Berkeley (California)

Copyright 2013 MM.Rogers
All rights reserved.
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A photograph can be an instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at you. - Brigitte Bardot   

My first Mother's Day was spent outside elbow-rubbing with the busy on-the-day shoppers, along the head-scratching jam-packed car parks and roads, along the quaint Santana Row shops, then finally along California's famous city of Berkeley. Our reservation at Skates on the Bay was at 7:30pm, we got enough time enough to sit and relax at the nearby park, hang out with the setting sun, recall my husband's stories of his days with yachts and catamarans, walk along the pier and literally "chill" with the pier fishermen and golden sun worshippers.

View of the Berkeley Pier at night

The Berkeley Pier extends out for more than 3,000 feet; as such, it is one of the longest piers in the bay, as well as the state. This reflects the shallow water around most of the pier. Bottom is primarily mud and there are few rocks with the exception of the shoreline area. The pier was originally built in 1926 so there are a considerable number of old pilings but mussel growth itself is fairly light. In the summertime there can be considerable growth of kelp along the shoreline.(pierfishing.com)

Skates on the Bay restaurant has an excellent view of they bay, great food with reasonable prices. Always make a reservation prior to visiting.

The Berkeley Marina is the westernmost portion of the city of Berkeley, California, located west of the Eastshore Freeway at the foot of University Avenue on San Francisco Bay.

Alcatraz (The Rock)

Copyright May Rogers 2011.
All rights reserved.
Photos shot using Sony DSLR

Find MM.Rogers Photography on Twitter.

Alcatraz (from the word alcatraces or seabirds) is an island in San Francisco Bay popularly known from early 1930s as one of the world's high-tech penitentiary that housed some of the most famous inmates in the United States. Presently, 'The Rock' serves as a tourist hot spot bringing more than a million tourists and travelers to the island every year.

The self-guided tour took more than 2 hours with audio tour available within the main cells, stories told by former inmates and officers of Alcatraz.

The day in San Francisco was very foggy, cold and windy. Not the very best time to take photos. Most of the photos I took are blurry and dark and without the proper protection gear, my lens was constantly exposed to moisture.

Although many boats can take you to the Alcatraz island for $15, only Alcatraz Cruises is allowed to make stop at Alcatraz. There are early bird, day and night tours for $26 per person. Board the nice white vessel at Pier 33 at Bay Street. They also offer to souvenir photos for $22 (2 pcs 5x7).

The 1910 Social Hall. Destroyed by fire in 1970, it served as what it was - a social hall - to many employees, prison officers and their families living on the island.

First Winter Western Gull. The basic I stage of Western Gull of the Pacific Coast. These birds are cute, they do not shy away from where people are in the hopes of finding food. According to allaboutbirds.org, the First Winter (Basic I) is like juvenal plumage, but head, throat, and breast lighter and more streaked. Bill black with pale base, eyes dark brown.

The cells along 'Broadway'

Taken from the control room using a telephoto lens on a foggy day

Inside the main cell house with audio tours

Photo tip: Wide lens will do wonders inside the cell house, use telephoto lens outside

Chambray Alcatraz Prison Uniform

Michigan Avenue is a cell block just like "Broadway" where some of the racial minority inmates lived.

The garden cared by volunteers

The Alcatraz Lighthouse was the first on the Pacific Coast and has been in operation since 1854.

Next: History San Jose

Iconic San Francisco Sights

Copyright May Rogers 2011.
All rights reserved.
Photos shot using Sony DSLR

Find MM.Rogers Photography on Twitter.

The overwhelming San Francisco is bigger than the biggest I imagined it to be. My first time to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, I couldn't take a good photo- my excitement prevented me to- and left me wishing we were driving a convertible instead. San Francisco is located on the West Coast of USA, the fourth most populous city in California. Cultures thrive, people and taxes grow and it remains one of the best tourist destinations in the world.

With so many photos to shoot and share, I selected the 8 most photographed iconic San Francisco sights.

1. Golden Gate Bridge (view from Fort Point). To get the best feel of the bridge, people cross it by bicycle or even on foot. It's a long walk but you get to photograph the sights down below and marvel on how red-orange the bridge is. The best view of Golden Gate is from Marin Highlands.

2. Ferry Building Marketplace (view from Bay Bridge). It is the center of a transit hub that connects all of San Francisco's neighborhoods and the surrounding bay communities (read more here)

3. The Painted Ladies (Postcard Row). One of the most crowded tourist attractions in SF. The place is called Postcard Row with 7 pastel-colored Victorian houses located on Alamo Square. Photography tip: use a wide angle lens. I used my telephoto and I had to position myself to the side just to fit all of the 7 houses. But with this lens, I was able to answer my question "who lives there?" and took a shot of a cat sitting inside the living room in one of the houses.

"Girl and the City"

4. San Francisco Bay is of course one of the most photographed and well-loved scene in SF. The weather is often foggy and chilly which is very refreshing when you are in a crowd. The bay is for barges, tour boats, sailors and kite surfers. The best view is right by Fort Point (under the bridge).

5. Powell-Hyde Cable Cars. These electric-powered cars run from Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf. The fee is $6.00, tickets are sold when you hop in.  

6. Union Square is the hottest shopping destination in San Francisco. With big malls such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Macys. This is where the cable cars go up and down, where the open-top tourists buses stop, where all the biggest designers are.

7. Transamerica Pyramid. This iconic building will follow you everywhere you go in the city. With its towering height of 853 feet high with 48 floors that make up the Pyramid Center, it remains the tallest building in Northern California and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Read more here.

8. Palace of Fine Arts Rotunda is one of the most widely recognized masterpieces that Bernard Maybeck produced and originally constructed in 1915. This Roman-Greek inspired architecture now serves as tourist attraction and events rental (weddings, photo shoots etc).

Next: Allerton Garden