Our 1st Proper Halloween - Pacific Coast Cruise Leg - Completed 4/24/2013 About This Page:

[lauriep]

Sounds like a very relaxing sea day. I thought the bingo games were made so much fun by the crew. I never won anything, though. Congrats to Nest for winning a cash prize!

[chezp]

What a great day relaxing at sea and congrats to Nest on his win at bingo!

[pamcarey]

What a wonderful, relaxing sea day! I'm glad that Nest is being a good brother and going with you to the dinners and shows since you want to experience them!

[Cheyenne]

What a great relaxing day at sea! I'm really enjoying all your food pics and hearing about the specialty drinks you tried

[shazza]

Nice Bingo win, and there's nothing wrong with a relaxing day. Sometimes those are the best,

[tmpcase]

WOW! Amazing photos! A limo is a limo, right!

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by lauriep

Sounds like a very relaxing sea day. I thought the bingo games were made so much fun by the crew. I never won anything, though. Congrats to Nest for winning a cash prize!

Originally Posted by chezp

What a great day relaxing at sea and congrats to Nest on his win at bingo!

Originally Posted by shazza

Nice Bingo win, and there's nothing wrong with a relaxing day. Sometimes those are the best,

It certainly was a very nice relaxing day at sea - I'm glad you all enjoyed reading about it

Nest was pleased as punch with his bingo win. I was massively happy for him also, as I know how important (and enjoyable) it was for him to win

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by pamcarey

What a wonderful, relaxing sea day! I'm glad that Nest is being a good brother and going with you to the dinners and shows since you want to experience them!

Thank you

Yes, Nest certainly is an awesome brother After we had visited all the rotational dining rooms once, we switched to having room service dinners (with the exception of Pirate Night), so he could have some totally relaxing evenings.

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by Cheyenne

What a great relaxing day at sea! I'm really enjoying all your food pics and hearing about the specialty drinks you tried

Thank you!

Holidays are the only time I indulge in cocktails and other specialty drinks, making them all the more exciting and special for me

[Big Sister]

Originally Posted by tmpcase

WOW! Amazing photos! A limo is a limo, right!

Glad you liked our photos - thank you!

Limos are awesome! It was Nest's first time in one, and I hadn't been in one since 2003 when a friend and I hired one for the early hours of the morning to take us to Waterloo Station on our way to Disneyland Paris, so we were both very excited indeed! A lot of other people had had the same idea as Nest and myself, and were turning up to the cruise terminal in limos also.

[Big Sister]

Tuesday, 2 October 2012: San Francisco : Day 1

We surprisingly got up effortlessly at 6am in order to see the Disney Wonder approach and pass under the Golden Gate Bridge as we pulled into the San Francisco harbour - I was so massively excited at my return to San Francisco, and was hoping that Nest would end up feeling the same way about the city after his first visit. We got ready as quickly as we could, and went up to deck 10 to get the best view. When we got up there though, there was already a lot of people that had had the same idea and were taking up all the good spots. We managed to get the last remaining spot at the bow of the ship, where Nest did his best to photograph around the pole that was in shot. The approaching view was totally awesome, the colour in the sky was constantly changing due to the impending sunrise, and I felt tears come to my eyes as the Golden Gate Bridge came into view, which was when the sound of a million cameras starting clicking at once, surrounded us. It was absolutely fantastic seeing the Golden Gate Bridge again after so many years, and exciting to pass under such a magnificent iconic structure for the first time - I could tell Nest was impressed, and I was so glad to be sharing this wonderful moment with him.

The viewing treats didn’t stop there, and eventually on our left, we passed the infamous Alcatraz, which we would be visiting later on that afternoon, and were very excited about. After Nest got a shot of Alcatraz he was happy with, we took in the rapidly approaching view of the pier, Coit Tower, and the way the sun was shining on the city, the area of which we were looking at, was really populated with tightly packed buildings. Nest put his camera on timer, so we could be in a shot together - it turned out hilarious, as we were standing at a certain height, thinking it would help get us in shot, but all you can see of us is from our eyes upwards! This deliberately became a trend on how we took photos of each other for the remainder of the trip

Once the Disney Wonder dropped anchor, ensuring the surrounding views wouldn’t change for the next 48 hours in case we decided we hadn’t taken enough photos already, we decided to partake in a spot of breakfast, seeing as we were already up and just a deck away from Beach Blanket Buffet. Nest dined on lots of pastries and fruit accompanied by glasses of low fat milk followed by Diet Coke, and I dined on waffles with syrup, watermelon and honeydew melon, and a selection cubed cheeses accompanied by a glass of iced water.

