Did you know that something is nestled underneath the Golden Gate Bridge? Something very old; and one a sunny day in September, I had the opportunity to photograph it.

Even though I’d already walked my butt off going up to Coit Tower and then over to Lombard Street, my feet would not relent. They were dead set in reaching the Golden Gate Bridge on the northern end of San Francisco. And little did I know that I was about to stumble upon a huge historical landmark hiding right underneath the bridge itself!

Rare Treats

After walking past a pack of wild segways, I followed a street north up to the bay trail which follows the north shore of the San Francisco peninsula.

But before I reached my destination, I passed by a small food stand. Normally, I wouldn’t stop somewhere spontaneously and buy a sugary treat; but I was on a quest thousands of miles from home, so I gave myself permission to treat myself. I chose something called an “It’s It”, and was instantly glad that I did.

If you’re not familiar with what that is (I wasn’t), it’s basically ice cream between two oatmeal cookies and then covered in chocolate; and I sat down in some shade near the beach for a few minutes and savored it. I wouldn’t have one of them every day, but it was a delicious treat after so much walking.

Other highlights along the path included: a large group of marines marching around in a verdant field, an artist sketching the Golden Gate Bridge from right on the beach, and the most hilarious dog walker I’ve ever met. Just as I was passing the beach, I noticed a guy who was walking at least 10 dogs from one hand. He was very friendly and even let me take a picture of his outrageous dog walking truck, complete with horns. (You can find that in the photo gallery that accompanies this article.)

Through our interaction, I was surprised to learn that professional dog walking can be extremely lucrative if you find the right clients. This may seem obvious in retrospect, but how many dog walkers do you know that make six figures a year?

Follow Your Instincts to Discover

And then I came to a fork in the path. My instincts said I should explore the lower path first, and I’m glad I did. After walking for a few minutes, I came across Fort Point, nestled below the Golden Gate Bridge.

I’d never even heard of it before. Have you?

Turns out, this fort had been built in the 1850s, many decades before the bridge was even conceived. It was now preserved as a historical site, available free to the public. And soon I was inside staring at a spacious inner courtyard, complete with authentic nineteenth century artillery.

I took a curving stone staircase to the second floor and happened to run into a small tour group. I tagged along behind them and got to see some interesting things, including a recreation of what the sleeping quarters looked like. Here’s a hint: Not too comfy.

When you go, don’t miss the lighthouse on the roof. From the top of the fort, you can see the huge superstructure of the Golden Gate Bridge above. In fact, the size of the bridge made this lighthouse, called the Fort Point Light, seem rather small in comparison. And according to a plaque nearby, it hadn’t been lit since the 1930s, when the bridge was completed.

Overall, I’m really glad I stumbled upon Fort Point. It stands as an amazing monument to nineteenth century architecture, and you can check it out completely free of charge! (All photos from this segment are in the photo gallery.)

Where’s Marco?

Just like with every travel photo I’ve released since December 2010, Marco the Spacefarer followed me that day and therefore appears in all 26 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. In fact, I’m considering putting up hints that show what he’s near. Would anyone be interested in that?

If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play →

Can you find him in all 26?
Explore the Fort Point photo gallery →

Continue the Journey

Even after that day, there was still plenty I would yet see in the lovely Bay Area of California. But first, strange coincidences occurred, and I was invited to the most hilarious stage show I’d ever seen:

See what happened next →

All photos from this event are in the Fort Point photo gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Even though San Francisco’s Lombard Street is better known for its insane, hairpin turns than for its view, what I saw from the top of it on that beautiful summer afternoon was surprisingly beautiful.

But I’ll come back to that in a moment.

If you’re not familiar Lombard Street, it’s the epitome of how delightfully wild San Francisco roads can be, not to mention that it’s now known as the most crooked street on the planet.

Why, you ask?

San Francisco is a city of hills. A LOT of hills (over 40 of them), and engineers in the 1920s really wanted to continue Lombard Street westward. The only problem was Russian Hill, which was at a 27% grade. (That’s really frackin’ steep.) The solution? Curves! The kind of curves that make your tires beg for mercy.

Engineers realized that to build a street on such a steep grade, it would have to curve back and forth in order for vehicles to use it safely. In the end, they built Lombard Street to consist of 8 sharp turns (or “switchbacks”) resulting in one of the weirdest streets ever built.

Coit Tower is pretty easy to walk to even if you’re on the east side of the city. Despite the fact that the Coit Tower looks relatively small in the 2nd picture below, I only had to walk seven blocks from the tower to reach Lombard Street. Just under a mile. And on such a beautiful day as that one, my feet welcomed the opportunity. When I arrived, however, my faith in humanity was challenged.

Standing in an Intersection

Just before the street were a dozen or so people taking their pictures in front it. This didn’t surprise me. The fact that many of them were standing right in the middle of the road was what concerned me. Now, to be fair, the traffic on the road was pretty light, perhaps one car every minute or two; but these people lingered like flies at a picnic. And no amount of shooing was going to work.

Dear Lingerers, I’m sure your photos are radical and great, but I don’t care if you’re Ansel Adams. It’s just not a good idea to linger in the middle of the road unless someone is bleeding or something. Am I wrong?

The sheer nonchalance of these people was somewhat disturbing.

Anyway, brushing aside the pedestrians who may or may not have had a secret death wish, I made my way up Russian Hill. Although cars are only permitted to go one way on Lombard Street (down the hill), I was happy to see a pedestrian path that led upward. And as I scaled the hill, I took some pictures of the view behind me, resulting in my favorite picture from this photoset: the one of Coit Tower and Lombard Street in the same shot. In a single photo, I managed to capture two stunning San Francisco landmarks, and it turned out beautifully.

I love being in the right place at the right time.
And on that day, it happened more than once.

Where’s Marco?

Just like with every travel photo I’ve released since December 2010, Marco the Spacefarer followed me that day and therefore appears in all 7 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. In fact, I’m considering putting up hints that show what he’s near. Would anyone be interested in that?

If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play →

Can you find him in all 7?
Explore the Lombard Street photo gallery →

Coming up Next:

And even after walking to Lombard Street, my feet still carried me onward, leading me past a pack of wild segways (a vehicle that is not exactly known for how dignified the driver looks while riding it), along the bay’s coast, and up to the northern tip of the peninsula where I made an important discovery:

There is an entire Civil War-era fort underneath Golden Gate bridge. And I could tour it for free. My explorations of the fort, and my 4 mile journey to it, is in the next article:

See what happened next →

All photos from this event are in the Lombard Street photo gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?