DAY 26

OK...Sunday in San Francisco. Not only Sunday but the Sunday of Labor Day weekend in San Francisco! One word---CROWDED!! We had pre-booked our Alcatraz tour but we weren't scheduled to go until 6pm. So we had the day to find things to do. Between Friday night and Saturday, we had gotten a taste of the MUNI system which is how most people get around the city. We bought a three day pass and that gets you on anything that moves around town. From buses to cable cars to the subway.

So we took the subway from our hotel  to a spot where we could get a cable car to the Little Italy section of town. The subway is actually an above ground bus that runs on an overhead electrical system to a subway that runs the same.

When we got to Little Italy, we walked a few blocks until we were about four blocks from Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world". The four remaining blocks were just about straight uphill so Faith walked two of them to take some pics while I sat outside at a little bistro and had a beer.

It was still a bit early so we walked from Lombard to Pier 33 where the tour departs. Even though we tried to kill some time we still arrived very early. We roamed around some of the piers checking out some of the street shows and folks looking for a donation. The streets were crowded and it got a little warm so we went back to the pier and just sat on a bench waiting for our tour. Finally it was time to board and head out to Alcatraz.

Alcatraz is a fantastic tourist attraction! Besides being extremely interesting just to walk the halls, it is steeped in some fascinating history and the tour guides were very knowledgeable. The guide will give you some of the history and then leave you at the front door.

Inside you can get a small recorder and earphones and take a self guided tour at your own pace.This makes it so much better because you're not herded through trying to hear someone at the front of the crowd tell you what you're looking at. You can actually take one of the earlier rides out to the island and stay as long as you wish. The boats go back and forth so you can take any return boat you want.

If you were unfortunate enough to be sent to Alcatraz, after you climbed a pretty steep hill to get to the main building, you were issued your number (no one in Alcatraz had a name. You were stripped of your identity and given a number). Then you were given a physical and marched through the showers to clean up before you got your prison uniform.
Lots more Alcatraz pictures on our Facebook page.
Faith really enjoyed the tour and thinks that it definitely rates in the top five attractions that we've visited on our trip. (so far)