40 By 40 - #11 Alcatraz

I mean, this is San Francisco. What list would this be if I didn't include a visit to Alcatraz??
Alcatraz Penitentiary (derived from the Spanish word "pelican"), located on Alcatraz Island is a must visit. Over the years I have visited tourist attractions that left me wanting more and wondering why it was significant.

Alcatraz is not that place.

I am not a prison history buff by any stretch, but this place is fascinating. There is a reason it is the stuff of legends (Al Capone, the Birdman of Alcatraz, and other mobsters and violent criminals) and featured in movies (The Rock, Book of Eli, X-Men: The Last Stand). The island was once a military fort during the Civil War, houses the first lighthouse on the West Coast, and contains the infamous Alcatraz federal prison (which was once a military prison). Furthermore, there are remnants of a time when it was occupied by Native Americans for 18 months during protests to termination and relocation (who knew?). Fascinating is an understatement.

And the views of the bay and San Francisco are beautiful. It must have been torturous for prisoners to be so close to San Francisco that they could occasionally hear noises from the mainland. After all, it is only about 1.5 miles away, yet it is a treacherous mile of cold water and strong currents which pulls towards the ocean. This fact, along with several myths that were circulated (i.e. man-eating sharks) limited the number of recorded escape attempts to 14. But, several of those were ingenious plans- 3 supposedly dug with spoons and made rafts of raincoats.

If you visit, you need to know:

• There are several sites that sell tickets to Alcatraz. Only one is official http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/,  it includes the ferry and entrance to the museum/prison, and does not have the upcharge found on other sites.
• It is chilly (by California standards) and windy, so layer up.
• There is quite a bit of climbing, comfortable clothing and shoes are recommended.
• They say expect to take 2- 2 1/2 hours. That is to view the prison and its grounds. There are additional special presentations and activities. So, it can easily be an all day trip. Ferries leave regularly. Since you board at Pier 33, you could spend a portion of the day at Alcatraz then head to the popular Pier 39. 
• You take a ferry to the island. There are great photo opps so choose your side carefully. 
• Eat first. There are limited options while waiting for the ferry. 

photo from http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

The only time I ever intend to be in a prison cell.

Inside cells

My sister & I. Yes. We have heard we look alike.

San Fran in background

40 By 40 - #8 & #9 - Pier 23 (featured on Diners, Drive-in...) and Butterfly

I'm not a "foodie" but I could see myself slowly developing into one. The Bay Area makes it easy to experiment and explore, with culinary options, ambiance (and prices) to suit any palate. One can choose Vietnamese for one meal, Indian for another, and Thai for yet another. Some places even offer fusion cuisine (Vietnamese-Cajun anyone??).

Things 8 and 9 reflect this reality. On this day, we spent time on The Embarcadero, the main strip in SF where all of the piers are located.

#8 - For lunch we decided on Butterfly. Located on Pier 33, this restaurant serves what the chef calls "Asian within Asian" cuisine.  And, as with several restaurants in the area, it boasts great views of the bay.  And the food - appetizers were chili chicken wings (American-ish) and kalua pig with butter lettuce cups (Hawaiian), followed by the Vietnamese fried fish sandwich. Even the traditional kids menu ventured away from the ordinary, while still being appealing. Definitely worth a return visit.

At Butterfly with Me-mo and Big Daddy Mickels

#9 - For dinner we landed on Pier 23 Cafe, featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. As expected, (considering it was featured on Triple D), we initially thought "dive". The first impression was not spectacular. First, there was a rather large crowd gathered. Then, we entered into a small, cramped, loud even more crowded bar area. With no seating visible. Enough to make you consider turning around. But, hang in there. What you can't see is the actual seating area. Past the crowd, past the bar, through the door is the real dining area. Outdoors. With views of the bay...that I neglected to get shots of (oh well). While it is primarily known as a seafood restaurant (the crab and shrimp sandwich was pretty good), reports were that the ribs were great. One disappointment was that a featured item from Triple D was no longer on the menu. But, we would return.

Reggie and I checking reviews for menu recommendations

Me-mo and Enoch discussing the menu

40 By 40 - #10 Bay Bridge

Since we live in the East Bay, any trip to San Francisco requires crossing a body of water. There are several ways to do this, BART (the train system), Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge are 3. My #10 is driving across the new Bay Bridge. I know, not a major thing, but it is something I had never done before and that's what these postings are about. The new Bay Bridge is actually the replacement of the eastern span of the bridge connecting Oakland and San Francisco. The original bridge was damaged during the 1989 earthquake (side note: hopefully an earthquake will never make it to this list...). Construction began in 2002 and was expected to end in 2007. However, due to a number of setbacks, the bridge, which is estimated to have cost over $6 billion (I know, I know) did not open until September 2013. It is said to be the world's widest bridge, built to last 150 years and withstand the largest earthquake expected in 1500 years (no idea how that is calculated, but that's what they say).

