San Francisco, continued...

It’s been a busy weekend! Ed’s daughter, Corinne, and her boyfriend, Patrick, arrived on Friday safe and sound from Connecticut. On Saturday, we drove into San Francisco to meet up with Patrick’s friend, who showed us around town…what a fun day! First stop was the Saturday Farmer’s Market on the Embarcadero for a Mexican breakfast…yum! We walked up and down the aisles of vendors selling breakfasts and pastries, as well as fruit, nuts and vegetables. The day started out cloudy but cleared up nicely and the farmer’s market was amazing!


This pic is Corinne, Patrick and Dan (Patrick's friend).

From there, we drove up to Twin Peaks, which I think is the highest point in San Francisco. It was an amazing 360 degree view of the entire city below, as well as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge and the surrounding areas.

After Twin Peaks, we drove through the Mission area on our way to Patrick’s friend’s apartment…very eclectic! Then we walked around his neighborhood , visiting his favorite shops in the area and having a late lunch at a little restaurant around the corner from his apartment.

Our last stop for the day was a night tour to Alcatraz! Originally a Civil War fortress from 1850 to 1934, it became a federal penitentiary in 1934 until 1963. It housed many famous prisoners, such as Al Capone and the Birdman of Alcatraz, as well as many not-so-famous prisoners. It had a reputation for housing those prisoners with behavior problems who were sent from other prisons. We were given MP3 players when we exited the ferry and walked around the prison, listening to the narration through earphones. It was eerie walking on the same floors that prisoners walked on and looking at the cells where the prisoners spent at least 16 hours of every day.

Alcatraz closed in 1963, but that was not the end of it. The American Indians occupied it in 1964 and again in 1969-1971. They figured that since the island of Alcatraz had no power or running water, it was much like the territories that they had been forced from by the government and would be their new territory. It didn’t last long, but it did help the plight of the American Indian and it brought attention to the island.

Here’s a link for more information on Alcatraz: http://www.nps.gov/alca/historyculture/index.htm

Yesterday it rained all day so our plans to ride bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge have been put on hold until hopefully next Monday. Instead we played Wii bowling and had a great time! Today, Corinne and Patrick headed to Yosemite for 3 days and we did chores. Tomorrow Ed and I are taking the ferry back to San Francisco and ride the cable cars around town. I can’t wait!