"For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one." - Khalil Gibran…read more She sits on a hill on Lands End in San Francisco... ..a humbling reminder of the perils of war. The generation of WWII are considered by many the greatest American generation in modern times. Imagine the generation that brought Hitler and the fanatical Nazi party to their knees, defeated the once invincible Evil Empire of Japan, and built the best automobiles to ever have roamed the roads. And we haven't even touched the Banana Splits, Soda Floats, A-line Skirts, & Drive-In's of the day! The 1940's was well before my time, but I'm a historian by trade and old soul, and at times feel it was my era. Men opening doors for women, respect for our elders, the Delahaye Teardrop Coupe, and the King of Swing! Yet, with all my imaginary feel good memories of this bygone era... I do not find anything glamorous about those that died in WWII. The USS SAN FRANCISCO Memorial is a reminder of the sacrifice this generation made for us. The battle scars on her war-torn body resonates with suffering, yet with all the twisted metal, she still retains honor, service, duty, and American pride. The USS SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38) was commissioned in 1934 and became legendary during WWII, 1941-1945, earning 17 Battle Stars. She would become one of the most decorated navy ships, ever! Those that served on her earned the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism, gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps. The USS SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38) was a Heavy Cruiser that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 07, 1941. During the great Battle of Guadalcanal of 1942, nearly 100 sailors or marines died, over 100 were injured, and 5 were lost at sea. She was hit 45 times, yet managed to survive one of the greatest battles in American history! In the WWII years that followed The USS SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38) continued in many historic battles. She was repaired numerous times and continued to be on the front line in the Pacific up until the surrender of the Empire of Japan! Today, the spirit of this legendary ship can be seen at The USS SAN FRANCISCO Memorial located at Lands End in San Francisco. The memorial is set around the bridge wings extensively damaged from the great Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. It's a simple, yet powerful tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom! In the end, I recommend The USS SAN FRANCISCO Memorial. It might not be for everyone, as some may see it as a heap of old metal. I see it as America's soul, a time when our grandparents or great grandparents became the greatest American generation in modern times! Always in my heart!

A stop near lands end and the cliff house restaurant. It has the parts from the ship at a nice…read morememorial.

California Historical Landmark #440…read more In the City of Alameda, there is a plaque which commemorates when the first Transcontinental Railroad train passed by and arrived to it's West Coast terminal. It's located between two public benches, at the corner of Webster St and Lincoln Ave (near the Shell Gas Station). In the 1860's, the Transcontinental Railroad was considered a Mega Engineering Feat. It reduced the cost and time for a traveler to go from coast to coast. It allowed for the transport of raw materials and freight, which fed American industrialization. But it also had negative effects, such as- damage to the environment, harsh working conditions, and destruction of Native American lands. Nearly all of the rail was built by hand. Today, trains no longer run thru Alameda. But on the corner of Webster St x Lincoln Ave, you can still see the plaque that remembers the day a very special train arrived at it's San Francisco Bay stop. Welcome to Alameda, The Island City.

This is a very important historical location, but the plaque is tough to see in the photo. This is…read morevery close to the endpoint of the first Transcontinental Railroad. There are some bus benches very close by and also tons of shops on this busy location. So not really a ton of things to see at this corner, but it's worth checking out the plaque.

Such a lovely morning stroll in the alley way and admiring the colorful murals and cactus plants…read morealong the way. The Murals are ever changing on the garage doors and you never know what to expect each time you visit. If you're lucky, you may see the artist repainting over an older mural. The colors and the vibes of the paintings reflects the community in the area. Definitely worth a visit, if you are in the neighborhood for lunch or dinner as there are plenty of eateries in the area.

