Part II - A little San Francisco goes a long way...

Okay, okay, I will finish the story.

So, let's see... We were sitting in traffic, one block from the parking garage at 6:45 and the boat was l eaving at 6:50 and then Lila saved us and noticed that we were sitting next to an open parking space with no time limit! Halleluia!! We pulled into the parking spot, and Neil and I took off running towards the dock, with the parents following as fast as they could behind. As we turned the corner, we saw a few people still boarding the boat - the boat was still there! I found a tour worker at the entrance and told her that we had three people still coming and she said that we had three minutes and then the boat would have to leave. We dashed back out to the street to see if the parents were coming and witnessed them dashing across the middle of the Embarcadero, which is a four-lane highways with traintracks in the middle. It was quite a sight and I was very impressed! We were the last five people on the boat, and they were nice enough to hold it up for us. What a stressful drive - I was so sure we weren't going to make it and I was feeling so glad. Best feeling ever.

So, on with the trip. The boat ride out to Alcatraz lasts about 15 minutes, and it was a beautiful night for a cruise on the bay. The wind had died down and it was almost balmy. There was a beautiful sunset and a gorgeous view of Golden Gate Bridge.

We pulled up to the island and at the barracks where the guards and their families lived while Alcatraz was a federal prison. It looked pretty eerie at night. This building has not been restored yet, and so is not open to the public. I think it would be really interesting to see, though.

After exiting the boat, a guide walked us up to the prison, stopping to give us little talks along the way. Then we picked up our audio tours and started making our way through the prison. Neil and I had already visited Alcatraz when we came in June, but I didn't mind going again - I think it is so interesting and so fun and the audio tour is really superb. I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

After the audio tour was finished, we joined a guide who walked us back down to the dock while telling stories about famous escape attempts from Alcatraz. No one ever escaped from Alcatraz and lived to tell about it. We got back to the dock and boarded the boat and headed back to the mainland. We arrived on the island around 7:10 or so and the last boat left at 9:25, so we were there around 2 hours. I could have spent a little bit more time. On both tours that I've been on now, I've had to leave for the boat right after the audio tour was done. I would like to just wander on my own sometime. I highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting San Francisco, though. I think it was very fascinating.

By this time, we were all completely wiped out. We got dropped off at our apartment and mom, dad and Lila headed back to the hotel to catch some shut-eye and prepare for tomorrow.

Day 2: Sunday

This whole day was a little bit more laid-back and relaxed than Sat. We started out by sleeping in a little bit and meeting for breakfast at the "Squat and Gobble" - a little breakfast joint on Chestnut Street. Mom was quick to point out that chickens do not, in fact, gobble. They cackle. Just so you know... :) It's a really cute little restaurant and we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast. And coffee.

After breakfast, we checked mom, dad and Lila out of the hotel, picked up the doggies and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. Sunday morning is definitely the time to hit the bridge. There was actually parking, which is amazing, and the hordes of tourists were apparently still recovering from their Saturday outings. Mom, dad and I walked out on the bridge for a ways for some great views. It was one of the most perfectly clear days that I have seen in S.F. But you be the judge:

I had carried the doggies out onto the bridge with me and once we got onto the bridge, the wind picked up a little bit and they started shivering, so:

I don't know if you can see it that well in the picture, but Lola actually tucked her little head inside my fleece. They got all warmed up and apparently I was getting quite a few "looks" while we were walking back to the parking lot. When we returned to the parking lot, mom and dad went to look for a bathroom, and while waiting for them, we discovered that our doggies are little celebrities! Asian tourists started flocking to them - taking pictures of them, taking pictures of each other holding them... Lola even got her picture taken with a tiny baby! I'm not sure if chihuahuas are not that common in asia or what, but it was really cute to see. Mom and dad had my camera at the time, so I don't have any shots of this phenomenon, but it was really cool. The doggies did pretty good with all the strangers.

Once we managed to tear the doggies away from their adoring fans, we got back in the car and headed for the beach.

We drove along the coast and the ocean for awhile. Not really by choice - we kind of got on the highway and there was no way to turn left into the neighborhoods for a long time. So we went way down the coast and finally turned left at the zoo and started driving back towards the city. We got to see some of the Outer Sunset and Parkside districts. It was interesting to get to see some of the different architecture out there. Meanwhile, Lola tuckered out in the front seat:

She's got her head on dad's leg while he's driving...

We headed to Golden Gate park and took a leisurely drive through the park, with a little detour around Stow Lake and Strawberry Hill. Today was definitely a day of leisurely driving - we didn't get out of the car much and it was really nice. After our drive through GG Park, we headed to Alamo Square, with the famous "painted ladies" - the park with the victorian houses and the city in the background, which you may recognize from the intro to "Full House" and other classic sitcoms. We got out of the van here for some pics, a bathroom break, and a little sit-time in the beautiful sunshine.

It was just a fantastically beautiful day and really nice to just sit and take in the view. We rested there for awhile and then headed off towards Neil's studio.

We drove across the city to Neil's studio and he gave everyone the grand tour. Then we went to lunch at a little cafe down the street. There was a costume party of some kind going on in the neighborhood and we saw some really interesting characters walking by while we were eating. The lunch was good and the sunshine was warm. We ate at the tables outside on the sidewalk to take advantage of the 80 degree October weather.

And that was it - we headed back to the apartment for a little rest before everyone had to hit the road. We got a last few pictures with the doggies:

It was hard to say goodbye after such a nice weekend and we miss everyone so much now that they are gone, even two weeks later... It was a great visit and we look forward to having family come down again! Who will be next!!?? :)