Day 3: Escape to Alcatraz

Tuesday December, 16th, 2008

Today was a special day. It was the most money we were going to spend and the only thing we bought tickets for ahead of time...ALCATRAZ.
We started the day though, of course, with breakfast. We found this cute little place called Hollywood cafe right down from our hotel. The food was great, the only hiccup was the Cash only requirement and the fact that we didn't have enough cash. So, while Melanie waited patiently, I ran everywhere trying to find a Bank of America ATM to no avail and finally settled on cash back from a Walgreens.


At 11:00 a.m. we boarded our boat for our Alcatraz cruise and tour. It was FREEZING! The tour was fascinating. We watched a video on the history and then took an audio tour of the cell house. It was fascinating.

Below is a view of the city from the island

After our tour we were freezing, but very near Pier 39, a famous pier filled with shops and restaurants and most of the year, docks filled with noisy sea lions.


Later that evening we spent lots of time researching Italian restaurants to eat at. The area called North beach, just north of our hotel is filled with yummy authentic Italian food. We wanted a place that had good Gnocchi and we found it. Firenze by Night. And that would not be complete without a trip to an Italian bakery for some treats!