After Vegas, Mini Bear and I took a quick jaunt to the happiest place on earth where I got to meet Mickey Mouse...
...before continuing on to one of my all time favorite cities, San Francisco. My flight landed in the evening and I watched a great sunset from my window seat.
No trip to SF is complete without spending some time at Pier 39, which many sea lions call home. Since late 1989, just after the 6.9 magnitude earthquake, seal ions have been using the docks as a place to rest and socialize. Over the years, their numbers have fluctuated greatly, depending on the food supply.
While I could happily watch the sea lions for hours, there are also plenty of shops and restaurants at Pier 39.
(I was really excited to see this shirt in one of the stores because so often, penguins and polar bears are depicted as living together. Not true!)
I've been to SF many times, but this was my first time visiting Alcatraz. The island has a long history, dating back to its early days as a military prison. Nowadays, Alcatraz receives well over one million annual visitors.
This sign greets tourists upon arrival. I hadn't realized that Native Americans had occupied the island in protest beginning in 1969, lasting nearly two years.
Inside the prison are three tiers of cells which once housed prisoners like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelley, Robert Stroud (perhaps better known as the Birdman of Alcatraz), and Doc Barker, among others.
I was fascinated by the tales of attempted escapes. The creativity, patience, and resourcefulness of these prisoners are truly spectacular. Officially, there has never been a successful escape from Alcatraz but that didn't seem to stop the prisoners from trying. One man tried to escape by patiently stealing American military uniform parts, wearing them, and slipping out onto the laundry boat. Unfortunately for him, the boat's only other stop that day was not San Francisco, but nearby Angel Island. It wasn't long before his mismatched uniform gave him away and he returned to Alcatraz. More famous is the 1962 attempt by three inmates who, after tirelessly digging a tunnel out of their cells and into a vent, placed papier-mâché heads in their bunks and slipped out under the quiet cover of night. It is thought all three inmates drowned in the frigid waters but this has never been conclusively proven.
Not feeling up to the steep walk, I was satisfied with taking a photo of Lombard Street and its famous 27% grade.
Feeling hungry, Mini Bear strolled through Chinatown on search of dinner.
As dusk fell, Mini Bear called it a day with a walk through beautiful Washington Square Park.
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