The Rock

Our last full day in San Francisco we went on our "Rock" tour - also known as Alcatraz. Before we went to the boat we picked up some breakfast at our usual Marketplace stop (this time a breakfast sandwich and some muffins) and then took the bus down to the pier. There were a lot of people at the pier even though we were only the second trip to go that day. Over a million people go see Alcatraz each year and about 300 people go over each time on the ship. We got to shore and listened to Ranger John for a while making some jokes and introducing us to the island.


We watched an orientation video and then stuck around for Ranger John's "Escapes" tour. It was pretty cool since we got to go places on the island that are usually restricted from the public. While Ranger John was somewhat annoying at times, he knew a lot of stuff and was also somewhat funny. So, it was a good way to learn about the prison and the kinds of things that people tried to get off the island. The one point that was brought up that was interesting was that since the island is only about a mile from the city, the prisoners could see (and sometimes hear/smell) what they were missing. So, that was one major reason why people tried to escape - they were reminded about what they could have if they did escape every day. A lot of the escapes themselves were pretty cool - I guess that's why movies have been made about them.


After the tour we went on the self guided tour with our little mp3 player. It was all very interesting although a little crowded at times. The outdoor parts were also cold and windy. It would have been nice to hear a little more about the military history and post-prison history of the island on the tour but I guess they went over a lot of that during the orientation video. Just like the other tours we have gone on in the last few days, we learned a lot from this one and we were glad we went.


After the tour was over we looked around in the bookstore a little bit and then headed back to the mainland. Once there, we got some lunch (chili bread bowl) and then worked it off by walking over to Lombard Street. We took some pictures and then hopped on the next cable car that came by. It was much more fun standing up on the outside of the car than sitting down on the inside like we were the first time we took the cable car. We hopped off and went to the cable car museum which was also very interesting. We wanted to pick up another cable car to go back but it was so crowded (Memorial Day weekend) that we had to walk back again. We rewarded ourselves with a trip to Ghirardelli Square and got a banana split! After that we took the (once again) crowded bus and got our free wine at the hotel. Laura took a quick nap and then we headed next door to a Japanese place called Ozumo.


Ozumo was "hip" and cool, although somewhat expensive. It was pretty big - they had a regular bar, a kitchen area, a dining area, and a sushi bar. We waited about 15 min for the sushi bar and then got seated. We decided to get some specialty sushi rolls and also a mushroom scallop entree. Both were delicious. I also tried some Sake for the first time. I got a sampler tray on recommendation from the server which was nice since I could try different kinds. However, I do not think I'll be trying Sake again - to me it just seemed like flavored shots. So, by the end of my third sampler I couldn't drink anymore. We went back to the hotel, got some delicious free lemon cookies in the lobby, and then I went back to the room and passed out. Luckily I had no hangover the next day which is good since we're driving about 4 hours to Yosemite!