Ellis Island of the West

Angel Island is bit unassuming, and much less famous, than its nearby sister Alcatraz, but no less interesting. For many years, the speck of land in the San Francisco Bay served as the point of entry for millions of immigrants coming to the U.S. – mostly from Russia, Latin America and Asia, especially China.

While today Angel Island is mostly enjoyed by hikers, bikers, and nature-seekers as a National Park, remnants of its history are still visible at the former Immigration Station.

You can even walk through the remains of the barracks which used to house personnel and immigrants. In World War II, Angel Island also served as a detainment center for prisoners of war.

For non-history buffs, though, the main attraction are clearly the many views of other parts of the Bay Area. Above, Treasure Island and the East Bay. Below, Tiburon.

And seeing San Francisco’s skyline from Angel Island is certainly worth the ferry ride across the Bay, not just during Fleet Week.

After a long walk, you can chill out in the picnic area right next to the ferry landing...

...or let your feet take a cool bath in the Bay.

Quadrupledecker

The Blue Angels are in town, and it’s getting loud for Fleet Week weekend. You can either grab earplugs – or your camera and head out the door to enjoy the spectacle.

Here are four of the fab six performing one of their stunts over Alcatraz, flying in close formation.

Seen in direct sunlight, they almost seem to crack the sound barrier right before your eyes.

Still, there are others to whom flying comes a bit more naturally...

Ferry Tale

Once upon a time I took a ferry just like this one, and you wouldn’t believe what an incredible sunset I saw over the Golden Gate Bridge. Well, maybe you would. Here it is...

The Gate to the World

It’s a fairly safe bet that this ship passing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge picked up its cargo at the Port of Oakland, across the Bay. San Francisco’s lesser known, not-quite-as-pretty twin city handles 99 percent of all containers coming to and from Northern California by sea. The port has ten container terminals and is the fourth busiest in the U.S.

And while that’s certainly impressive, the prettier picture (sorry, Oakland) is still the passage through the gate to the world...

Life on a Pier

Some people like to live by the water, almost in the water, but still in a house rather than on a boat. In Sausalito, right across the Golden Gate, there are several communities-on-a-pier of this kind – in safe distance from the tourist crowds visiting this formerly quaint seaside town, yet close enough to San Francisco for a short boat ride across the Bay.

Museum Ships

Square-rigger “Balclutha” taking a bath in the late afternoon sun in San Francisco’s Acquatic Park. Nothing special, I was just trying out my new Tamron 70-300 mm zoom lens. First impression: mediocre handling, due to stiff zoom and oddly placed focus ring, but very good optical quality for the price. It’s a keeper and will see more action when Fleet Week comes around. Meanwhile, here’s a close-up of Balclutha’s neighbor, “Eureka.”

Ferry Fly-by

There’s more to see on San Francisco Bay than just The Bridge...

The View from Sausalito

On a clear day, you can look all across the Bay, and if you catch the right spot there can be something poetic about the view of San Francisco, as seen from Sausalito.