Here are a couple of shots. 

This shot is one of many posted online after the bridge opened. The source was not cited.

AP PHOTO/BAY AREA NEWS GROUP, LAURA A. ODA

40 By 40 - #7 Muir Woods - Coastal Redwood Forest

Back to San Francisco area activities...

 

Yesterday happened to be a beautiful sunny 72 degree January day (apologies to my Chicago and East coast folks :D). A perfect day to explore the outdoors. The historic Muir Woods National Monument was our destination. A bonus was that MLK day happens to be one of the park's few free entrance days.  "Majestic" is the word I used to describe these coastal redwoods, relatives of the sequoias located further north. The trees commanded silence - tranquility. Visitors were speaking in various languages, yet all respected the unspoken "rule" of the forest, naturally walking along the paths and trails whispering- admiring God's creation in awe. 

A "baby" coastal redwood. Grows from this...

...to this...

My men :D

This tree is dated to have been "birthed" in 900 AD. It fell in 1930.

Cathedral Grove

 

Psalm 19:1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they reveal knowledge

They have no speech, they use no words;

no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

40 By 40 - #6 Watching Caterpillars Nurse

I have been asked several times if I feed the girls at the same time (known as tandem nursing). I think this answers that question.

40 By 40 -#5 - Dancing under the stars

Taking a quick break from San Francisco attractions..
Since I've been keeping my 40 by 40 list since September, I will do a bit of retro-posting on occasion.
This is a picture from a friend's wonderful wedding, Brandi Jeter (now Riley) (also known as Mamaknowsitall), at the Rockefeller Lodge in San Pablo, back in September. This was my first wedding in Northern California, and the first time I'd danced under the stars with our son, Enoch. Not to mention, this was my first time dancing since the girls were born. Momma needed to break free a bit.
Sweet memories, and fun times.

I'm pretty sure we were "wobbling"

Rockefeller Lodge at night (pic from their website)

40 By 40 - #4 - Scoma's

This is the San Francisco/Bay area, a culinary heaven, located near water. So, when visiting, seafood is a must. Since we saved money on our hotel, we decided to splurge a little for dinner and visit one of the popular local seafood restaurants located on Pier 47 in San Francisco's fishing district (think fresh - yes, that fresh). Family owned and operated Scoma's is where we landed. Loved it!

40 By 40 - #3 - Ferry Building

So, why just have a view of the Ferry Building without actually exploring its Marketplace and Farmers Market??

I don't quite know how to describe the Farmers Market, local street vendors (across the street from building), or the experience. As one of the top farmers markets in the country, let's just say it is a foodie's (and adventurous sampler's) paradise - definitely not your grandmother's market. On average, they say over 25,000 people visit the market - every week. So, huge is an understatement.  And its diverse - from the food offerings (cheese, meat, desserts, produce, basically, some of everything) to the people visiting. The market alone provides a glimpse into the reality that San Francisco is an international tourist destination. And this is just the market, which is only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (this is the best day to go!) There is the permanent Marketplace located inside the actual Ferry Building. It is a microcosm of the farmers market, and it's open daily if you miss the market. Also, don't sleep on the nearby street vendors - unique clothing, jewelry, art (flattened wine bottles??), etc
I love this place!

Finally, I mean, it's San Francisco, and this is the Ferry Building, so you may as well take a ride on the ferry while you are at it. But, I've done that before, so it didn't make my 40 by 40 countdown...consider that a freebie.

40 things by 40 - #2 - Overnight in San Fran

Well, I am officially 39 days away from 40, and I still have 39 things I've never done before to post. Great timing!! (Not really, it's actually the redemption of a slacker mom of 3 kids who are 3 and under)

So, let's see if I can do it. One post a day. 39 more things I have never done before. 40 by 40( also known as a new local's guide to experiencing the Bay Area (inexpensively))...

We have lived in the Bay Area for over a year, and have taken several guests to San Francisco. However, one thing Reggie and I realized is that we would often tour San Francisco, driving past landmarks and attractions, but not really experience it. So, Reggie and I decided that our first overnight outing away from the children (we have children!!! - plural) would be a trip to San Fran. A quick 35 minute, $4.10/per person trip on the train (which was much calmer than fighting the traffic, looking for parking and paying for gas, parking and a $5 toll) and we arrived at our destination- Hyatt Regency San Francisco - Embarcadero, with a view overlooking the bay and Ferry Building. For those who have doubted or shied away from "discount" hotel sites because "you never know what you're going to get", you're right. You don't. But, we decided it was only one night, and since we could select the area and grade/star we wanted, we decided to take a chance. Found this on Hotwire.com. Half price.
Yep, I'm a believer.