Full up from breakfast, we returned to our stateroom and got ready for an hour long tour of the city on the back of a fire engine (or should I say Big Red Shiny Mack Fire Engine? Anyone who has taken the tour, knows how memorable and unforgettable the song is!) Teeth freshly brushed and faces squeaky clean, we went down to Wavebands on deck three to check in for our tour as instructed on our excursion tickets. We were given a green Peter Pan sticker each to put on our t-shirts, so that Cast Members could easily identify which group we were with. The Cast Member who led our group off the Wonder, was holding up a Peter Pan sign in case we got separated due to the other groups leaving the Wonder at the same time. We walked through the Border Control area in a warehouse which looked like it was storing a variety of parade floats, and towards the Fire Engine Tour representative waiting on the street outside. Once we were out in public, someone on the street yelled, "You can't go wrong following Peter Pan!", on spotting our tour group sign Little did he realise just how right he was

The tour representative led us to a parking lot across the road where an old fashioned open-air red fire engine was waiting for us. I felt deeply sorry for some of the guests, on over-hearing that they had left their excursion tickets in their stateroom! Thankfully though, after a couple of phonecalls, an arrangement was made, and everyone in our small group clambered into the back of the fire engine and buckled up. The captain (ie. driver) of the fire engine was called Russell, and his co-captain was called Alexander, who would be doing all the narrating (and singing!) so that Russell could concentrate on driving.

As we made our way out of the immediate vicinity, without warning, Alexander began singing:

Big red shiny Mack fire engine

Big red shiny Mack fire engine

Big red shiny Mack fire engine

Were going to save the day!

After the word Mack, Alexander would pause, and Russell would make the siren peal once then ding the bell heartily. At this moment, we so wished our bro, Johnny, was with us, as this would’ve made him fuss and carry on due to the embarrassment of it all

Once the tour got under way, we saw and learnt things such as:

· The high school OJ Simpson and baseball player Derek Jeeter attended;
· An octagonal house: Only two are left in San Francisco, and had been relocated from their original spots because their previous owner no longer wanted them;
· A windvane in the shape of an aeroplane, which looked cool;
· A police station that had been converted into a residential house inside (the facade is still that of the original police station);
· The real Fire Department (Russell went crazy with the siren and bell as we went by!);
· The Presido: Apparently this area is to become self-sufficient from 2012 onwards. The area contains the Walt Disney Family Museum, which we went past, as well as the Industrial Sound and Light Institute owned by George Lucas, where all his video games are made. We caught a quick glimpse of the Yoda statue outside as we shot by. We were also treated to the sight of some very expensive real estate. On being told how much the rent was per month, it left us thinking, Who earns that kind of money?!;
· We drove through a street of beautiful old houses, and were told that there used to be a lot more of them, but that a whole row of them had to be destroyed to prevent the great fire of 1906 from spreading further than it did.

By this stage, we had come to a stop at a photo opportunity lookout near a foresty area leading to the Golden Gate Bridge. Once everyone had got the shots they wanted, we set off across the Golden Gate Bridge, all very excited. I got my camera ready to get the shot I wanted, but the moment the fire engine got on the Golden Gate Bridge, it shot off at an unexpected speed, as if we were in the Grand Prix! Despite being buckled in, I got quite a start, as we were in the open air, and the only thing I was holding onto at the time, was the camera - LOL! Holding onto the side of the truck, I tried getting off a couple of one-handed shots (which turned out as if I was under the influence), so once again, Nest came to the rescue with his photographic skills for all conditions

Once across the Golden Gate Bridge, we continued on to the gorgeous town of Sausalito. While going through a tunnel, Alexander tried getting us all to make animal noises (by this stage, Nest was probably wondering what kind of tour I had booked us into! First there was the singing, and now there was the animal noises! LOL! I solemnly swear I wasn’t aware of these components before-hand! )

Driving through the town, I was thrilled to see that Munchies Candies, the lolly shop I visited back in 2006, was still there, which meant that Nest and I would be able to stock up on yummy candy corn flavoured taffy when we visited again the following day.

