"Welcome To The Rock"
San Francisco, 9th November 2001
We started the day with our best free breakfast yet, bagels & cream
cheese or peanut butter & jam. Yummy! Last night we'd only seen a
small corner of San Fran, so today we set out to explore the city
centre (and the shops).
 Our first port of call was the Tourist Information Centre (or Center
for you American folk), then armed with maps & brochures we could
explore properly. We immediately head for the nearest tram station,
San Fran is famous for it's trams running over rolling hills, so we
can't miss it! The trams are obviously popular because there was
quite a queue for it. As we stood in the queue, getting fried by the
strong mid-day sun, we looked on in awe at an amazing tap-dancer who
was entertaining the queue. The guy was only wearing a big pair of
baggy white trousers and shoes, and was jumping around
energetically, covered in a sea of sweat. It looked like hard work,
especially in this heat, but he was really good, so I threw a few
notes in his hat (which was on the floor, not on his head).
I managed to get a standing space on the side of the tram, so as we
zoomed threw the streets of San Fran, I could hang off the side,
woot! The old-style trams pulled up and over the hills, then glided
down again giving us a good tour of the city with great views.
Hanging on the side, I had to be careful and we passed by many
yellow poles that divided the tram lane from the traffic, and I just
managed to squeeze in. What happens if a 'large' person hangs on the
outside? Could be dangerous!
 We decided to jump off at the top of a hill, just above the harbour,
and take a stroll down to the wharf. On the way, we passed an Asian
lady who was just setting up her stall, selling various types of
interesting jewellery. When Nat & Em show interest, she becomes
really friendly, chatting to us and offering us 'good' deals.
However, as soon Nat & Em loose interest, she started getting really
angry & annoyed, practically spitting on us as we walk off. I've
read that a common belief among Asian traders, is that if their
first deal of the day is successful, then they will have a good luck
for their sales for the rest of the day. However, if their first
deal fails...well...you can understand her bad mood.
We wandered along the wharf, passing by dozens of expensive looking
fish restaurants. The doormen all shouted, "Are you hungry?", and we
replied, "Yes, but we're not eating there!". Further along the
wharf, we came to a poor-looking guy who was crouching down behind a
huge bundle of branches & leaves that he'd tied to the railings in
front of him. Then when an unsuspecting tourist walked by, from the
other way (where they couldn't see him), he'd jump out, making
bogey-man noises and brandishing a sign. His sign said 'Bushman',
followed by a little description, then the last line saying
'Donations Greatly Received'. Most of the time, once the tourist had
got over the shock, they'd start laughing, and find it so funny that
they'd give him a bit of money. Standing there, with his leaf
covered hat, and his cheerful looking eyes, I actually found him
very funny, and I couldn't stop laughing at this great money making
idea!
 We soon come to pier 41, the departure point for tours of the famous
island prison, Alcatraz! We're all big fans of the movie 'The Rock'
and we all really wanted to see this historic landmark (where Sean
Connery & Nicholas Cage had been!). There's a reasonably priced
audio tour for Alcatraz. You pay for the boat to the island (and
back) and for the use of a tape/headphones set which has a
self-guided tour recorded on it. You wander around the Alcatraz
compound following the instructions on the tape and listening to the
commentary about the history, facilities and function of Alcatraz.
 After the boat was fully loaded, we set sail to the island prison.
Very slowly the island grew larger and the San Fran skyline shrank
behind us. As the ominous, isolated structure looms ever close, the
atmosphere got just a little eerie. Then soon enough, we stepped off
the boat onto the island. Of course, as soon as we entered the
building, Stinge of I (I can't remember who) turned to the others
and said the magic words "Welcome to the Rock!". Alcatraz is quite
an experience to see firsthand. The commentary is moving, powerful
and also a little disturbing. It became easy to imagine that some of
America's most notorious criminals were incarcerated here, including
Al Capone. The tour took us all around the compound and we learnt a
whole stack of interesting things about it. I would highly recommend
visiting Alcatraz if you're ever in the area.
One of my favourite places in the world is New York. Whenever I see
it on TV or at the cinema (which is quite a lot), I always say,
"I've been there!". Now, whenever any of watch one of the many films
shot in Alcatraz, we all shout, "We've been there!"
Back on the mainland, our stomachs protested that it had gone dinner
time, so we set out to hunt for some food. I decided to give one of
the local specialities a try, Sourdough bread. This unusual bread is
world famous, and many imitations are produced, but San Francisco is
proud to have the only official sourdough which is made from an
ancient, unchanged recipe. Usually it's served with clam chowder,
but because I can't have seafood, I had it with chilli con carne.
The bread is made into a big bowl, by scooping out some of the
inside, and is filled with chilli con carne. It was absolutely
delish, and has you can eat the bowl too, there's no waste! Stinge
had his first real American burger, a big, juicy, monster of a
burger. And in the end, Nat & Em settled for the American staple
food, McDonalds.
We spent the rest of the evening walking back to the hostel and
exploring all the tack, sorry, tourist souvenir shops. About a
million tourist shops, and nothing really worth buying, we just
stuck with the decent souvenirs we bought at Alcatraz. By the time
we reached our hostel, it was very late, so we spent some time using
the free internet before heading to bed.
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