Yesterday, I promised a video from our visit to Alcatraz Island. Well, here it is.
Author Archives: Jennifer
Bay Area Trip – Day 1 – Thursday, February 10th
James and I wanted to take a little getaway. The last trip we took just the two of us was in November 2008. Initially, I was thinking Orlando and Universal Studio’s Harry Potter World, but James wasn’t sure. So I looked to see which Southwest Airlines destinations had inexpensive flights. San Jose was the winner with non-stop low-cost flights.
I am breaking down the posts detailing our trip into a post per day of our trip, yet I’m still very picture heavy. It’s hard to pick just a few when I took so many. This post has 39 of the 202 pictures I took on day 1.
Caltrain
We left our house in Austin at 6 AM CST when the temperature was in the 20s. We arrived at San Jose International Airport at 9:25 AM PST where the temperature was probably around 60°F. A free short VTA shuttle took us to the Santa Clara Caltrain Station. From there, we took a local train to the end of the line in San Francisco. I enjoyed the approximately 1.5 hour ride. It was relaxing and the scenery was nice. A lot of the stations we stopped at along the way had neat old buildings.
James Waiting for Our Train
Jennifer on the Train
Burlingame Station
James and Jennifer On the Train
We ate lunch at Farmer Brown’s Little Skillet, near the San Francisco Caltrain station. James had a bbq pork sandwich and I had a 2 piece chicken box. I kinda wish I had ordered the bbq pork sandwich also. The slightly sweet coleslaw on it complimented the bbq pork. The kiwi lemonade was really good too. If you try Farmer Brown’s, keep in mind there is no seating. You just order out of a window in the building. Across the street (almost like an alley) there is a raised loading dock where we sat at to enjoy our lunch. It must be a really popular spot as there were a lot of people standing around waiting for their food to be ready.
We then took the MUNI light rail to Halladie Plaza to visit the San Francisco Visitor Center and purchase/validate our CityPASS. I definitely think the CityPASS was worth it. Even though we only used four of the six tickets, we saved $31.90 per person over purchasing the activities we did do at their respective ticket booths. The MUNI 7-day pass was probably one of the best values of the CityPASS. One cable car ride costs $5 and we rode the cable cars three times plus numerous bus rides (normally $2 a ride), so even if you don’t do the CityPASS, a $26 MUNI pass is definitely something a San Francisco visitor should consider.
Hotel
Unfortunately, after leaving the Visitor Center, I got turned around as to where Market Street was located and we just kept walking. We walked the 15 blocks to our hotel, the Holiday Inn – Golden Gateway. Except for the fact that we had to walk through a questionable part of town, the Tenderloin, it wasn’t too bad of a walk. As a Priority Club member, they let us check in about one hour early and they honored my request for a room near the top of the high-rise hotel. Our room was on the 23rd floor (out of 26 floors) facing east. We had some fabulous views. The hotel room had a little mini fridge and was tastefully decorated. Our room was adjacent to a vending and ice machine and we didn’t hear noise from people using them, so there was good sound proofing. Here’s a picture of James and our view. I should have used a flash, but oh well, can’t redo the picture now. And no, the sky was not smoggy, the hotel window was dirty, although looking out of it, the window didn’t seem that dirty. However, the camera definitely captured the spots.
James in Front of our Hotel View
Northeast View
Cable Car Ride
After taking a break in our hotel room, we set out to ride a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf. The California cable car line ends just one block from our hotel; however, repair on the line started in January, so we walked a few blocks to a stop for the Powell-Hyde line and rode it to the end of the line.
Neat Architecture
Lombard Street
Cable Car
Alcatraz
From there, we walked along Embarcadero to Pier 33 where we boarded a boat, the Alcatraz Flyer, to Alcatraz Island. I had bought the tickets online so, we didn’t have to wait in line to purchase tickets, just to board. Although not technically part of the CityPASS, they will take your Blue & Gold Bay Cruise ticket for the day tour. We took the night tour that departed at 4:20 PM and arrived back at Pier 33 7:30-7:45ish.
View of Coit Tower While Waiting to Board Alcatraz Flyer
Did you know the Bay Bridge is comprised of three separate bridges? The two suspension bridges connecting San Francisco to Treasure Island meet in the middle at a man-made concrete island (you can see it in the picture below).
