The "City by the Bay"

     San Francisco is a wonderful city that draws people from all over the world to come experience the many diversities that San Francisco has to offer. San Francisco has many tourists attractions such as the internationally known Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz or "The Rock', Pier 39, Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, and much more. To fully experience San Francisco one must go there, but if that is not a possibility at the moment then I hope this helps you feel as if you have been there.


The "City by the Bay" is a well desired destination for many people all over the world because it has a little bit of everything for everyone. San Francisco is the largest densely populated city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States, so be ready to be crowded. San Francisco was founded on June 29, 1776, when Spanish colonists came to the San Francisco Peninsula and built a fort. San Francisco grew very quickly but was overcome with disaster in 1906 when a big earthquake and fire destroyed much of the city. Now, obviously, the city has been rebuilt and is a major tourist attraction to those who want to experience life as a San Franciscan.

     One of the most well recognized land marks in San Francisco, the West Coast, and even America is the amazing Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is 8,981 feet long (nearly twice the length of any bridge in existence before the Golden Gate Bridge) end to end and the towers on the bridge are 746 feet above the water making the Golden Gate the second largest main span bridge in the United States.  The Golden color of the bridge is actually an orange color that in the sun looks golden at a distance, hence the name the Golden Gate bridge. 

Alcatraz is another popular destination when visiting San Francisco. Alcatraz was home to some of the worst and most popular criminals in history including Al Capone and the "Bird Man". Alcatraz, also known as "The Rock", is located on a rock in the middle of the bay. The island has gone through many changes such as being an army fort, Indian riot location, and of course a prison. If you plan on making a trip to Alcatraz make sure you book tickets at least a year in advance, just a little helpful hint. 

Fisherman's Wharf is also a very big tourist attraction including the famous Pier 39. Here you can get all your San Franciscan gear and treat your self to some good eats right a long the bay. Also make sure to get your world famous sour dough bread from the Boudin bakery and Ghirardelli chocolate from Ghirardelli square. Make sure if your down on the pier at night to go on the outside deck of the pier on the west side to capture the night skyline of San Francisco. 

A place many people may miss when they go to San Francisco is the Golden Gate Park. I personally really enjoy this park because it takes you away from bustling city and helps you settle down and enjoy nature like trees and grass. The Golden Gate Park also includes a Japanese Tea Garden which is very beautiful. 

Although it does cost money to go through this garden I believe it is a memory that will last. Plus there is a very cool bridge as shown below that makes a great photo.

This is a beautiful fountain in the Golden Gate Park where local artist gather to show off their pieces. 

Now what I am about to show you is not something that is on the list of tourist attractions of San Francisco, but it is something I believe is a must do if you are up for some sneaking around. 

The St. Francis hotel in San Francisco is a high end hotel and very fancy. One of the coolest things about this hotel is its glass elevators. Now I must explain to you that this is not something you can just go and pay to do, these elevators are opened only by people who are staying at the hotel because you must use your card key to get into the hotel. So this is what you have to do. 1. wait outside the elevator for someone who has a key to get you into the elevator. 2. make sure they are going to a level higher than 25 in order to get a good view of Union Square and San Francisco in general. 3. Do not get out of the elevator because then you will have to wait for someone to get you back in. 4. Enjoy and act natural. 

This was my view from the 30th floor at night. 

Lombard Street is also a must seem, as it is one of the worlds windiest roads and it is right in the middle of the city. If you take the famous San Francisco cable car up and down the steep streets of San Francisco you will get a great view of Lombard street looking down from the top. 

These are only a few of the many places that San Francisco has to offer but given only a day in San Francisco this would be my to do list that  I would suggest to you. Not only will you get to see the tourist attractions of San Francisco you will also get a scenic look at the city that many people may not get to experience. I hope you enjoyed this small tour of San Francisco and until next time...

Keep on Traveling

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral is one of the most incredible pieces of architecture in the world! Built by Sir Christopher Wren, St. Paul's Cathedral was completed in 1711 on Christmas day. The highest point of the cathedral, the dome, stands at 365 feet. The dome on St. Paul's is one of the largest domes in the world. 

St. Paul's Cathedral is truly a magnificent building once you realize all the things that this building has gone through during its life time. The Cathedral lived through the "Blitz" which were bombings in the second world war! The cathedral received  numerous bomb blasts in which one bomb was actually able to enter the cathedral and blow a hole in the ground above the crypt below. If this wasn't enough for the cathedral it also outlasted London's second Great fire. During the war St. Pauls was looked upon as a place of hope! If the cathedral still stood tall then God is looking over us all. The cathedral was vital for British morale and helped the British get through the dark days. 

The view of the Cathedral is absolutly breath taking. Standing up close and personal to this beautiful building is truly a life long memory. Inside the cathedral people are not allowed to take pictures of any kind, so sadly this is as far as I get to show you. 

Something very interesting about this building is that it is not built on concrete or stone. The Cathedral is built all on clay. When Sir Christopher Wren started this massive project he had a choice between sand or clay to build the foundation with. As many people think sand is not a good foundation because it is loose and when you pick it up it goes through your fingers. Clay was obviously the better choice because it could be compacted.... Well Sir Wren was wrong in his decision because when the foundation was built Sir wren began to start seeing cracks in the lower parts of the walls. This was caused because when a lot of weight is applied to clay the clay starts to sink and so a result of this was the Cathedral foundation began to sink into the ground. Sand was the better choice because when pressure is applied to sand the sand holds firm. Who knew. 

Now I know I said that people are not allowed to take pictures inside the cathedral, but I can be a bad boy sometimes and break a couple rules here and there. Lucky for you now you get to see a little bit of beauty that St. Paul's has to offer. This building was so inspirational and emotional everywhere you look. I know personally that I could really feel the Lord's presence and the vastness of the inside make me feel so small. This is by far one of the top places to go if you want to reflect one on one with the Lord. 

This dome is something else let me tell you! Looking up at this work of art is mind boggling and made me pretty dizzy. Now lets talk masterpiece. Yes the art on the dome is beautiful and thinking of the person with the job of painting this is really scary if you think of it. The real masterpiece is what you do not see. Inside looking up at the dome it looks as if you are looking at the top of the dome that you can see from the outside, but really you are looking at the bottom of dome in which Sir Wren creatively made to hide what was above this art. The inner dome is hiding a brick cone that holds the top of the dome from crashing down into the floor. The secrets of the Cathedral are many with false walls, illusions, and stair cases inside the walls. Talk about mysterious. 

What you are seeing right now is the two towers at the main entrance of St. Paul's from 528 stairs high or 278 feet up in the air. The views are to die for from the top of St. Pauls.

 The Views of London from the top of St. Pauls

Because who can resist a selfie on top of St. Paul's Cathedral? Ignore my friend in the background..

Well this concludes our segment on the beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England. I hope it was enjoyable, historical, and entertaining. 

Untill next time, Keep on Travelin