1-14-09 Wednesday (Candles of Sorrow)

Awesome day!

We drove to the BART station and caught the train into San Francisco. Once in SF, we took a historic street car (F Line) (not a cable car) down to the piers at Fisherman's Wharf to board a ferry to Alcatraz.

The boat ride was a mile and a half and provided some fantastic bay views. Once on Alcatraz we were able to get a audio guide unit that we could play at our own pace. The audio walking tour was narrated by previous inmates and officers. Did you know that before Alcatraz was a prison it was built to be an army fort to protect the bay during the gold rush era? It then became an army prison, and eventually the federal prison we all know and love. Oh and somewhere in there for about 18 months, it was taken over by American Indians who wanted to have a piece of land back from our government. Alcatraz is rich in history. Your history lesson is over.

Above: Boat ride to Alcatraz

Above: View of San Francisco from Alcatraz.

All of that prison touring made us hungry so we walked over to Pier 39. Pier 39 is awesome. It's crammed with shops, restaurants and attractions. We ate at Wipe Out. I got a burger, Jim had a terriyaki chicken sandwich. Both weren't all that grand. The funny thing about this place was the bathroom. It was hilarious. I faced the entranced and watched it carefully. Why? Well, the doorway to it looks like a cabana. There's no markings about it being a restroom. From certain angles, you can see the sinks and mirrors. The sinks were unisex use. The toilets were unisex separate rooms adjoining the sink area. A female would walk out of the cabana doorway just as a male would attempt to enter. Of course he'd stop and look around to be sure. This happened for both sexes the entire time. One guy stopped when a female came out and walked around looking for a different restroom. OK, enough potty room talk..... but it was funny. OK, OK.



Of course with our GoSanFrancisco in hand, a few doors down from the restaurant was Aquarium of the Bay. The Aquarium was great, especially the tunnels where the water is all around (except the floor). I thought this was a great attraction. Jim seemed thrilled too.



Somewhere around here (I think) we saw the sea lions at Pier 39. There were lots of them all sprawled out and barking up a storm. I think they "bark", don't they?



Here's a funny thing. At some point today Jim called an ex-coworker from Florida, Sandra to tell her where we were. Sandra used to live in the SF area. When she'd go back to visit family, she'd tell Jim to come along because he'd love it there. It turns out that she'll be in SF this Friday on vacation! We'll see her soon!



I must preface this next attraction story by telling you that I've been to a Madame Tussauds in Vegas a few years ago. It was fun, and very life like. At Tussauds, you were able to touch the wax figures. We (Me, Jim, Carl & Tim, Laurie & Pearl) had a great time. Anyway, back to reality. So Jim and I went to the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. What a suck-ass place. The wax figures looked unrealistic, perhaps melted or slightly touched with Down Syndrome. The only way they could have been more obviously made of wax is if they had a giant wick protruding from their heads and a flame. This was truly, the Lucky Cheng's of wax museums. Very few of you will understand that reference but when Jim and I venture to Vegas, Pearl will be a guest blogger and fill everyone in on a wonderful story. I took a lot of photos of these "things", what do you think?



Around the Fisherman's Wharf are several giant chocolate stores. The first time we went into one tonight, yes, I said the first tonight, meaning that we went twice. Get over it and just listen. OK? I had this beautiful creation that was 2 graham crackers with a thick layer of peanut butter between and then dipped in milk chocolate. It was heaven. I heard trumpets play as I munched. Jim ate a chocolate covered pretzel. He wasn't impressed. Later on as we passed the same chocolate store, I told him to get what I had. So he did. It was "OK", he said. Whatever! I had a chocolate covered wafer. It was huge and the wafer was tricolored inside. Interesting.



Remember those freaks I spoke of in yesterday's blog? Oh, they were all over at the Fisherman's Wharf. One I filmed was a bum who would hide behind branches and scare people as they walked by. Because he provided this great service, he'd want money because he "got ya". Sad yet funny. If you don't laugh, someone else will.