscapes.
A fort at the southern base of the Golden Gate Bridge that formerly housed 126 cannons to protect the bay against invaders and somewhat functions as the guardian of the Golden Gate. It was built beginning in 1848 to protect the entrance to San Francisco Bay during the Civil War, but it never fired a shot in combat. The fort appears in Alfred Hitchcock's film Cold Sweat.