This is a review of the neighborhood in San Francisco called Lone Mountain, which includes the…read moreeponymous peak within its boundaries. Most people in San Francisco probably think of Lone Mountain as the actual hill, with USF's Lone Mountain Campus atop it. This is true, but only partially. You see, USF also differentiates between its "lower" main campus and its Lone Mountain Campus, but in reality, they're only a block apart. The historical separation comes from the fact that Lone Mountain College was a separate Catholic (originally women's) college until USF acquired it in 1978. The original building with the omnivisible spire is, unhelpfully, called Lone Mountain, which shouldn't be confused with either Lone Mountain North, the later-constructed high-rise dorm connected to Lone Mountain via an internal bridge; or Lone Mountain East, the most recently constructed student housing. In short, the entirety of USF's campus is within the neighborhood--including the law school--if you believe the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services. The WNES boundaries are Arguello Boulevard, Anza Street, Masonic Avenue, and Fulton Street--with a spur that goes south of Fulton to include both USF Law School and UCSF Health Stanyan Hospital (formerly St. Mary's). The neighborhood is much more than USF. It's Rossi Playground and the Geary Mel's Drive-In and Ewing Terrace, one of my favorite San Francisco one-way streets for its unusual layout. It's also the location of Lone Mountain Terrace, which is a bona-fide public city street in San Francisco, even though it's too narrow to drive on. No, it's more of an alley walkway between buildings, but it's all public land. (Just don't be a creepy lurker.) It begins at Parker Avenue and continues all the way to Rossi Avenue. The neighborhood also contains, probably counterintuitively, House of Hummus and those other businesses located right on that strangely unnamed (but very expensive) public space at the southwest corner of Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue. And there are the Lone Mountain Steps--not to be confused with Lone Mountain Terrace--which give the most direct access from Turk Boulevard to USF's Lone Mountain Campus. That should serve as an invitation to you. As an urban campus, USF is open to the public, both physically and de facto. Yes, I'm sure they can kick you off campus if you do something against their rules, but the point is that like UC Berkeley and unlike many Catholic and other private colleges, USF doesn't prevent you from coming on campus, so you should enjoy it, especially near the peak of Lone Mountain. You can't get into the Lone Mountain Building itself without a keycard, but you can definitely walk around most of the building and admire the spectacular views. Another well known feature of Lone Mountain is St. Ignatius Church, which can be seen from many areas all over San Francisco. The church itself is huge and beautiful, and even if you're not Catholic or religious, you should go inside and check it out, if only for the architecture. Just remember to keep it a prayerful space by keeping your voice down, not dressing like you're going to the beach or the club or to bed, and not disturbing services or standing too close to people who are praying. I love this neighborhood and have spent many hours here, as a USF grad student first and foremost, but also as a law-exam proctor and now as a St. Ignatius parishioner. I'm a map nerd, so I really love the spurs of major streets that continue west of USF's campus, if only for short blocks. And then there's North Willard Street, near which lived dear, lovely, and completely unrelated Willard (RIP?). Fulton is the boundary where many of the north-south Haight-Ashbury District streets begin (Ashbury, Clayton, and Cole). Fulton is also where Parker Avenue jogs and turns into Shrader Street, and this always makes me happy, because Parker just feels like it needs to cross Geary (it does), while Shrader would seem out of place that far north. Similarly, I can't imagine anything other than Shrader in the Upper Haight; Parker just sounds too posh. The neighborhood has pretty good bus access, with the 5-Fulton, 31-Balboa, 33-Ashbury/18th Street, 38-Geary, and 43-Masonic (and their Rapid lines, where applicable) currently serving it. (Alas, the 21-Hayes [RIP] used to provide access as well.) The views are nice from many places, especially rooftops, and it's close to Target, Trader Joe's, and Lucky (for the time being). It's also across Fulton from the northeast corner of Golden Gate Park, which is a fun, wooded, and hilly area that very few people visit, relative to other parts of the park. Warning: There's no free parking either on the driveway to or at the parking lot atop Lone Mountain. USF will ticket you. It's better to take the bus, give your legs a workout on the Lone Mountain Steps, and reward yourself with the view.

Noe Peak is one of the two peaks of twin peaks! I didn't realize each peak had their own name. It's…read morenot a hard hike, some stairs to get up to the top of the peak, take your time. Excellent view when you're up top. It's already good view just during the walk up and it just gets better

A gigantic Celtic Cross at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco…read more.. As we were driving through Golden Gate Park, I saw a sign for "Prayer Book Cross". I our driver, Ed, "What's that?" He parked the car and we all hiked up a hill to see a very very tall stone structure with green moss growing on its edges! Wow! In 1894, this 60 foot cross was gifted by the Church of England. It commemorates California's first sermon in English and the use of The Book of Common Prayer. Hope you get to see it if you haven't already! It's cool!

