San Francisco Pt. 2   The San Francisco Bay Area is arguably the most expensive place in America to live. While some New Yorkers will argue that a condo in Manhattan will cost far more than its equivalent in SF, the Bay Area local will rightfully retort that those astronomical prices exist only in the city of New York itself. The exorbitant real estate market is not only in San Francisco itself but in the entire Bay Area. The finding of Silicon Chips in nearby San Jose has brought in hordes of generously-paid computer programmers and software engineers, thus sending the cost of housing, even in the rather opaque Silicon Valley, up the wall. Another contributing factor is that the Bay Area has so much to offer outside the city of San Francisco itself. Nearby Islands such as Alcatraz (left), Treasure Island and Angel Island all offer spectacular views of not only the city but nearby East Bay and the cliffy Marin County. Alcatraz, or "Isla de Alcatraces" ("Island of the Pelicans") was once the United States' most secure prison and is now a major tourist attraction. Just like the Titanic was thought to be unsinkable, Alcatraz was only thought to be unescapable until the Anglin Bros and Frank Morris escaped in 1962. Other famous inmates of the island include Al Capone, "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud and Dusty Stevens (..... hee, hee... just kidding about the latter Dusty!) Named after the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, Treasure Island lies between San Francsico and Oakland an acts as a midpoint to for the Bay Bridge. Althought the Island has been occupied by the US Navy and Coast Guard, it is now being opened to housing and provides a soothing rendevouz for those crossing the Bay Bridge as it is homeage to a most spectacular view of the city. The city of Oakland lies in the heart of the East Bay and is San Francisco's less prestigious neighbor in a similar way Fort Worth is to Dallas. Despite it's reputation as an industrious, dangerous city plagued by gangs, drug trafficing and economic depression; the city contains the radiant Lake Merritt, Jack London Square and the posh suberbs of Rockridge and Piedmont. Oakland happens to be the United States 4th largest container port. The well- renowned college town of Berkeley lies just north west of Oakland. It is one of the most pretigious colleges in the United States and was aptly nick-named "Bezerkeley". Students of Berkeley have been known for their fundamentalism and famously spawned the Free Speech Movement in the 1960's. It was also the home for a series of radical and sometimes even violent student protests   Rest of It.... COMING SOON!!!!! Back to Page One to go back to travels page to go back to main page;