We hit the ground running on day two in San Francisco. We got up early so that we could make it to the Alcatraz ferry by 8:30. Well, at this point, we I didn't really have a very good handle yet on the bus system, which resulted in us (with the assistance of one of may incredibly helpful locals) hopping a different bus and speed-walking/jogging throughout much of San Francisco. But we actually made it with a couple minutes to spare.
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| Hurrying to the ferry terminal |
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| Alcatraz in the fog |
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| Arriving at Alcatraz |
Alcatraz ended up being one of our favorite parts of the trip. Not only was it fascinating from a historical point (there was even a guy there who had been a prisoner at Alcatraz back in the day), but the island itself was beautiful with stunning views. If you go to San Francisco, don't miss it.
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| The kids in the "yard" at Alcatraz. |
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| Our little criminal. |
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| The cell of one of the escapees complete with fake head. |
Once again, gotta get those Junior Ranger badges!
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| Being sworn in as Junior Rangers at Alcatraz |
On the way back from Alcatraz, Aaron and the kids made friends with the ferry captain, and he invited the kids to come up and drive the ferry across San Francisco Bay. This was easily the other favorite for these guys. They were giddy with excitement!
By that point, we'd worked up an appetite, so we headed over to Chinatown to explore and find something good for lunch. Chinatown was an experience--it was like walking into a foreign country. We had lunch at House of Nanking, which we'd highly recommend, visited a fortune cookie factory, and walked the streets. It was great!
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| Best lunch in Chinatown! Hello, onion cakes and sesame chicken! |
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| Chinatown! |
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| Our 50 cent picture. |
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| The alley where we found the Fortune Cookie Factory. See it? :) |
After a couple hours in Chinatown, we headed over to The
San Francisco Maritime NHP to tour some of their ships, learn a little history, and (you guessed it) earn some Junior Ranger badges!
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| Touring an 1800's merchant ship |
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| Junior Rangers! |
We then hopped on a streetcar over to the famed Pier 39 to see the sights and the sea lions (mainly the sea lions). It was touristy and hot, but still a fun place to walk through. We rested our aching feet by watching a magic show for a while. The sea lions were fun to see, just lounging around.
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| Fun at Pier 39 |
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| Sea lions at Pier 39 |
We packed a
lot into our day, and when it was done, we all crashed pretty quickly!
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| Worn out at the end of the day |
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