Escapees from Alcatraz.

Just had a San Francisco layover. Never been there before (maybe I should just say when I HAVE been somewhere before). It is such a beautiful city. We luckily caught some fantastic sunny weather (though still a bit chilly being by the water). It’s true: the hills there are actually ridiculous. They go every which way regardless of where you are. And there are literally 45 degree-angled ones.

We took the subway/transit system from the airport down to Powell station which is where you can get on the Trolley/Cable car. From there we took said cable car down to Fisherman’s Wharf. The ride is only around 20 minutes — having said that, the wait to get onto a trolley is a long one. I am told that the trolley is mainly a tourist attraction which explains the long wait. Unfortunately because our layover was rather short, we didn’t go on the Alcatraz tour even though we really wanted to. We got to take pictures of it though from the shore. Seeing it from there, it doesn’t seem that far away. And in my opinion those two escapees could have totally swam/rafted their way onto the mainland.

We got to see the Golden Gate Bridge as well, even if it was only a small speck/line in the distance. There is a beach right there on the wharf so if you really desired an afternoon dip (much too cold in my opinion), you have the option to go for one. A little bit further on the shore is the old Ghirardelli chocolate factory. Being heavily sleep deprived, even though we were specifically instructed to go there, we completely forgot. And I mean forgot to the point where I actually looked at the big “billboard-esque” sign boasting the company’s name and asked “I wonder what Ghirardelli is?” Rather sad I know. But it was okay, you are able to purchase the chocolate at a number of places, and I found out after that the factory is actually no longer a factory but just a glorified store-front to sell their product. Nevertheless, I will definitely go visit it the next time I am in the city — I mean, it’s chocolate after all!

If you get a chance, definitely go visit the city!!!

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