Bay Bridge
Sea Gull That Flew Just Over Our Heads
Alcatraz Island is named for the pelicans that once inhabited the island. The lighthouse (pictured prominently in the two below photos), the first in operation on the Pacific coast, first lit the bay in 1854 and continues to shine today after being automated in 1963. The lighthouse structure you see today was built in 1909.
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
San Francisco Skyline
San Francisco Skyline
Golden Gate Bridge
Alcatraz Island Power Plant with Golden Gate Bridge in the Background
Prior to becoming a federal penitentiary, the island served as an Army fortress and military prison. The building behind the watch tower seen in the below photo served as barracks when occupied by the military and then as housing for the penitentiary guards and their families. Yes, children lived on the island and commuted by ferry to go to school in San Francisco.
Watch Tower
Shower Room
Cell Block
I have to say that I immensely enjoyed the audio tour. It included voices of both former guards and prisoners.
Cells
The sunset views from Alcatraz Island were phenomenal. Make sure you click on the pictures to view them larger.
Bay Bridge
San Francisco Skyline
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Jennifer and the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Operating Room
James in Hospital Cell
San Francisco Skyline
Control Room
James on C-D Street (Hallway Between Cell Blocks)
To enter and leave the penitentiary, one has to go through the fortified sally port, a passageway with a heavy, iron-studded wooden door at each end.
Sally Port Cannon
One of the neat aspects of the night tour is we were able to watch the opening and slamming of the cell doors. I took a video of it and aim to upload and share it tomorrow.
Marina District
After disembarking the Alcatraz Flyer, we hopped on a bus to the Marina district where we dined with my friend Kristen and her boyfriend Bill. Kristen and I became friends in 2nd or 3rd grade, lost touch after going different routes for college and reconnected a while back on Facebook. It was fun chatting and dining together. I’m bummed that I forgot to get a picture of the two of us. We ate dinner at Delarosa, a place Kristen likes for their Roman style pizzas and cocktails. The food was delicious, but I felt the restaurant was rather loud. I’m not sure if that was because the seating was long shared tables in a small space or if it was because of the commercial loft style high ceilings. At times, I had a hard time hearing what Kristen or Bill was saying.
We then chatted some more in Kristen’s lovely apartment and checked out the view from the rooftop terrace. Part of that view included the Palace of Fine Arts. After leaving Kristen’s place, we walked the few blocks to it. I’m somewhat jealous that Kristen is within walking distance to such an amazing place. It is such a neat structure. It was built for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. Originally a temporary plaster structure, it was rebuilt out of steel and concrete in 1964. We liked it so much, we revisited it during the daytime the next day of our trip, so stay tuned for more pictures.
Palace of Fine Arts
Palace of Fine Arts
Archways
You can really tell how massive a structure it is by this next picture.
James in Front of a Column
Detail Above Archways
Stay tuned for days 2 through 4.
May Your Wishes Come True Dad
My Dad’s birthday was February 7th. I was too late getting his card in the mail, but since my parents came into town two days after my Dad’s birthday, I just gave it to him in person. I used The Sweet Stop Sketch #94 from a few weeks ago. I’m entering it in the Sir Stampalot Challenge. The theme for February is “All Creatures Great and Small.” Both the image and sentiment used were some great free digi stamps I picked up at Sliekje’s Digi Stamps and TLC Creations.
Dad's Birthday Card
Stamps: Sliekje’s Digi Stamps #88; TLC Creations Sentiment
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Whisper White, Wild Wasabi
DP: Stampin’ Up Paper Prints Certainly Celery
Ink: Dell laser printer; Stampin’ Up Certainly Celery (edges of sentiment panel)
Embellishments: green brads; Stampin’ Up Wild Wasabi stitched grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Prismicolor colored pencils; Martha Stewart grass border punch; Nesties circle
Thanks for stopping by.
16 Months Old
Today, Jessica is 16 months old.
My Valentine Cutie, 2/14/11
What Jessica is Up To
Crawling? What’s that? Jessica is definitely a walking machine and only crawls when going under or through something that she can’t walk through.
