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Photo Friday: Fleet Week in San Francisco
- 3 Min Read
Blue Angels, San Francisco 2007
October is a glorious month in San Francisco. Our Indian Summer brings warm days with crisp blue skies. If you want to appreciate the beauty of the topography of the Bay Area, this it the time of year to do it.
October also means Fleet Week, an annual event when the Navy is celebrated with a steady stream of activities including a parade of ships coming into the bay and an air show featuring the Blue Angels. 2010 dates are October 7-12. If you have plans to be in the area with kids, there is good reason to be excited. In my family, this is our favorite weekend of the entire year.
Flying over Alcatraz
The Blue Angels fly all over the world, but there is something particularly awe-inspiring about watching them buzz San Francisco’s landmarks.
Flying over the Palace of Fine Arts
They practice Thursday and Friday before the official weekend air show. The practice flights are as amazing as the real thing. If you want to avoid some of the crowds, you can watch them early, although the start time is flexible on those days which means everyone just stands around waiting for them to show up.
Where to watch them fly is a matter of great local debate. Part of the excitement for us is the noise, so we like to go where we can practically see the pilot’s head.
Treasure Island
Pro: panoramic view of the the entire bay
Con: limited overhead flights and possible heavy traffic on the Bay Bridge
Marina
Pro: heart of all the action and the most noise
Con: limited views of flights in other areas of the city
Golden Gate Bridge
I’ve never watched it from there, but I’ve always wanted to. I would imagine that the perspective is amazing and they definitely fly overheard quite a bit. Walking vs. driving on the bridge to see them is essential.
Boat in the Bay
The other place that would be an insane vantage point is on a boat in the middle of the bay among hundreds of other boats. If you have any friends with a boat, beg and bribe to go out with them.
For more of this week’s Photo Friday posts, check out Delicious Baby.
Relevant Links:
Ciao Bambino recommended San Francisco family hotels
Favorite San Francisco attractions with kids
Written By
By Amie O’Shaughnessy
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We live in the Bay Area, so thanks for the information. We always seem to miss it, or catch a plane or two by accident. We’ll have to make a point of going to SF that week!
I have heard of this week in San Fran, and when I was there I just missed it. I love the pictures!
HOW beautiful these photos are – i haven’t seen the Blues yet, but think we should definitely try to some year! thanks for sharing.
I have yet to go to fleet week but I think the Golden Gate would be an awesome place to watch it. SF in October is always the best.
It’s amazing to see how closely they fly together. Sounds like a great show.
I love this post! I am a bit biased since I live in Pensacola, the Blues hometown, but they are wonderful!
Great shots! Hope you have great weather like that year. Such a beautiful blue sky! We have never been to one. But I think kids will really enjoy it.