Today, let me show you a picture-perfect sunset over the bay of San Francisco. In order to see it, let's go to the westernmost part of the city - the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
I like the West Coast more than the East Coast because you don't have to wake up early in the morning to take beautiful pictures. All you need is to wait till the late afternoon and obviously head out west, to the ocean.

My previous post about San Francisco is here: San Francisco - A City by the Bay.

Since I had only about two hours before it turned completely dark, I was able to see only a small part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area called Sea Cliff, which is located to the south of China Beach.

I got there by trolley bus #1 right from downtown San Francisco. I have to admit that bus drivers in San Francisco are really great professionals. There were a lot of bus stops and intersections on steep hills, and I can imagine how difficult is to make frequent stops and then start driving at such angles. Very well done.

The park stretches for dozens of kilometres along the coast of the Pacific Ocean on both sides of the Golden Gate Strait.

Lands End Trail, which runs along the steep coast, starts at the intersection of El Camino Del Mar Street and 32nd Avenue. 

The famous Golden Gate Bridge is seen from Eagle's Point.

The Golden Gate Bridge, which became the hallmark of San Francisco, is considered to be the most beautiful and photographed bridge in the world. For almost 30 years, it had been the longest bridge in the world with a length of 1,300 m (4,200 ft). I came across a really fascinating article about the bridge which I encourage you to read. It has really cool pictures and brings some interesting facts about how the bridge was built. In this post, I'll offer you a little bit of it, but please check out the full article here - http://mashable.com/2015/05/21/golden-gate-bridge-construction/#4UCG9AfEOkq3. 

Strong tides and winds, currents, deep water and fog made it very expensive to connect the north and south banks of the Golden Gate Strait. But Joseph Strauss, an ambitious engineer and an expert in inland drawbridges, decided to give it a try even though he lacked experience in big projects like this one. His proposal was approved by city authorities in 1922 mainly because he committed to building a bridge with a quarter of the expected budget. The bridge should have been paid for itself with tolls alone.

Joseph Strauss spent six long years in court because ferry companies sued him for the loss of their future profit. What helped Strauss win was the traffic congestion at the ferry docks that ferry companies could no longer manage.

When the construction started, Strauss enforced unprecedented safety measures for his construction workers. Each employee had to wear a helmet, anti-glare goggles, safety lines, and hand and face cream to protect against the wind. Workers even had a special diet to help them overcome dizziness.

But the most important innovation in terms of construction safety was a gigantic net that stretched under the bridge. It saved the lives of 19 construction workers who later formed the club "Halfway to Hell." Unfortunately, 11 people died during construction, 10 of them - in a single accident, when the piece of scaffolding fell, and the net could not hold the weight and broke.

The U.S. Navy lobbied that the bridge be painted with black and yellow stripes so that the bridge could be easily visible in the fog. The Army Air Corp wanted red and white stripes. When the bridge was painted with a red primer, one of the consulting architects suggested that the bridge be left red, justifying his thoughts in the 29-page report.

The bridge was built ahead of schedule and $1.3 million under budget - something that you don't happen to see often.

The bridge was officially opened on May 27, 1937.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a perfect place to enjoy the sunset with a loved one.

Huge Coastal Redwood trees grow along the trail.

This trail is very scenic and runs along a steep coast.

Mile Rock Beach.