First stop this morning is another literary stop - just a little one. I'm after 28 Barbary Lane where Mrs Madrigal and her 'children' live in the Tales of the City series. Mr Google had shown me a self-guided, downloadable tour of Tales - Babylon Beach Blanket was one of the stops, coincidentally - and Barbary Lane is the main one. So I found the land and the steps leading up to it. And it's perfect.
Next, back up Leavenworth and I want to find Lombard Street - the crookedest street in the world. For a minute or two, I think I might have missed it but there's a telltale sign that I'm in the right direction...
There are cars coming down it - it's actually a real street! They're driving pretty slowly.
Now I need to get to Pier 33 for the Alcatraz ferry. It's walkable but I'm worried about the time so I do try and flag a taxi. None are free so I keep walking. Finally see one pulled over and ask him to take me. He says it's only four blocks away and I could walk - which I'm happy to do. But it's not really four blocks, it's way more and it takes forever! And I'm not happy with said taxi driver. Did he train in Melbourne maybe?
Anyway, I get to the pier and into the line. The usual queue, the usual photographer to snap you in front of a green screen which they will superimpose you at Alcatraz and sell to you. Why don't they take these photos in front of the actual place? All their green screens are just next to the real thing??? Anyway, my usual snubbing of the photographer and onto the boat. And we're off. It's a pretty quick trip, unlike yesterday, which was a narrated cruise.
We arrive and have a brief orientation and then up the 100-odd stairs to the cell block.
They hold information sessions and there's one at 11:30 on famous inmates so I decided to have a listen to that one. So into the old dining hall I go. There's a few benches set up and I walk up to sit down on one of the few with seats remaining in when a mother and father hustle their kids up to sit in them - kids under ten who should be standing up for their...(have to say it) elders... Anyway, I get another seat by making two people move up a bit.
The talk was given by a retired schoolteacher who volunteers here. He had a great storytelling ability. I had thought to just have a bit of a listen and go on the audio tour, but he was so interesting and told the stories so well, I stayed till the end.
There were three ways people came to Alcatraz - notoriety - the well known crims who the government wanted to set an example of. Escape artists - they couldn't get away here ( mainly). And basically if they were prisoners that didn't behave and were troublemakers. Their wardens could offer them up for transfer.
He spoke of John Paul Scott, who organised an escape, they actually got out and into the water. His accomplice got cold and yelled for help and was taken back in. John Paul Scott swam for two hours in the freezing water. Came up near the Golden Gate Bridge and was spotted by two teens who called for help. So by 11:30 that night, he was tucked up back in his bed in his cell again.
Al Capone was here. He suffered suffered from syphillus and ended up with dementia. There was also Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz - who had no birds here, had them at Leavenworth Prison. He was not a nice man, as the movie would suggest. It was a really interesting talk.
Then it was time for the audio tour. This was excellent too. You went to the starting point and turned on your tape. It was narrated by four old guards and four old inmates so had both perspectives. We went through the cells and the excercise yard...
The library and the visitor section where you could get your once-a-month visit...
They talked about a battle between guards and inmates during an escape attempt and of the three guys who actually dug their way out with spoons and were never heard from again - they either drowned or got away.
The dining hall and the kitchen. Apparently the food was good and plentiful.
And the temptation seen from the yard...
Besides being a really interesting place to visit, it was very well done. Back to the ferry and to the wharf. Then I was in two minds about whether to do the cycle thing everyone seemed to be doing. I had resisted cycling everywhere else but this did seem to be the place to do it. So after stopping for lunch, I did it!
I have not ridden a bike for, I reckon, a good 20 years but the old saying runs true - you never forget how. So I set off along the bike path - destination - the Golden Gate Bridge, which is again shrouded in fog. It's not cloud, raincloud, it's weird fog - and it's over just the bridge.
I have no knowledge of how to change gears so we set one at the hire shop and I'm going with that. I cannot climb hills, have to get off and push - there are only a couple of times this is needed.
Such a pretty ride though a park area and Crissy Field (not Gracie Field as I mentioned yesterday!)
Look at that ridiculous fog!
Have a bit of a moment trying to find the bridge entrance. There's two sisters trying to do the same and we all work it out. Then it's into the bridge.
No need to worry about that speed limit...
This is as close I could get to a selfie...
I did take one, actually, but there'll be no publishing that!!
They had high fencing on the sides of the lower part but not in the centre - that had low fencing. There was also crisis phones along the way with warnings that there could be a lot of damage if you jumped.
It was pretty cool cruising along on the bike. Not so great when you stop cos the bridge moves about a lot - as it's supposed to do.
Saw the sisters on the bridge. They were snapping photos.
The fog cleared for a second.
Then it was down into Sausalito. I did ride the brakes all the way cos it was a steep downhill hill. Stopped to get some batteries cos they ran out as I was trying to take a final photo back at the bridge.
The clouds (or the fog) did an amazing roll down the hills just above. This sort of shows it.
Such a pretty little village. Had a wander through the town and a quick ride around the wharf. Lovely.
Then it was onto the ferry to come back to Fisherman's Wharf. And here were the sisters again, getting on the ferry. We laughed - again.
The ferry arrives back at Pier 1. I have to get to Pier 40-something. Thankfully not all the numbers are there so there aren't actually 40-something piers to ride past. When I got the bikes, at 3:15, the guy said if I was back after 6:30 to drop the bike off at Hyde Street. I had said I'd be back before that but it's now 6:45ish. So I go to Hyde Street and am happy to do so cos the cable car goes from here. Wave goodbye to the sisters and head off.
The lights are on...
When I ride into the shop, there's a way too perky girl at the desk and they're all very loud and cheery. But all very nice. And that ends my riding day - I know it's going to hurt tomorrow!
Went past another Tales stop - Buena Vista cafe, which is lovely.
Just down the street is the cable car - and it's one that's different to last night's - that was a more serviceable type, public transport type thing. This was like a ride and something you take just for the fun of it. I can't find my ticket and so have to wait for the next one - which is fine cos it's a really friendly bunch of people and we laugh a lot.
We watch the rats scurry about and wait and laugh for the ride to begin. And the two guys running it are hilarious! Cracking jokes and keeping everyone entertained. We begin and I'm hanging off the side, we're zooming along, screaming around corners, going up the most amazingly steep hills and then down the other side. It is like a roller-coaster ride and so much fun.
I get dropped off at my street, which then needs a bit of a walk. Just as I get to having to climb the last hill, along comes the serviceable car so I can just jump on that and up the hill to my street.
So quite an active day today - walking the steep hills this morning, climbing steps and walking around Alcatraz, riding a bike for around two hours, and pushing it up hills, then the last little walk till the cable car came along. I will hurt tomorrow - thankfully, I'll be sitting on a bus.
SELFIE! SELFIE! SELFIE! SELFIE! SELFIE!
ReplyDelete