San Francisco & Palo Alto

In 2010, I went out of my country for the first time, to San Francisco & Palo Alto, in USA. It was a work trip, but I got there a few days early and had a great time.

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Palo Alto

Palo Alto (Spanish for ‘tall stick’) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.

I found it a quiet, although a bit boring town. Coming fom New Delhi, silence was a bit creepy.

San Francisco

Next day, I took the Caltrain to San Francisco to explore the city. The city truly has a magical quality to it.

I took a bus to the Cliff House and Ocean Beach which was OK, not very impressive. I also saw the Golden Gate Bridge, shrouded in fog.

Later, I went to Alamo Square and saw the Painted Ladies.

Fisherman’s wharf & Bay Cruise

I spent most of my day walking around Fisherman’s Wharf and took a cruise on the San Francisco Bay.

USS Pampanito

I took a tour of the USS Pampanito, which is now a museum.

Alcatraz

In the evening, I took a boat to Alcatraz Island and saw the Alcatraz Prison.

At night, it was haunting to look out across the bay towards the city and listen to the sounds of music coming from the city.