Joe and I left late Tuesday night and checked into our Holiday Inn Express on Fisherman's Wharf. It was in a perfect location right along the piers, near all the sights and sounds of the wharf. The Oldhams were going to join us later in the week and just a couple of weeks before the trip, we found out that the Allreds and Raymonds were coming too. It was going to be a party!
THE CITY
The mall had a winding escalator that was really cool. It wrapped around in different ways like a shamrock at the Nordstrom end of the mall. I grabbed this picture from Melissa who took it when she was there the week after us.
When he was done with the meeting, he met me back at the mall and we took the shuttle back to our hotel. I had to fix my hair and grab a warmer coat so we could head out for dinner. With all the San Francisco humidity, I knew I was going to be a melted mess all week so I don't know why I bothered with the hairdos, but I tried. We ate at Alioto's on the Wharf and got some really good fish for dinner. Then we walked along the beach and down to Ghirardelli Square but everything was closed so we turned in for the night.
I also loved the different front gates. Some were unique and intricate and others were very simple.
ALCATRAZ
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| The bakers and artists. All of the animals they created were so fun. |
According to Wikipedia, the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a federal prison until March 21, 1963. Beginning in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of American Indians from San Francisco who were part of a wave of Indian activism across the nation with public protests through the 1970s. In 1972 Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Alcatraz was designed to hold prisoners who continuously caused trouble at other federal prisons. During the 29 years it was in use, the jail held such notable criminals as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz), George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda (a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party who attacked the United States Capitol building in 1954), Mickey Cohen, Arthur R. "Doc" Barker, James "Whitey" Bulger, and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate). It also provided housing for the Bureau of Prisons staff and their families.
Prisoners checked in here to receive their uniforms and take showers.
These boys look way too happy to be behind bars.
During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary claimed no prisoner had successfully escaped. A total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, two men trying twice; 23 were caught, six were shot and killed during their escape, and three escaped and were never found. The most violent occurred on May 2, 1946, when a failed escape attempt by six prisoners led to the Battle of Alcatraz.
On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin carried out one of the most intricate escapes ever devised. Behind the prisoners' cells in Cell Block B (where the escapees were interned) was an unguarded 3-foot (0.91 m) wide utility corridor. The prisoners chiseled away the moisture-damaged concrete from around an air vent leading to this corridor, using tools such as a metal spoon soldered with silver from a dime and an electric drill improvised from a stolen vacuum cleaner motor. The noise was disguised by accordions played during music hour, and the progress was concealed by false walls which, in the dark recesses of the cells, fooled the guards.
The escape route led up through a fan vent; the prisoners removed the fan and motor, replacing them with a steel grille and leaving a shaft large enough for a prisoner to enter. Stealing a carborundum abrasive cord from the prison workshop, the prisoners removed the rivets from the grille and substituted dummy rivets made of soap. The escapees also constructed an inflatable raft from several stolen raincoats for the trip to the mainland. Leaving papier-mâché dummies in their cells affixed with stolen human hair from the barbershop, they escaped. It is estimated the prisoners entered San Francisco Bay at 10 p.m.
The official investigation by the FBI was aided by another prisoner, Allen West, who was part of the escapees' group but was left behind (West's false wall kept slipping so he held it into place with cement, which set; when the Anglin brothers accelerated the schedule, West desperately chipped away at the wall, but by the time he got out, his companions were gone). Articles belonging to the prisoners (including plywood paddles and parts of the raincoat raft) were discovered on nearby Angel Island. The official report on the escape says the prisoners drowned while trying to reach the mainland in the cold waters of the bay.
The attempt was the subject of the 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz with screenplay by Richard Tuggle, directed by Don Siegel, and starring Clint Eastwood as Frank Morris, Jack Thibeau as Clarence Anglin, and Fred Ward as John Anglin. The film implied that the three made it. The MythBusters investigated the incident, concluding it is "plausible" that the three survived their intricate escape attempt.
The escape was examined in a 2011 National Geographic Channel program entitled "Vanished from Alcatraz." According to the newly uncovered official records discussed on the program, a raft was discovered on Angel Island with footprints leading away from it. There was also a report of a car stolen in the area that night, which could have been used by Morris and the other escapees. However, while confirming these facts, which were hidden from the officials for quite some time, the findings of further investigations remain inconclusive. As a result, the U.S. Marshals office is still investigating this case, which will remain open on all three escapees until their 100th birthdays.
