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Published: November 4th 2008
It seems like every place we go to is our new favourite! We loved San Francisco and had a great time there, the memories temporarily eclipsing those from other places that have come before. We definitely needed way longer to explore, not just the city but all around too, but this trip to SF was just a layover on our way home from Mexico. Ahh, Mexico, that was probably the real favourite! Not that hitting San Fran was much different, the first place we came to getting off the metro was a Mexican diner, the labourers in the street below our "bedroom" window were Mexicans, a lot of the people on the buses were speaking Spanish, if it wasnt for the signs / billboards etc., we could have still been further south somewhere. Talk about making us feel right at home! Even with only 6 weeks in Spanish speaking places, it felt right to have Spanish spoken around us. But it did feel good to be able to go somewhere and ask for something in English, to feel confident we would be understood (even with our odd Kiwi English and strange accents!)
We were really lucky and found ourselves another
couple of great CS hosts in San Francisco, and even better they didnt mind that our flight came in at night. We finally made it to Scott's apartment at about 11.30pm, and found Scott, his flatmate and fellow CSer Yaffa, and another flatmate Megan still up waiting for us. And Boo the cat too. They live pretty close to the BART, which also runs out to the airport, so getting there was really easy. We would have loved to have caught up with Steve and Alanna again, but it wasnt to be.
Despite being woken by the labourers blabbering away below us at about 6am, we really dragged our heels getting up and out the first morning. Shame as there was so much we wanted to see, but we were tired...the futon was comfortable...and best of all was a really good, powerful, hot shower. That was about the one thing we missed from home (sorry puppies!!).
Following Scotts advice, we took the BART a few stops into town to an excellent tourist info place in a fancy shopping area at the end of one of the cable car lines. Here we not only got a great map (and
could have gotten heaps more if we were staying longer - for those that need to know, get off the BART / Muni / whatever at the Powell St stop, ignore the shopping centre and the guy outside telling you he's been waiting all day for you and is glad you have finally arrived , and head for the tourist info place tucked under the road) but also got a couple of travel passes, again very worthwhile. These give us free travel on all buses (Muni) and cable cars, but not the BART. So we promptly went outside and tried to find the cable car down to the wharf area. We found the place where the cable cars turn around, and a queue of people standing next to it, plus people standing at the end of the road waiting to photograph the cable car coming down the hill. We also found a little booth with a sign saying that due to maintenance that cable car line wouldn't be running and that there was a free bus instead.
So we hopped on that free bus and rode to the next cable
car line, where we were all promptly kicked off the bus and told to hurry up and get on the cable car. At the time the cable car was moving slowly down the middle of the road with other traffic around it. No wonder all us tourists stood back and waited!! we did get our fun, clanking ride up and down hills to the wharf. Unfortunately we took no photos of the cable cars the whole time we were there. Why? No idea, bit of a serious omission on our part really. Try looking
here instead, its another wikipedia page, but at least they have photos!
The cable car left us at the opposite end of the waterfront to what we needed, at least, the opposite end of the pier area. So we wandered along, looking at all the restaurants, shops, tours, tourists - it was packed! - until we came to the pier where the Alcatraz trips go from. We queued for ages in the baking sun (the good ol' Kiwi slip slop slap routine saved us from frying!) until we got to the front of the line. We'd seen a sign further back on another pier that
said the next tickets available were for tomorrow, so were pleasantly surprised to find that tomorrow was actually today, and we could leave on the next sailing. So after another 15 minutes of queuing, this time with tickets in our hot sweaty hands, we clambered aboard for the short ride to Isla de los alcatraces, the island of the pelicans, or the Rock.
Alcatraz has a varied history, not only for being Americas most dreaded high security prison, home to Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelley and other notorious and infamous crims. Amongst other 'uses', it has also been a civil war fortress, bird sanctuary and the birthplace of the American Indian civil rights movement, much more than the glamorised Hollywood version known to many people.
Once on the island, we had a quick intro to the history of the island and what we can see from one of the park rangers - we didn't realise it was a National Park, or more accurately, didn't think far enough to put it as a National Park, when we found out, it didn't surprise us much. Then we were left alone to wonder and explore. We sat through the pretty good
One of the isolation cells
Hard to imagine when its empty and the flash lights it so well, but it was small and dark really.Documentary Channel video then climbed the hill to the cell house to take the audio tour. This took us, with the commentary of former jailers and inmates, through the cell block and warden area. We heard about general life inside, bits about the Chief Wardens office and house, the dining room and about some of the escape attempts. Did you know that one group of escapees hasnt been found yet and are supposedly on the FBI's most wanted list? Something about not finding any bodies so cant classify them as dead, so they are forever stuck as escaped and still wanted. Is there an age limit before they can be termed dead?
Read the following from Wikipedia (we've got to find another website to reference!!) which explains the escape a bit better...
June 11, 1962 - Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, Frank Morris
The most famous and intricate escape attempt saw Morris,and the Anglin brothers burrow out of their cells, climb to the top of the cell block, cut through bars to make it to the roof via an air vent. From there they climbed down a drain pipe, over a chain link fence and then to the shore where they assembled a pontoon-type raft made of raincoats and then vanished. The trio are believed to have drowned in the San Francisco Bay and are officially listed as missing and presumed drowned. However, they may have made it and gone to a place where people did not know them.
We saw the cells they had occupied, and the holes dug out the back (or we saw cells recreated to imply they had stayed in them and someone else had dug some holes out the back!!). I think this is the 'dummy head' escape from Clint Eastwoods movie 'Escape from Alcatraz' but our local video shops dont carry this movie so we cant confirm
One of the cells
This was supposedly one from the June '62 escape, with the hole carefully and patiently dug at the back it. We also looked round the isolation cells and heard about how the prisoners could clearly hear the laughter from New Years Eve parties on the 'mainland'. That must have been pretty depressing, hearing all the fun and games clearly carried over the water, but be stuck in a small cell. Still, I guess thats a just punishment for the crime though.
Other "Stories from the Rock" included those from guards children who grew up on Alcatraz. There was a boat to and from school, and the safety and freedom kids didnt experience in SF itself. Sure, they were surrounded by the worst America could produce, but they were locked up for up to 23 hours a day.
We could wander the recreation yard, the parade ground and the rubble of the guards housing, past the remains of the chief wardens house, the post exchange / officers club (depending on whether it was civil war or prison), various repair shops and the workshops / industry buildings where some prisoners went to work. And along with all the interest that a former prison and civil war fort could muster (some of the civil war stuff wasnt open), there were
some amazing views across the bay, to the city, to Berkeley and Oakland, out to the bridge and Marin County. We were blessed with another beautiful day.
For more escape attempts, see
here, and for general Alcatraz history, click
here. Good ol' Wikipedia!
By the way, the Birdman had no birds on the island.
Later that afternoon we walked down the part of Lombard Street thats famous as the twistiest street in SF (or the world?). There were heaps of other tourists there, snapping pics of cars driving down (cars driven mainly by tourists while we were there). The curves are tight, the cars go slow, the people walk down the steps much quicker.
The next morning we headed back out to Golden Gate Bridge. This time we walked across, so we could claim more than just seeing it. We would have loved to have hired bikes and done the loop ride, but again, time constraints... so we just walked. All the way across. A nice walk, not as clear as previous days, but still not that lowering mist you see in all the postcards and movies.
All we had time for was that walk
and a trip up to Alamo Square for a look at the "Painted Ladies" before it was time to take the (slow) bus back to Scotts house, have a shower and head out to the airport. Why do we only give ourselves such a short time to explore these great places. For two people that dont like cities and would rather be out in the country, we really enjoyed San Francisco and could have soent longer there seeing all we wanted to see. Thats not all we cold have seen, that would of course have taken much longer, but there was plenty more we would have liked chance to see. Oh well, keep reading and one day we'll go back.
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Mel
non-member comment
Sounds Interesting
Looks like you guys saw a lot on your 2 days in San Fran! The prison and bridge pictures are really neat! I have absolutely no idea what the crest could say! Hints?