San Francisco Bay Lookout: Alcatraz and the Golden Gate
Why is it significant?
Stand at the northernmost point of the pier promenade and let the crisp Pacific wind blow through your hair.
Key Facts
| Place | San Francisco Bay Lookout: Alcatraz and the Golden Gate |
|---|---|
| Address | The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133 |
| Geo Coordinates | 37.80950, -122.40920 |
| Part of Walk | San Francisco By The Bay: Cable Cars, Lombard Curves, and Fisherman's Wharf |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand at the northernmost point of the pier promenade and let the crisp Pacific wind blow through your hair. Look straight out across the blue waters of the bay: rising like a battleship of sheer sandstone sits Alcatraz Island, the legendary federal penitentiary that once held notorious gangsters like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly in escape-proof isolation.
Turn your gaze westward: spanning the mouth of the bay where the Pacific Ocean enters the bay rises the majestic orange vermilion silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge, its seven-hundred-and-forty-six-foot Art Deco towers piercing the morning fog.
Look closely at the water: harbor porpoises and sea otters frequently breach in the tidal currents, while container ships and historic wooden schooners glide silently through the strait beneath wheeling seagulls.
Listen to the distant mournful hum of the foghorns echo across the bay. You have experienced the authentic, indomitable maritime soul of San Francisco.