Golden Gate Bridge : Construction on San Francisco's most famous landmark began in 1933 and cost 35 million dollars by the time it opened. The bridge neither collapsed in an earthquake nor proved to be a white elephant. What it did was change the Bay area's economic life, encouraging the development of regions north of San Francisco, and providing a symbol of hope when widespread unemployment afflicted the nation. Though it is often windy and cold, walking even a short distance onto the span is one of the best ways to experience the immense scale of the structure.

Fisherman's Wharf : As San Francisco's most popular tourist attraction (and "tourist trap"), the wharf boasts a lot of activity. It's a bustling place to spend a couple of hours on a cool boat ride, eating some warm sourdough or crab, or looking at the multitude of sea lions. However, keep your wallet close as the wharf also ranks high in scam artists and tourist rip-offs.

San Francisco Cable Cars : The city's iconic cable car system is the world's last one still being operated on a permanent basis. For a fee of about $5 for a one-way trip, you can take a nostalgic ride through some of the city's most interesting streets. For the most authentic experience, stand on the running board and hold on to one of the outside poles. It's something you'll never forget.

So, which location should you pick for your hotel? Generally, for San Francisco, it is not a good idea to stay outside the city as you have to battle the traffic-congested roads on the way to the city and tussle for limited parking spaces once you reach there. Hence, you should pick a centrally-located hotel in popular areas such as Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf so that you are within easy access to most of the popular tourist and business hotspots.

Renting a car to drive within the city is also not advisable as other than difficulty in finding parking spaces on the street, you would have to pay high parking fees charged by the hotels. After all, San Francisco's main tourist attractions such as Chinatown, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf are located near each other, making it easier to walk to them or reach them via public transport instead. You can choose to take the train (subway or light rail), bus (including trolleybuses) or cable car, which is a unique form of transportation and popular with tourists. Let us briefly examine the different downtown areas of San Francisco where you can consider staying at.

During the operation years, 36 prisoners tried to escape. Twenty-three inmates were caught, six men were shot and killed and two drowned. The last 5 convicts disappeared and were never found. In 1963, Attorney General Robert Kennedy ordered the penitentiary to be closed due to increased operational and maintenance costs. By this time Alcatraz had already housed 1033 prisoners. In 1972, it became a historic site.

Today, Alcatraz island is a busy tourist site because of the old empty prison and the oldest operating lighthouse is located here. The island offers two types of tours, a day and night tour. The night tour cost a bit more but there are also extra activities available. The tours begins with a 15 minute ferry ride to the island. The first stop is the cell audio guide. The audio tour includes actual interviews with former guards and inmates. Once the audio tour is concluded, visitors are free to roam around the island as long as they desire. People can wander into the cell blocks and some of the cells.





Find some more travel guide in asia and click istanbul things to do and places to visit in orlando.

and also read about dublin tourist attractions and jamaica tourist attractions.

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