Alcatraz and San Francisco Tour

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Day 2: Thursday, November 18^th, 2021



We woke up early in the morning to head out for breakfast before heading over to the Alcatraz ferry dock scheduled to leave at 10:00. We had breakfast at the nearby IHOP. With time to spare, we headed over to Pier 39 to see the sea lions before taking the ferry to Alcatraz.



Some interesting facts about Alcatraz include it housed famous prisoners with the likes of Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and the Birdman. There were also various escape attempts; none are known to be successful. The prison closed on March 21^st, 1963.



After Alcatraz, we had a quick lunch at Pier 39 before heading on out Painted Ladies Tour of San Francisco. Some of the famous sites of San Francisco witnessed on the tour include:



Lombard Street- famous for is steep, one-block section with eight hairpin turns,

Balmy Alley – home to the most concentrated collection of murals in the city of San Francisco

Twin Peaks – a lookout that provides an amazing view of San Francisco

The Painted Ladies- A set of Victorian Houses which appeared in the opening credits of the television series Full House and its sequel Fuller House. Painted Ladies are Victoria and Edwardian Houses repainted in three or more colours. There are many Painted Ladies houses in San Francisco. The ones at Alamo Square are the most famous.

Mrs. Doubtfire’s House – from the movie starring the late Robin Williams

The Golden Gate Bridge – the most photographed bridge in the world.



We ended the night exploring the shops at Pier 39 and had dinner at Boudin Bakery, where I had the San Francisco staple of clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. The bread bowl was good but not incredible as some of the reviews make it.



Tomorrow, we head to Napa for some wine tasting but before that we need to get our RT-PCR Covid-19 test for our trip home.

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Photos

Pier 39
Sea Lions

Alcatraz
Cells of Alcatraz

Pier 39
Sea Lions

Pier 39
Love Locks

Alcatraz
The Entrance

Alcatraz
The watchtower

Alcatraz
The Powerhouse which generated Electricity for the Island

Alcatraz
Flowers growing on the Island

Alcatraz
The Social Hall, a social venue for the Penitentiary workers and their families. It was destroyed by fire during the Native American occupation.

Alcatraz
The Water Tower

Alcatraz
The Morgue and Watertower

Alcatraz
Cells of Alcatraz
This Area was called Broadway. It separated Block-B and Block-C. Prisoners kept here had the least privacy in the prison.