ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO

Index

Here’s What You Should Know…

Our warmest months are August and September. Sixteen rivers feed into San Francisco Bay (estuary), flowing under the Golden Gate Bridge into the Pacific Ocean.

CABLE CARS
The most scenic of our three cable car lines is the Powell-Hyde line running from Aquatic Park to Union Square at Powell and Market Streets. This is the only moving museum in the world and dates back to 1873. Be sure to stop and visit and photograph the famous “Cable Car Barn” located on the Powell-Hyde line at Washington Street, just above China Town. (415) 673-6864.

HISTORIC “F” LINE TROLLEYS
From 6am to midnight, enjoy riding our 17 restored PCC trolleys from around the world running from The Castro District to Civic Center to Downtown via Market Street to Fisherman’s Wharf. (415) 673-6864

FISHING FLEETS/FISHING SCHEDULES
Dungeness Crab……November to June
Salmon & Squid….....April to September
Abalone…………......All year except Feb & Aug.
Sand Dab, Rex Sole, Ling, black & rock cod …all year
The fishing fleet is located at the Wharf on Jefferson Street.

FAMOUS SHIPS
U.S.S. Pampanito is a restored WWII submarine. You can take a self-guided tour through the crew quarters, control room and see the torpedo holds, located at Pier 45. (415) 775-1943.

S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien Liberty Ship is also located at Pier 45. See the only Liberty Ship of D-Day. (415)544-0100.

DON’T FORGET…
Always, curb your wheels (into the curb) when parking on ALL hills. A “curb your wheels” violation is expensive, even on “gentle” hills and in San Francisco, pedestrians and cable cars ALWAYS have the right of way.

TRANSPORTATION – UNLIMITED
Call MUNI for information (415) 673-6864 about discount passes on our cable cars, busses and famous “F” line trolleys.

ALCATRAZ ISLAND
Home of Al Capone, “the island of the pelicans,” also known as “The Rock” became a maximum security penitentiary in 1934 and was closed in 1964 due to the prohibitive cost of running the facility. This is a must-see experience but be prepared; bring sturdy walking shoes and a very warm jacket. With over one million visitors each year…order your tickets as soon as possible. (415) 705-5444.

(History)
Alcatraz was named Isla de Los Alcatraces, meaning “Isle of the Pelicans” or “Strange Bird,” by Spanish explorer Juan Manual de Ayala in 1775. It was a fortress, the home of the first lighthouse on the West Coast, a disciplinary barracks for the U.S. Army and a maximum-security prison.

Incorrigibles spent time in “The Hole,” (solitary confinement) in a cold, damp, soundless cell, where they could be held for up to 19 days. The main cell block was known as “Broadway.”

Notorious celebrities added to “The Rock’s,” reputation . Al Scarface” Capone garnered headlines as one of the island’s first residents in 1934. He spent four-and-a-half years on Alcatraz before health problems caused his transfer to Terminal Island. “Machine Gun Kelly” began his life of crime with bootlegging, turned to bank robbery and graduated to kidnapping. He received a life sentence and was transferred to Alcatraz from Leavenworth. Alvin Karpis, aka “Public Enemy No. 1” and Ma Barker’s partner in crime, spent 26 years on the island.

Robert Stroud, (portrayed by Burt Lancaster in “Birdman of Alcatraz”), was an inmate for 17 years-six in segregation in “D Block.” Stroud’s research on birds actually took place in Leavenworth. He served 30 years in Leavenworth where he developed his interest in birds. The birdman had an extremely high I.Q. He learned three languages and wrote two books on the diseases of birds, but bootlegged items were found hidden in his bird cages and he wasn’t allowed to continue his studies.

Between 1934 and 1963, 36 men made escape attempts. Twenty-three men were caught, six were shot and two drowned. Five are listed as missing and presumed.

The prison could hold 336 men and never held more than 275-and there was the safety factor, with three guards for every prisoner. But tight security limited the number of visitors allowed on the island, and though it existed only a distance of one-and-a quarter miles from San Francisco, its isolation flamed Hollywood’s and the public’s imagination.

In the 1950s, Alcatraz began to be criticized for its harsh treatment of prisoners, but closed because it was no longer considered cost-effective. All food, water, fuel and supplies had to be barged in. It was cheaper to build new facilities than to restore and maintain the old buildings.

Today, the jailbirds are gone and Alcatraz is a sanctuary for birds of a different feather-hawks and hummingbirds, ravens, geese and finches- reminiscent of the time 3,000 years ago when Ohlone and Miwok Indians were thought to hunt birds’ eggs and fish from the island’s shore. Western gull and its cliffs welcome cormorants, guillemots and oyster catchers, while tide pools host the crabs and other denizens of the deep that provide the birds with a welcome feast.

The lighthouse began as a beacon in 1854-the first beacon in Western America. The island had no beach, and since commerce was drawing ships to San Francisco, it was considered a hazard. An 84-foot concrete structure replaced the beacon in 1909 and light-house keepers remained until 1963, when Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered Alcatraz closed.

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