Prayer Book Cross is a controversial structure. Located above the Rainbow Fall, hiding from public…read moreview by all the trees and shrubs. This 57-foot sandstone Celtic cross erected in 1894 was a gift from the Church of England. You can read more about this here: https://theclio.com/entry/93780 We came by because we have always heard about this cross, but never seen it. My fur baby and I hiked up here recently from below the Rainbow Fall. It's a large structure with Celtic markings. Located on top of the hill by JFK dr., above the Rainbow Fall.

When crossing the eastern span of the San Francisco Bridge, few people realize the history of the…read moremilitary in the area. One specifically, the Nimitz House, hidden just under the freeway on the east side of Yerba Buena island, has an incredible story and history! This house was the final residence of General Chester Nimitz, the leader and architect of WWII Pacific Theater. Simply said, the man whose leadership and strategy was used to win the war and allowed the Allies to proclaim victory. This house is a three story mansion and shows its unique architectural splendor as you approach it. It contains large windows which enabled views of the east bay and if you search the internet, you will see the elegant interior - a fitting home for its resident and his family. Gen Nimitz past away in this home at the age of 81 from a stroke. Unfortunately, California is not maintaining the residence and it has been falling in disrepair. Paint, windows, and the structure are all showing signs of neglect. Don't let its condition stop you from visiting though. Although you can't enter, you can appreciate its history and marvel of the fantastic area and views it provided.

Have you ever fallen into a rabbit hole of discovery on the Internet, only to find yourself, at…read more3am, looking at pictures of seemingly abandoned buildings on islands off the coasts of California or Mexico, which you found by zooming into said islands on Google maps and looking through the posted photos, then wondering who the hell this random guy named Christian is who posted the photos not even five months ago? What is Christian's story, you wonder, as you continue to look through the other attractions of the island, which does not include residential or commercial buildings, only to discover a few hiking trails that lead seemingly to nowhere...but what's this? A campsite with no electricity, running water, or bathrooms? Just a field on an island designated as a campsite, reached by some trail made by a dude with a machete, or something? But despite the lack of these amenities...there are picnic tables! Who decided first that it should be a campsite? Who brought the tables? What are the backstories? I've found some neat places online using this exact technique, and I've been fortunate enough to visit such places. It's cool to stand in the location of such a place after seeing all the pictures online and building it up in your head, and honestly, what makes these places better is when there aren't a ton of people crowding around when you get there, trying to take a picture for their Instagram. Sometimes, like in the case of this house, I do the reverse and come upon a neat building, art piece, or other landmark as I'm out doing other things, then furiously search the Internet for more info on the history. For me, the places that are a bit mysterious are the coolest finds. We came across this spot accidentally; we had gone to see the mission in downtown and stopped to check out Treasure Island on the way back. We drove around a bit looking for a good place to see the skyline, and came upon this very unique bit of Yerba Buena, which is somewhat hidden on the side and requires you take some twists and turns down a side road. Although there is an informational board in front of this house that suggests many people visit this place, the houses are surprisingly well-kept, with all windows intact and walls free of graffiti tags, and things are generally not trashed by garbage human beings. Looking into and around each of the houses, I got the sense that this is an area that is largely unvisited, especially compared to the neighboring areas of San Francisco, and now even Treasure Island. I wanted to do my own digging to see how well-known this weird circle of Victorian-style houses, juxtaposed beneath the modern industrial backdrop of the various overpass-bridges, are to people my age online. The results were interesting. One Reddit post with someone claiming you can rent these out for events. Quite a few articles discussing some cool historical facts, like how the Navy wouldn't let the developers of the overpass build over the house if it would block the sunshine (this house was where Admiral Chester W. Nimitz lived the last years of his life). You can easily see the curve of the overpass, as if someone nudged it out of the way. Not a whole lot more on it, other than apparently Willie Brown (past SF mayor) trying to make it the mayor's ceremonial mansion (god, please don't). Overall, despite not being able to go inside any of these houses, they're kept in beautiful condition by someone I'm assuming to be a groundskeeper, and a stop here is worth it for the view alone. Just don't mind the whizzing and whirring of the cars commuting from above.

A silly quick stop while in San Francisco: the duck fountain! It's simply just a little fountain…read morewith a bunch of rubber ducks. It's located on a residential street in front of some houses, so if you visit just be respectful.