The pictures of their cells depicting the "escape"
The knives had painted shadows on the back wall of the cupboard so that the guards would know immediately if any were missing. Mealtimes at the prison were the most dangerous for the guards.
OAKLAND TEMPLE AND
GOLDEN GATE PARK
Friday morning, Amber and I had breakfast together and then hung out along Fisherman's Wharf. We bought souvenirs, and Amber's birthday present ;) and then Joe met us for lunch after his morning meetings. We ate yummy fish n chips at a restaurant on Pier 39.
We met up with Jen and Kristy in their rental car and headed to Golden Gate Park--the four girls and Joe. We walked around the Japanese Tea Garden and although the day was drizzly and overcast, it was so peaceful and calm in those beautiful and perfectly manicured gardens. We then drove through the park visiting the windmill and heading towards the Cliff House. Usually sea lions sunbathe on the rocks below but with the fog, high winds, and rain, they were nowhere to be found.
We were talking about how to pose for pictures and Kristy and I mentioned that we always just stand there straight like a soldier. Jen and Amber said to just "pop your leg" in the photos so I did!
La Mar came recommended from a gal in a jewelry store that Amber and I had met. She said it was amazing and very popular and her words were true. The food was incredible. Todd served a mission in Peru so he knew exactly what to order and everything was so delicious. We had to stop ourselves from literally licking the plates clean.
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| Ceviche--Peruvian style sushi. Delicious! |
I can't remember the names of all these meals but everything was incredible.
Dessert was pumpkin scones for Joe and a chocolate mousse passionfruit parfait. So yummy!
After our dinner, we waited to meet up with Darin and Jen so we walked back along the wharf through about 40 piers. We stopped at Pier 39 on the way and checked out the stores as they were closing and it started raining. We heard the sea lions barking at each other and watched them for a while moving on the docks.
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| Todd and Kristy Raymond |
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| Jake and Amber Oldham |
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| Joe and Kristen Stuart |
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE AND
THE CHINESE NEW YEAR PARADE
Saturday morning, our guys had lectures to attend so I had the idea to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. While Amber and I waited for Jen and Kristy to meet us, we walked along the streets of San Francisco and got the details of the bike rentals. When they met up with us, we started our 8 mile ride across the bridge and down into the quaint little town of Sausalito.
SAUSALITO
We grabbed some lunch at a little cafe next to the water with plenty of time for our planned ferry. But as luck would have it, we missed the ferry by 10 people too many. Unfortunately, that ferry included the stop that was nearest our hotel so we had to catch the next one 30 minutes later to the Ferry Building which was about 40 piers away from our hotel. We were in a hurry because Joe was saving seats for us at the Chinese New Year Parade.
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| Checking in with the families all at the same time while waiting for the ferry. |
We rode the bikes back as fast as we could from the Ferry Building along Fisherman's Wharf to Blazing Saddles, literally ran to the hotel to change our clothes and shoes, and quickly boarded the bus to the downtown stop for the parade. We were lucky to catch that bus because it filled up quickly at the next stop and didn't allow any more passengers. Everybody was heading to the parade. Back at the Ferry Building, we got off the bus and navigated our way through the crowds and blocked streets to find our men. We missed about 30 minutes of the parade but found our husbands and got a front row seat to see the rest.
The parade continued for three hours so after about an hour of watching it, we decided to walk through Chinatown and eat an authentic Chinese dinner that Jake had arranged at Yee's Restaurant. We were a little apprehensive at first seeing the ducks and geese hanging in the window. When we walked in, a butcher was throwing them on the cutting board and chopping everything up including some questionable parts. The girls were a bit nervous that those parts would be in our food. But the restaurant was extremely crowded so we figured it had to be tasty. We decided to get a bunch of different dishes and eat "family style". Our server recommended some of his favorites and the roasted goose was the special. I did venture a try of it while finding the most meaty part I could get. I didn't want anything questionable in my bite (although I don't think those "parts" were included in our meal). It tasted pretty good and the rest of the food was great too.
The most interesting part was using their restroom. It was located in the kitchen and people would line up to use them right there where the dish washers and cooks were. The employees were yelling at each other in Chinese and hauling food and dishes around while maneuvering through the people standing in line for the restrooms. I couldn't help but giggle as I stood back there. It was funny.
We all walked back through the Chinatown as fireworks and poppers were going off every second. It was loud and exciting.
