12th October 2009
Twin Peaks was our first destination today having had recommendations from several people about the views over the city. We certainly weren’t disapointed, from here we were able to see the whole of San Francisco Bay from the Golden Gate right round to the Bay Bridge.
After taking in the views we headed off to Golden Gate Park which was the first city park of its kind in the USA, much bigger than Central Park in New York. We made a few stops in the park which the 49 mile drive passes through.
Then we headed out to the Golden Gate Bridge itself. Perhaps San Francisco’s most famous landmark. When it was built in 1937 it was a true engineering feat and the longest span suspension bridge in the world. It was built to last forever and opened up the bay area of San Francisco which had previously been served by ferries. It is continually being painted with the orange paint that gives it its distinctive colour.
We decided to head back into the city to get something to eat and on the way in passed the Palace of Fine Arts in the city’s Marina district. It’s quite an unusual structure to be stuck beside a residential neighborhood on one side and highway 101 on the other, looking more like some sort of Greek palace. It was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and is now a favourite place for weddings. It underwent renovation in early 2009.
