May
23
Walking Introduction
Filed Under San Francisco 2009
This morning we got up pretty early and were out the door by 8:30 a.m. It was foggy, but we were hoping the sun would come out in time for our afternoon trip to Alcatraz. Erin led my by foot around town, first through Chinatown where the Chinese definitely still do their business. Aside from the usual touristy shops, the street signs are in English and Chinese. Even a big car advertisment covering up the side of a building was only in Chinese. After passing through there and part of Little Italy, we made our way to Washington Square Park where I took some photos of people doing tai chi.
After that we embarked on a steep climb uphill to a block of Lombard Street famous for its winding road. Car after tourist car drove down while dozens of tourists took photos (yes, me included). We walked over to the Ferry Building afterward, a very nicely renovated large building along the Embarcadero that houses various specialty food stores and an outside farmers’ market. Many of these stores give out food and drink samples, so we snacked our way through before giving in to purchasing an actual lunch. We had time to kill before our Alcatraz Cruises boat departure at 3:20, so we headed over to Pier 39, not to partake in the touristy Coney Island-like atmosphere but to check out a section of the wharf taken over by stinky, lounging sea lions.
Finally it was our turn to boat on over to Alcatraz. Upon arrival, we first watched a video on the history of “The Rock,” before embarking on a guided audio tour through the facility. I was quite impressed with the tour; it’s very well done and engaging. The National Park Service had former employees and inmates tell stories which was enhanced by sound effects of cell doors slamming and guns being shot, etc. Erin and I had fun taking the instructions to “walk slowly to the far cell” seriously by creeping along. I would have liked to look around and take photos a bit longer, but I think we were both a bit cold and my feet were tired.
Tom, Erin’s fiancé, drove in from Berkeley and saved us by picking us up and driving us to dinner. My friend Mike, who flew weekly to San Francisco for over two years, had raved about Punjab Kebab House restaurant, so we ate there. Excellent food at a good price. It was great to finally meet Tom and find out who my friend is marrying. They both made good catches. 
After dinner, we rented “Slumdog Millionaire” and vegged out for the evening.