Coit tower
After a week in nature we were all a little reluctant to get back to the city. We had such a fantastic time seeing such National Park gems that being released back in the urban jungle didn't sound as exciting. It has been a long time since we have visited San Francisco...Isabelle actually celebrated her 1st birthday here!!! Its actually the first destination that Jamie and I traveled to as a young couple! It has changed a lot but didn't venture to the areas that have really stayed the same. We had only one short day to spend the day here and as with almost every place we go, wasn't enough time to see what we hoped to.
I had pre-purchased tickets to the ferry to Alcatraz a few months ago which is important to do early if you want to visit.
We had a few hours to spend before our tour and parked near Fisherman's Wharf to have lunch and see the infamous Sea Lions.
This has changed a lot since our last visit and wasn't too crowded.
Pier 39
The girls had a great time watching the pod of sea lions annoy each other and make a racket!
It was a warm day in San Francisco...getting a great view of the bay and city.
Golden Gate bridge in the distance
The country's most famous prison...
Alcatraz
In 1853 it was a military fortification.
From 1933 to 1963 this was an "unescapable" prison...although we found out there were a few escapees that were never seen again.
Not only is this island full of beautiful horticulture, it is a bird sanctuary.
After it closed, years later it was taken over by Native Americans as a sit-in protest for 2 years.
We took the audio tour which walked us around the prison.
The girls showing the bars where a prisoner had bent the bars and starved himself to escape.
We were there on the day of the very famous escape in 1962 where the Anglin brothers had an intricate plan with plaster dummies in their bed and escaped through a widened vent hole. They were presumed drowned but were never seen again.
Kitchen
After a fun and long afternoon at Alcatraz we walked to the North Beach area for some Italian food and gelato to finish the day. We had a lot of ambitious plans for the day but the one thing that the girls collectively wanted to experience was Alcatraz!
Until next time, San Fran!!!
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