Vacation - Day 6

Friday, Sept 23rd - This is our day to see San Francisco.  We left Hayward via the San Mateo bridge.

It is the longest bridge in the San Francisco Bay area and the 25th longest in the world. The total length of the bridge is 7 miles.  It does have a rise of 750 feet to allow ships to pass in the shipping channel. There is a $5 toll for west bound traffic only.

Once we got downtown. We parked in a lot at Ghiradhelli Square (a landmark for shops and restaurants) and proceeded to the Ghiradhelli store to sample some chocolates. The flavor of the day was Pumpkin Spice.  The name is deceiving but the flavor was excellent!

We strolled down to the waterfront to take some photos of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The bridge was partly fogged in that day and looked pretty cool! 

We ventured down the pier and took some photos of Alcatraz Island. We were not able to actually take a tour of Alcatraz as those tours book up a month in advance.

We stopped for lunch at In-N-Out Burger. This has been primarily a California burger joint. They have opened up some locations in the Dallas area, but the lines have been so long every time we drive by, we haven't eaten at one yet. So we figured, we'd have to wait until we got to San Francisco to enjoy their burgers & fries. They are known for their "fresh" french fries. There is a guy constantly cutting potatoes.
We then proceeded to Hyde Street where we had our picture taken on a Cable Car before walking up the steep ~ steep street!

This is a view of how steep Hyde Street really is!
It has a 21 degree grade up to Russian Hill.

We should have taken the cable car to the top!!!

At the top of the hill is Lombard Street

Lombard Street is a steep one block section that consists of 8 hairpin turns that people actually drive.
We saw people backing out of their garages on to this street.
It is one way for driving, but you can walk up or down along the sides.
We walked down the 27% grade and my knees would be feeling it before the day was over.

We then walked around Fisherman's Wharf and stopped in a few shops.

We eventually decided to do a boat tour of the Golden Gate Bridge & Alcatraz Island.

It was only $15 pp and would be a unique way to see them up close.

We took the "Wacky Jacky Tours"!

We drove back to hotel in Hayward using the Oakland Bay Bridge.

This bridge opened in 1936, 6 months prior to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Dinner was El Pollo Loco, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in Mexican grilled chicken.

Tomorrow we head home after an action packed - fun filled - relaxing vacation!!!