Crawling Through a Gymboree Tunnel, 1/27/11
She enjoys putting items in containers. I think her favorite part of music class is the clean-up song to put the musical instruments back in the container. When we went to the children’s museum recently, I would take the cows out of the dairy farm and she would put them back in.
Playing with Dairy Cows, 1/20/11
Putting the Dairy Cows in the Barn, 1/20/11
Her eye-hand coordination seems to be really good. Jessica can pick up multiple items, even large items, and carry them around. She doesn’t really seem to favor one hand over the other except at meal time and there she sort of favors her left hand. Maybe she’ll be a leftie like her Daddy (or Nana or Aunt Sarah).
Picking Up Balls, 2/4/11
If I have to pick Jessica’s favorite toy, I would say books, although not one in particular. She loves to pull her books off the shelf and flip the pages. She loves when I read to her also, but sometimes if she’s too tired before naptime or bedtime, she’ll actually just try to get off my lap.
Reading, 1/23/11
Bedtime Story with Momma, 1/23/11
Reading in Her Rocking Chair, 1/25/11
Reading, 1/26/11
Reading with Daddy, 2/4/11
Jessica’s Speech and Comprehension
The words I can think of currently: cheese (when prompted to say cheese), whee (when going down the slide or swinging), whoa, uh-oh, hello, hi, up, ball, thank you (sorta), momma (sorta), da-da. I’m sure there are a few more, but I can’t think of any others right now.
She knows where her belly is. She’s starting to understand where her ears are.
What Jessica is Wearing
Jessica is still wearing 18 month (considered 12-18 months) clothes, and she will probably continue to wear them for a little while yet. Basically, all of her pants are still fairly loose. We’ll probably graduate to 24 month (considered 18-24 months) when we hit summer and she needs the shorts I have in the closet instead of the pants in her armoire.
Styling, 1/30/11
What Jessica is Eating
Jessica still has just six teeth, although I think she is working on two molars. Normally, when I think she is working on more teeth, nothing comes out of it, but this time I can feel teeth trying to poke out of her gums (and she didn’t bite my finger off). She has been fussier lately, but she’s still so easy-going, so I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.
See My Six Teeth, 1/25/11
Jessica is somewhat of a picky eater. She loves pretty much all fruit. Veggies require more effort. I will often give her a cup with applesauce or yogurt and a spoon and then I’ll have a spoon of some veggie and sneak in bites between her bites.
Messica, 1/21/11
She definitely enjoys feeding herself even if she isn’t that great with the spoon yet, partly because she likes to turn the spoon over and put it in her mouth upside down.
See My Mad Spoon Skills with the Berry Smoothie, 1/21/11
Peas Be Mine
This is the second post of the day. See below for Texas Tuesday post.
I had hoped to make Valentine’s Day cards for our family and a few friends, but unfortunately, I ran out of time to make enough so I didn’t mail any this year. Oh well. However, I did make a Valentine treat for Jessica’s music teacher. My parents took Jessica to music class yesterday morning since we didn’t get home from our trip until mid-afternoon. I apologize for the poor picture quality, but I didn’t finish the treat jar until the night before we left.
The cabinet above my refrigerator is stocked with glass jars that I started saving when I used to make candles. One of these was perfect for this treat jar. I used the cute Funny Valentine stamp set I won a few weeks back for entering the All That Scraps Weekly Wednesday Challenge and here I am entering this treat jar in ATS Weekly Wednesday Challenge #66 to make a Valentine card/project using non-traditional colors. This project also meets the requirements of Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #98 to stamp a card/project with lovin’ from the oven. I think my jelly bean filled treat jar counts, don’t you? A treat jar also meets the requirements of the current Simon Says Stamp Challenge to make anything but a card.
Peas Be Mine - Front View
Peas Be Mine - Side View
Peas Be Mine - Top View
Stamps: C.C. Designs Funny Valentine; Stampin’ Up Wild Hearts
Cardstock: Stampin’ Up Whisper White, Wild Wasabi
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Embellishments: white heart brads; Stampin’ Up Wild Wasabi stitched grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Nesties circle, oval, scalloped oval; hot glue gun
Thanks for stopping by.