San Francisco, California

Top Tourist Attractions in San Francisco 

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the leading financial and cultural center of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Today, San Francisco is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, ranking 35th out of the 100 most visited cities worldwide, and is renowned for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Alcatraz Island and its former prison, and its Chinatown.

Places To Visit in San Francisco, California 

SFO Main Attractions

Ø  Alcatraz Island

Ø  Coit Memorial Tower

Ø  Civic Center

Ø  Cable Car

Ø  Cabrillo Highway

Ø  Lombard Street and Crooked Street

Ø  Lake Merced

Ø  Ghirardelli Square

Ø  Golden Gate Bridge

Ø  Mission Peak

Ø  Muir Woods National Monument

Ø  Fort Funston National Park

Ø  PIER 39 -  Fisherman's Wharf

Ø  Silicon Valley

Ø  The Cable Car Museum

Ø  The Exploratorium - Palace of Fine Arts

Ø  Treasure Island

Ø  17 Mile Scenic Drive

Beaches

Ø  Baker Beach

Ø  Fort Funston Beach

Ø  Ocean Beach

Ø  Stinson Beach

Churches

Ø  Grace Cathedral San Francisco

Ø  Saints Peter and Paul Church in SFO

Temples

Ø  Concord Murugan Temple

Ø  Livermore Shiva Vishnu Temple

Ø  Fremont Hindu Temple

Ø  SFO BAPS Temple

Ø  San Jose Balaji Temple

Golden Gate Bridge - SFO

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California 

The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Technically, the 'gate' is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, while the 'strait' is the water flowing in between.
General Facts to Remember : These are a list of the most basic facts on the Golden Gate Bridge. If you only have limited time to learn a few details, these are certainly the ones to know.

• The Golden Gate Bridge crosses the Golden Gate, a narrow waterway that connects the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay.
• Cool nights and warm days generate the foggy conditions so common over the Golden Gate in the mornings.
• From the day it first opened until today, the Golden Gate is a toll bridge.
• Actual paint color of the Golden Gate Bridge is Dulux International Orange.
• Official ground breaking began on February 26, 1933.
• The bridge officially opened for business on May 26, 1937.

 A few Golden Gate Bridge facts to illustrate its size:

• Total length: Including approaches, 1.7 miles (8,981 feet or 2,737 m)
• Middle span: 4,200 feet (1,966 m).
• Width: 90 feet (27 m)
• Clearance above the high water (average): 220 feet (67 m)
• Total weight when built: 894,500 tons (811,500,000 kg)
• Total weight today: 887,000 tons (804,700,000 kg). Weight reduced because of new decking material.

Cable Facts:

• Two main cables pass over the tops of the main towers and are secured in concrete anchorages at each end. Each cable is made of 27,572 strands of wire. There are 80,000 miles (129,000 km) of wire in the two main cables, and it took over six months to spin them.
• Cable diameter (including wrapping): 36 3/8 inches (0.92 m)
• Cable length: 7,260 feet (2,332 m)

Towers:

• 746 feet (227 m) above the water
• 500 feet (152 m) above the roadway
• Each leg is 33 x 54 feet (10 x 16 m)
• Towers weigh 44,000 tons each (40,200,000 kg).
• There are about 600,000 rivets in EACH tower.

Steel Facts: Made in New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania and shipped through the Panama Canal. Total weight of steel: 83,000 tons (75,293,000 kg)

Video File

1000 Islands

Alexandria Bay Thousand Islands

The 1000 Islands is a sightseer’s paradise and a popular destination for those looking for an authentic outdoor vacation. Located along the peaceful border between Northern New York State (United States) and Southeastern Ontario (Canada), the 1000 Islands is a region of endless shorelines, rich history and unique culture.

The 1000 Islands Region is an international tourism destination, encompassing communities on both sides of the US and Canada border along the St. Lawrence River and the eastern shores of Lake Ontario. The region takes its name from the more than 1000 islands that dot the lake and river along this international waterway. The region extends from Kingston to Cornwall on the Canadian side, and from Oswego to Massena on the US side, reaching inland to the foothills of the Adirondack mountains to embrace the communities that are west and north of the Adirondack Park, and the four NY Counties of Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence.

The Thousand Islands constitute an archipelago that straddles the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about 50 miles (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the U.S. islands in the state of New York. Canada is home to the majority of islands with just over two-thirds in Ontario.

The 1,864 islands range in size from over 40 square miles (100 km2) to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, or uninhabited outcroppings of rocks that are only home to migratory waterfowl.

Portland – Multonah Falls

Portland Multnomah Falls - Oregon's Tallest Waterfall

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. 

The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m).

Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the State of Oregon. It is credited by a sign at the site of the falls, and by the United States Forest Service, as the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. However, there is some skepticism surrounding this distinction, as Multnomah Falls is listed as the 137th tallest waterfall in the United States by the World Waterfall Database (this site does not distinguish between seasonal and year-round waterfalls)

How to Reach : It is located 30 miles east of Portland.
Multnomah Falls, 50000 Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019 

Alcatraz Island

San Francisco Alcatraz Island Jail

Alcatraz Island offers a look at the first lighthouse and US built fort on the West Coast. It was used as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, a total of 29 years, and which was considered to be impossible to escape. Alcatraz did house a few well-known prisoners. The 1,576 prisoners were housed in the prison over the years.

Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock," the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison (1868), and a federal prison from 1933 until 1963. In 1972 Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Today, the island's facilities are managed by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; it is open to tours. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33, near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. Hornblower Cruises and Events, operating under the name Alcatraz Cruises, is the official ferry provider to and from the island.

Reference  :  Penitentiary - சிறை (In Tamil)
Check this page San Francisco Attractions - To View the List of other Top Attractions in SFO.

Stinson Beach

San Francisco  Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach is located 2.5 miles (4 km) east-southeast of Bolinas, at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m). Stinson Beach is about a 35-minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge on California's Highway 1.

It is near important attractions such as Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, and Mount Tamalpais. It has a long beach, where the cold water promotes fog throughout the year.

Stinson Beach is a popular day trip for people in the San Francisco Bay Area and for tourists visiting northern California. Although most visitors arrive by private car, Stinson Beach is linked to Marin City by a daily bus service, and the network of hiking trails around Mount Tamalpais also reaches the town. The beach is one of the cleanest in the state, and sandy, unlike the rockier neighbouring beach in Bolinas.

How to Reach : Stinson Beach is located about 20 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. From US 101 exit at the Mill Valley/Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit. Signs will guide you to Stinson Beach.