When visiting a new city and admiring the local landmarks.. ever wonder.. "what else happened here?".. "is there more to know about this place? Any juicy stories?"...
Well, if the answer is yes, I have too.
For example, pictured above is the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco.. beautiful members only club.. but did you know they hold a huge secret? Allegedly the ONLY men to ever escape Alcatraz (you can see the island in the distance on the left) and make it, swam and landed at this Club!? They were reported "never found" but that is false. They made it to the Club but to minimize publicity that the inescapable jail failed, they never reported it and who knows what happened to the men... found a home in Brazil maybe??
Another fun example, pictured above is the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge we all know and love. Ever wonder why the bridge is orange and not the silver metallic color like all of the others? Well, there is a good specific reason for it. Since the city fog rolls in this area the most (where the Bay and Pacific Ocean meet), this paint was specially made to protect the bridge from rusting due to the moisture of the fog. Another fun fact, the bridge has made appearances in many movies - but in one of my favs Age of Adeline - they show the bridge at the beginning stages of being built.
I'll share one more, shown above. One of my favorite views. Driving over the hill exciting Pacific Heights and entering the Marina during sunset (or anytime really, it is breathtaking). Did you know that while most of SF was already built (or being rebuilt due to the 1906 earthquake/fires) the Marina was still a marsh for a long time, up until the 1915 PPIE World's Fair came and built about 10 huge Colosseum like buildings - all to be torn down after, with the exception of the Palace of Fine Arts. This is the reason most buildings in the Marina weren't built until the 1920' and 30's.
Ok oneee more since I'm having a good day ;) also in this picture above - did you know to the left is Billionaire's row? That's right. On Broadway between Lyon Street and Divisadero holds some of the cities wealthiest of residents(Old money and New Tech heads --> Thanks Business Insider!). Now, yes we have several areas where the wealthiest live however this specific area is deemed 'Billionaire's Row" and was also built after the fires of 1906 so the wealthy could get away from the ruins. I highly suggest taking a stroll west on Broadway, admiring the homes aka mega mansions then walking down the gorgeous Lyon Street Steps.. absolutely stunning.
