San Francisco Day 2

On Sunday, we were lucky enough to get tickets to go to Alcatraz, since they tend to sell out quickly. I wasn't too excited, but Preston really wanted to go and I figured it would be interesting to learn some history. However, Alcatraz was one of the highlights of the trip. I loved it. It was fascinating. We went on an audio tour that reinacts actual events and history through stories from the prisoners as well as the guards. I could not believe how small the cells were. 7 feet high, 5 feet wide, by 9 feet long. I would be so claustrophobic!

This picture shows how three men successfully escaped Alcatraz by widening the air vents in their room. (sorry about the poor quality of the picture, it was taken through glass.) However, the three were never found and more than likely drowned.

This is the view of the island as we were on the ferry back to San Francisco. The island was beautiful! They had very pretty gardens that the guards would let the prisoners tend if they were on good behavior.

After we got back, we decided to explore Pier 39. I loved the Sea Lions. They were so fun to watch. There was one sea lion that kept trying to get up on the pier, but the other sea lions would get mad because he kept climbing over them. I think he tried almost every one of the floating piers that you can see behind us. It was pretty funny!

On Pier 39, we found the most amazing crab restaurant. Although Preston and I disagree on many foods, we both LOVE crab. For dinner we ordered three pounds of crab. Unlike most restaurants, you don't dip it in butter, it comes pre-seasoned. It was delicious! An hour later, all that was left was a pile of shells.

After dinner, I saw it. A purse shop. I am not a clothes or shoes girl, I am a purse girl. Jokingly I went into the store to browse, but of course came out with the cutest new purse for summer. It has brown and white stripes! We also got funnel cake on the pier for dessert (funnel cake is a tradition that started when we were dating on our trip to Disneyland)

We stayed at the downtown Hyatt. Our room was gorgeous and looked out over Union Square. This is a view from our room. We stayed on the 27th floor. It was crazy being up so high.

I love Palm Trees. I didn't think they grew as far north as San Francisco, but I was wrong. This Palm Tree is in Union Square.