The word strange means different things to different people. Strange could be weird. It could be the unexplainable, or the unusual. Doing something strange could also mean trying something that is out of your comfort zone. San Francisco has things to do that could fall under several “strange” categories. The best part is you can get in some healthy exercise while partaking of these experiences.
Touring The Rock
Alcatraz Island is a national park and one of the most popular tours in San Francisco. The ride out to the island lets you see San Francisco from the water and offers great photo opportunities. The tour gives you an inside look at life inside the penitentiary that held notorious crooks such as Al Capone. The daytime tour is mostly self-guided. The evening tour is a guided affair, which includes a demonstration of how the cell doors work, with you inside. The strange part is when you ask yourself why anyone would volunteer to be locked in these damp, musty, cold cells.
Playing With Vintage Toys
Long before computers, video games and even television, mechanical toys were the rage. Kids would save up their pennies and head to the amusement parks to have their fortunes told by a mechanical gypsy, laugh at the toy monkey playing the bongo drums or cringe in delighted fear at a towering red-headed doll with a hysterical laugh. The Musee Mechanique is a collection of these mechanical wonders, many of which came from the now closed Playland at the Beach and the Sutro Baths. Some of these toys were intended for adults. One, called Naughty Marietta, plays on a Cail-O-Scope. These machines were like movies in a box where you control the speed of the picture. Tame by today’s standards, in the early 20th century, these “Girlie Shows” in a box were considered quite risqué.
Walking Ghostly Streets
Walk the streets of the Haight-Ashbury district on a night tour and learn about the ghostly legends of San Francisco. The tour is led by a member of the San Francisco Ghost Society, an organization that investigates paranormal phenomena in the city. The two-hour tour does not enter any private residences but tales are told of experiences in some of these haunted homes. The tour finishes in a pub rumored to be haunted. There are no steep hills on this walk, so in terms of exercise, it's suitable for everyone. Dogs are welcome as long as they are leashed. Children under 13 are discouraged because some of the tales can be quite frightening.
Paddling For Home Runs
Most people who hope to catch a stray ball at a baseball game bring a glove and a whole lot of enthusiasm, maybe even a rabbit’s foot for luck. Some San Francisco Giants fans take things just a bit further. Just beyond the right field fence at AT&T Park is McCovey Cove. On game days this patch of water is filled with kayaks, Zodiacs, even surfboards. Larger craft that won’t fit inside what amounts to an oversized marina slip, anchor just outside. All are waiting for a home run to go flying out of the park. If one comes over that fence, there is a mad scramble as everyone paddles, motors or swims after the ball. The cove is open to anyone–just put something in the water that floats and be prepared for chaos.
Walking Under The Bay
Walking through the two 300-foot-long tunnels with water and creatures from San Francisco Bay surrounding you can seem a bit strange. The Aquarium of the Bay, at Pier 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf, does its best to make you feel at one with the Bay. At one point there is a glass observation bubble that you can poke your head through. This makes you one of the creatures at the bottom of the tank. It can also make you wonder who is really watching who.
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