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During its 29 years as a federal penitentiary, 14 escape attempts were made from Alcatraz Island by a total of 36 inmates, of which 2 prisoners tried twice. Official reports state that 23 were caught, 6 were shot and killed, 2 drowned trying to swim from the island, and five are listed as “missing and presumed drowned”. Only one, John Paul Scott, is reported to have reached the mainland but he was captured and returned to Alcatraz.

The last registered prisoner at Alcatraz was Frank Clay Weatherman, who arrived on December 14, 1962. He was also the last of the final prisoners to board the boat leaving Alcatraz Island when the prison closed on March 21, 1963.

The name Alcatraz Island originates from a name given to one of the islands in San Francisco Bay during Spanish rule of California, La Isla de los Alcatraces. That translates to ‘The Island of the Gannets’ but it is widely suggested that the original meaning was ‘The Island of the Pelicans’, based on an archaic Spanish word for pelican, alcatraz. It is documented that there were populations of brown pelicans inhabiting the Bay’s islands. The name is credited to Spanish naval officer Juan Manuel de Ayala who charted San Francisco Bay in 1775. Although it is suggested that Ayala’s original charts ascribed the name to what is now Yerba Buena Island and at some point in history it instead became attached to the present day Alcatraz Island.

The element berkelium is named after the city of Berkeley, California. Berkelium was first produced in December 1949 by Stanley Thompson, Albert Ghiorso, and Glenn Seaborg in the 60-inch cyclotron housed at the University of California at Berkeley’s Crocker Laboratory. They bombarded americium-241 with helium nuclei (alpha particles) for several hours in the cyclotron to synthesize tiny amounts of the radioactive metallic element. The Crocker Laboratory was demolished in the 1960s to make way for new UC Berkeley campus buildings, and was situated where Tan Hall and Pimentel Hall stand today.

Baker Beach in San Francisco has a clothing-optional area at the very north end of the beach. It is a public beach that attracts mostly clothed visitors, but nude beachgoers frequent the northernmost part nearest the Golden Gate Bridge, so be warned if visiting with children.

Tideline Marine operates a weekday scheduled water taxi commuter service as a loop from Berkeley Marina to San Francisco Pier 1.5 (next to the Ferry Building), onward to Pier 52 (for Mission Bay and the Chase Center) and back to Berkeley. There are two morning departures from Berkeley Marina’s K Dock (in front of the Harbormaster’s office) at 7:30 am and 8:45 am, and two afternoon departures at 3:55 pm and 5:15 pm. One way trip duration is approximately 30 minutes and online ticket reservations are advisable.

San Francisco artist Eduardo Aguilera built the circular labyrinth of rocks at Lands End covertly in 2004 and it has become an unofficial attraction off the Coastal Trail near Mile Rock Beach. Despite being vandalized and destroyed many times, public volunteers continue to restore and maintain the creation.

There are open air parking lots surrounding North Berkeley BART station. Permit lots are permit parking only between 4 am and 10 am, after which they operate as normal daily fee parking lots. Payment or permit is required in Fee parking lots on weekdays from 4 am to 3 pm and is free on weekends and holidays. The lots are full by around 8 am on weekdays. Parking permits should be booked online in advance and the daily parking fee can be paid at the Addfare / Parking Validation machine in the station using your stall number.

The building under the San Francisco side of the Golden Gate Bridge is Fort Point, built by the US Army at the height of the Gold Rush between 1853 and 1861 as part of a defense system to protect the harbor from foreign attack. When it was no longer needed as a defense position, it served as barracks and military accommodation, but was eventually abandoned after World War Two and fell into disrepair. While Fort Point never saw battle, it predates the American Civil War and construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, and is recognized for its architectural and historical significance. In 1970, it became a National Historic Site and is now managed by the National Parks Service and open to the public. Entry is free and self-guided tours are available.

The first Peets Coffee store was opened by Alfred Peet in 1966 on Vine Street and Walnut Street in Berkeley, California. The location remains open today as a Peet’s coffee shop, but originally just sold coffee beans rather than drinks.

All vehicles crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in the direction of San Francisco are required to pay a toll charge. Toll payments cannot be made on the bridge, so rental car drivers have the option of paying the toll through their rental company, but this is likely to be more expensive and subject to convenience fees. Alternatively, one-time toll payments can be made before, or up to 2 days after, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Note your rental car’s license plate number and pay by one of the following methods: Online using a credit card at bayareafastrak.org. By phone using a credit card on the toll free number 1-877-BAY-TOLL (or 1-877-229-8655). In person using cash at a Cash Payment Location. Go to bayareafastrak.org/cashlocations for a complete listing. In person using credit card or cash, check or money order at the Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center at 375 Beale Street (between Folsom and Harrison Streets in San Francisco. Hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The depth of water under the Golden Gate Bridge is approximately 377 feet (or 115 meters) at its deepest point. The US Geological Survey, with other research partners, have mapped central San Francisco Bay and its entrance under the Golden Gate Bridge using multibeam echosounders. In 2006, they published a topographical image with indicative depths of the sea floor around Alcatraz and Angel Islands, and the Golden Gate Strait underneath the bridge. The imaging shows the area below the Golden Gate Bridge as being the deepest part of San Francisco Bay.

The Golden Gate Bridge’s suspension span, including the main span and side spans, is 1.2 miles (or 1,966 meters) long. The length of the main span between the towers is 4,200 feet (or 1,280 meters).

At its center, the height of the Golden Gate Bridge from the water to the underside of the bridge deck averages 220 feet (or 67 meters) at high tide, increasing to 225 feet (or 68.5 meters) at low tide. The bridge towers stand 746 feet (or 227 meters) above the water and 500 feet (152 meters) above the road deck.

The vermilion orange color of the Golden Gate Bridge has its origins in the red lead primer coating the steel used to construct the bridge. The hue seemed to complement the bridge design and surroundings, so a similar shade called International Orange was chosen as its permanent paint color.

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge never gets repainted from end to end. Instead there is continual program of spot painting and corrosion repair undertaken by a dedicated maintenance team.

Pedestrians can cross the Golden Gate Bridge on the East Sidewalk, which faces San Francisco, from 5 am daily until 9 pm during Daylight Savings Time and 6:30 pm during Pacific Standard Time. Dogs are not allowed on the bridge, except for service dogs.

The Golden Gate Bridge gets its name from the Golden Gate strait, the body of water it spans between San Francisco and Marin County, California. The name has nothing to do with the bridge’s distinctive orange red color.

Swimming is allowed at Lake Anza in Berkeley’s Tilden Regional Park in the designated beach area on weekends and holidays from around the end of April and on weekdays from the end of May until around mid-September. Swimming is prohibited from November onwards and when periods of poor water quality are identified by East Bay Regional Park District. When lifeguards are on duty during swim season, a beach access fee is charged.

Water Light Public Plaza is located behind the Lyric apartments on Locust Street at Bonanza Street in downtown Walnut Creek, California. The courtyard-style parklet was designed by artist Jason Middlebrook and features a large abstract wall mosaic created from hand-cut glass and ceramic tiles, with arcs of mirrored glass. The patterns are emulated in a water feature spraying arcs of water in front of the mosaic. Water Light Plaza is open to the public, with small tables and seating available for use and the space occasionally hosts pop-up events and holiday celebrations.