Visiting San Francisco: Fun Facts

I had the greatest pleasure last week of visiting my friend and fellow cacher, Mayberry Zoo, at her home in San Francisco, California.  This was my first visit to the great Golden State and I was most certainly not disappointed!

NinjaChipmunk and MayberryZoo

I spent three fun-filled days adventuring around the town and surrounding area and meeting all sorts of interesting people along the way.

There were also many fascinating and historical sites to enjoy and I learned many interesting new bits of trivia! Such as, did you know:

 Alcatraz was the only federal prison to offer hot water showers, this was supposedly to prevent prisoners from acclimating to the cold temperatures of the San Francisco Bay if they tried to escape.

Alcatraz a.k.a. The Rock

When Al Capone was held at Alcatraz, he gave regular Sunday concerts with the inmate band, the Rock Islanders. He played the banjo.

Golden Gate Bridge from Baker's Point

Over 3,000 people have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge, but of the 26 who survived, all 26 reported they regretted their action the moment they jumped.

As historic endings go, the Beatles gave their last full concert at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.

In September 1859, San Francisco’s favorite eccentric resident, Joshua Abraham Norton, declared himself America’s emperor. Everyone just kind of decided to go along with it. Emperor Norton had a following: Nearly 30,000 people later packed the streets for his funeral.

American Emperor Norton

In 1867, San Francisco instituted America’s first “ugly law,” which prohibited unsightly people from showing their faces in public. (It’s since been repealed.)

And lastly, to honor the geek in me:

In Star Trek, Star Fleet HQ is located just north of San Francisco!



Star Fleet HQ

I hope you enjoyed these fun and obscure facts about the City by the Bay!

There was so much to see and I cannot wait to write more about some of the incredible places that I had the great privilege to see!