The U.S. is almost a magical place; like Hong Kong, it was built by immigrants and refugees who arrived with nearly nothing and faced with an uncertain future. With determination and grit, they resolved to make this a meritocracy where they believed anyone can make it with hard work. The Read more
The Disney Family was from Normandy in France originally called d’Isigny with the family name anglicized when they moved to to Britain. The family with infant Kepple Disney moved to Ireland before settling in Goederich in Ontario. Kepple married Mary Richardson in Goederich before moving to California during the gold Read more
Constructed in just 16 months, the USS Hornet aircraft carrier is the eighth and final ship to bear the name. It recovered the Apollo 11 crew after they landed in the ocean and performed it’s final mission retrieving the Apollo 12 crew. It’s permanently docked at the same pier the Read more
That pointy building in San Francisco that’s said to be earthquake resistant? I’ve parachuted off the top of it many times in GTA San Andreas while trying to evade the police. At 42-stories tall, it was the city’s tallest building from its construction in 1972 until the Salesforce Tower was Read more
The US made 2,710 liberty ships to carry supplies across the Atlantic Ocean during the second world war. It only took 60 days to make one, which helped because they needed to make ships faster than he German U-boats could sink them. This one moored in San Francisco is only Read more
This is the natural habitat of the San Francisco liberal arts student. The blue-haired, orange leggings, faux leather jacket-wearing, dark eyeliner-painting, frilly choker-donning type. Also, the latte-drinking, Lululemon bag-slinging, Apple watch-wearing, crop topping type. “My roommate did a thesis on chairs, but then she switched to cups,” one young lady Read more
The building doesn’t have much in it, just a few models of old shops with displays telling visitors about the role of each type of ship in history. San Francisco sees heavy maritime traffic from trade, tourism and military vessels alike. Entry to the building is free but you’ll have Read more
From 1982 to 1984, the tourist-attracting cable tram underwent an overhaul and a new powerhouse by General Electric. However, the city realized that it would lose tourist dollars if the cable tram didn’t run, so they started running old trams on Market Street instead and hoped the tourists would keep Read more
The best way to expect as a tourist is to buy a Muni Passport on a reloadable Clipper card that includes urban transport instead of paying $8 a ride. It’ll get you to the Cable Car Museum to learn all about the history of the practical form of transportation. I’ve Read more
Admission is free. This is where the cables are pulled with an independent system for each of the three lines. The one currently in use was built in 1984. Cables can stretch about 30 meters over its serviceable life and tensioner keep it taught so there’s no slack. Damage is Read more
The battery and US Army base under the Golden Gate Bridge was active until 1994. The Spanish started building it in 1776 and then it was taken over by Mexico when it battled for independence. After the Spanish-American War, the US seized California and continued using the area as a Read more