Things to do in Nicasio

First-timers taking a stroll along Pier 39 might be surprised by the strange sounds creeping up from its adjacent floating docks. But follow the fruity barks and deep groans to the source and you’ll immediately see what makes this pier a much-loved destination for visitors and locals alike.

The Golden Gate Bridge connects the city of San Francisco with Marin County to the north and marks the point where the bay meets the ocean. Consisting of a single span of 2.7 kilometres, it took four years to build and was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1937. Its exposed location called for a robust design that would withstand high winds and extreme weather, yet its elegance and beauty have made it one of America’s most photographed landmarks, as well as a genuine architectural icon.

Take a breather from the city heat in over 400 hectares of natural parkland stretching from the Haight-Ashbury district to the Pacific Ocean. Opened in 1871 as a rural retreat for city-dwellers inspired by New York’s Central Park, Golden Gate Park made its indelible mark on popular culture during the Summer of Love in 1967, when San Francisco’s flower children spread their message of love and peace to the world. Half a century on, the hippie legacy lives on in the Janis Joplin tree, a notorious spot for illicit marijuana smokers said to be just large enough to conceal a girl and her guitar within its branches.

Less than an hour from the metropolitan buzz of central San Francisco lies the tranquil park of Muir Woods. The giant redwoods in this popular National Park reach heights of around 80 metres and some of the oldest specimens are said to date back 1,200 years or more.

A one-block section of Lombard Street shows the steepness of San Francisco’s hills in a unique way. The redbrick road makes eight hairpin turns as it goes downhill from Hyde Street to Leavenworth Street. See this famous spot, one of the beloved quirks of the City by the Bay.

The ghosts of Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis still stalk the abandoned corridors of one of the world’s bleakest and toughest prisons. But since the maximum security facility closed in 1963, Alcatraz Island has been welcoming “guests” of a different kind. This rocky outcrop in San Francisco Bay is now a National Park, with thousands of people every year making the short ferry ride across the channel that separated the most notorious criminals of their day from the bright lights of the city.

The longest running military base in US history dates back to 1776, on a site which is now a National Historical Landmark District. Today the strict discipline and tough exercise regimes of military life have given way to more leisurely pursuits. The Presidio is the place where the locals go to let off steam in the picturesque shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge.