San Francisco Sights (Day 14)

Once again, it was kind of nice to be staying in the same place for an entire day. I decided before I left New York to book a sightseeing tour rather than try to tackle this city with it's famous steep hills on my own. While shivering in the 50 degree weather outside my hotel waiting for the tour bus, I met three other tourists from Wales, Ken, Andrea and Louis; we got to chatting and I ended up spending most of the day with them. They were extremely friendly and quite funny as well; so being with them made the day even better. Our first stop on the tour was the San Francisco Arts center (above, letf), which was built for the celebration of the reopening of the city after the infamous earthquake and fire in 1906. It is the last remaining structure of those built for the celebration, and it's really quite beautiful.

The next stop was the Golden Gate bridge. When we arrived there, the early morning fog was beginning to lift, so luckily we were able to see the bridge clearly. From our vantage point, Alcatraz and the San Francisco skyline were also clearly visible. I took about a million pictures while there, and also had a chance to stop and pick up another magnet for my collection. We then left the bridge, drove through the park a bit, and also had a tour of the city. San Francisco really is a stunning place - we first drove up to Twin Peaks, the highest point in the city, and were treated to some breathtaking views of San Francisco from above. We then drove through Haight-Ashbury (aka hippietown), and viewed some extraordinarily beautiful old Queen Anne Victorian homes.

By now, it was early afternoon, and time to visit Alcatraz. I'm so glad I booked this in advance, as there were a huge number of people there looking to visit the island and all the tour tickets were sold out. I was really excited abou this part of the trip, mainly because I had seen the movies and knew some of the history of the place. The ferry trip over to the island was a treat. The cold air, wind and rough water made me begin to appreciate how insane it would be for anyone to try to swim off Alcatraz to get to San Fran. My Welsh friends speculated about whether or not they could handle the waters; I knew I'd die in a cell before I'd attempt it. My feelings on the subject changed, however, once I began to tour the prison itself. As you enter through the cell block, you are given a headset, and this audio tour guides you for about 90 minutes through the prison, giving a history lesson as well as personal accounts of life in Alcatraz from both prisoners and cell mates. It was sort of like being inside a history channel program. I found the whole thing to be a bit disturbing. The inside of the prison smells kind of like a public bathroom, it's cold and damp in there, the cells tiny. It was far too easy to imagine what life would have been like for an inmate there - their most exquisite torture being the proximity of the real world. There is an absolute cloud of despair which hangs over the place. Though I reminded myself that the men who were in Alcatraz had earned their place there, I still couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for them. I left Alcatraz with a bit of a heavy heart.

Thankfully, it's hard to stay down in San Francisco. By the time I had completed the ferry ride back to the city, my spirits had rebounded. I strolled around for a bit in Fisherman's Wharf, which is somewhat similar to the South Street Seaport, filled with tourists, restaurants and gift shops. It was fun to walk around there - I was sorry that I didn't get to see the bushman (Jeannie!) but by the time I was back he had already gone home for the day. I walked along the Wharf from one end to the other, with the intention of getting on a Cable Car which would take me back to my hotel. I wouldn't have done it, but my mom convinced me that I couldn't leave San Fran without riding in one - and I'm glad that she did. I took a spot on the back, where I was able to hold on and look over the side. The cars don't go fast, but it's still pretty nerve-wrecking to go down those steep hills. I took the photo on the right from the car, and during the ride I chatted with the conductor for a bit - ended up getting a pic with him as well. I exited the car downtown near Union Square, and after wandering for a bit I asked a few SFPD officers for directions back to my hotel. They were really nice and extremely friendly; and I got a photo with two of them before I headed up to my room, which was pretty hilarious. It was overall another great day. How will I ever adjust to real life again?