Alcatraz

I can't belive after countless trips to SF growing up and living here for 10 months, it took me until Friday to get to Alcatraz! Andrew had visisted once before when he was little, but for the Hofflander's it was our first trip.

San Francisco weather can be testy - espically out in the Bay - so we were thrilled to get a nice day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and we kept peeling our layers of jackets off as the day progressed. I think it was the first time I've ever been HOT in SF haha

We all thought the tour through Alcatraz was great; by far the best audio tour we had ever taken. It was narrated by past prision guards and inmates who actually spent time on Alcatraz when it was a functioning prision. There were stories of prision life, escape attempts, and the challenges of being a guard. The whole island and complex was smaller than we had imagined but it's fantastic how free you are to roam around -- in and out of cells, the mess hall, the exercise field, the library, the officer's staging area, etc.

There were a couple of great vista points with unobstructed views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge.

After our tour ended and the ferry took us back to SF, we walked along the Embarcadero to Slanted Door - a famous and quite tasty restuarant right on the Bay.

Our day concluded with a stroll around the city, some frozen yogurt in Berkeley and a movie night at home. How perfect.