The 4^th of July Adventures on Treasure Island

I had been thinking of what to do for the 4^th of July for a couple of days when my brother Leland said he wanted to go to San Francisco and see Superman Returns on the IMAX. So now I had the place, now where in San Francisco? I pulled up Google Maps and started looking at where the fireworks might be and the best viewing locations.

Looking at the map I figured three spots would be pretty good if we got there early. I’ve never seen fireworks in San Francisco so I wasn’t too sure how crowded it would get. Most 4^th are crazy with people stopping and parking anywhere and creating this huge mess.

One place that looked good was the more obvious of first choices was the golden gate bridge. I could imagine that it would be a hell there plus we wanted to hit the movies right after. The next idea was at pier 39 but if you’ve ever been there the traffic could be real crazy. I also wanted a great location for photography and this wouldn’t work. Finally studying the map Treasure Island looked like a great place for both seeing the fireworks and maybe other photographic opportunities.

Turns out Treasure Island is just 15 minutes from the movies theaters just across the Bay Bridge. We arrived in San Francisco around 4:30pm and were on the island in no time.

It was a wonderful day. The sky was clear blue. Having lots of time before the fireworks started we explored Treasure Island.

When you arrive on Treasure Island the first things you notice are the fantastic views of the San Francisco cityscape, the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. There are other things to find when you start to look around. On the other side were a harbor and a small beach. So Leland and I headed there first.

From this view point you can see the other side of the Bay Bridge. There was some construction going on. The harbor had lots of boats. The gem turned out to be this small beach. It was empty. I was thinking that most people visit, see the views of the city and bridges but never look behind them to see these other great spots.

From the beach we found some old stair going up. I took the chance to have some fun with pictures.

At the top of the stairs you could see boats in the bay through the trees.

After walking on the beach we headed up to the top of the island. On this side there were public houses and apartments. Each home had a wonderful view. The only thing I could think of that may be a little bad would be the sounds of traffic from the Bay Bridge just a stones throw away. Walking along trails we found some great pictures of the Bay Bridge.

Along the way we found the Treasure Island Police building. Here there are several statues. The building has that nautical feeling to it. There was no one home.

Across from the police station there were many palm trees and a wonderful view.

The main flat area of Treasure Island is military base or what was a military base, I’m not sure. We still had lots of time so Leland and I headed to the other side of the island. There is a great bike trail that circles the whole military part of the island. This would be a great place to come and ride.

On this end of the island Leland and I posed for some pictures with the Bay Bridge and San Francisco cityscape behind us. There were also some sail boats and pelicans diving for food into the bay.

It was soon Twilight.

There was a nice sunset just before it started to get dark.

We walked back and the fireworks soon started. The fireworks display was just over the Golden Gate Bridge. They had duel displays almost firing off together.