Also, Alexander pointed out her two favourite trees in a parking lot - they were both growing side-by-side, and seemed to be of the same species, but one of them was naturally white, and the other one was naturally black. If Alexander hadn’t have pointed them out, I would’ve missed them, which would’ve been a shame.

We didn’t spend long in Sausalito, soon turning around to cross back over the Golden Gate Bridge and return to our drop off spot. Once again, right before reaching the Golden Gate Bridge, we stopped off, this time in a carpark, for more photo opportunities. Nest and I got Alexander to take our photo in front of the fire engine while we wore fire helmets (it was too hot to put on the fire jackets) ...

... then we got Russell to take our photo in front of the iconic bridge itself. With such important shots, we didn’t want to risk using the timer, resulting in top of head self portraits, with no time to take correcting shots

Nest then busied himself taking photos of some seals frolicking in the sparkling water, while I made sure he didn’t walk off the end of the pier due to looking through his camera for the perfect shot.

On the road again, Alexander asked for volunteers to sing any song they wanted, and was met with absolute silence (I can pretty much imagine what Nest was thinking at this point - LOL! ) Eventually, this tiny little boy (he was probably around four), took the microphone and sang Incy Wincy Spider, which was just so cute (and took the pressure off the rest of us!) As there were no more singing volunteers after the little boy, Alexander sang Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Nest and I saw the same tour the following day, at this same stage we were in now, and there were some teenage boys on board looking so embarrassed - LOL!) Just as the fire engine was about to reach its destination, Alexander made us all sing Big Red Shiny Mack Fire Engine one last time, complete with sound effects from Captain Russell.

After our Fire Engine Tour, we had a couple of hours free time to do with as we pleased, until it was time for our jaunt to Alcatraz. We had a number of goals in mind, so we wasted no time in going about them. First up, we looked around Fisherman’s Wharf for a bit. A friend and colleague from work, wanted me to send her a postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge, so we found a store which had them in stock. I chose one with a cruise ship sailing under it We also checked out a games arcade for Nests amusement, but he wasn’t all that impressed with it.

The games arcade was attached to a restaurant, and as we hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast early that morning, we set off in search of the Hard Rock Cafe. To get there, we walked along the pier, where we saw the famous sealions of Pier 39, some of which were vying for the ultimate position in the group. We thought it was funny how a seagull had a wooden platform all to himself. Perhaps that was because he was about three times bigger than the seagulls we have back home, and that the sealions knew not to mess with him.

At the Hard Rock Cafe, we were led to a table near the bar area, which had a rainbow coloured teddy bear mural on the ceiling above it. The seats and table were very tall, but thankfully I didn’t embarrass myself from having my seat fly out from underneath me during the climb up like I was worrying might happen.

Nest and I had glasses of Mountain Dew to drink while trying to decide what to dine on. I decided on my usual favourite of a steak sandwich with cheese, mushrooms, and all the usual fixins of lettuce, tomato, pickles and red onion rings. If that wasn’t enough, my meal also came with a side of fries.

Nest decided on twisted mac, chicken and cheese. Like the dish title hinted at, the meal consisted of sliced chicken breasts, garlic bread, and macaroni cheese, but instead of a traditional style sauce being used, a spicy sauce was used instead. It looked delicious, and Nest confirmed my hunch, saying that it was so very yummy.

After lunch, we went into the attached gift shop for a look around. I picked up a Hard Rock Cafe bib for a friends baby, as for some reason I thought it was hilarious that such an item was stocked (no, I hadn’t yet started on my cocktails for the day!) Nest and I also picked up a cool pair of sunnies each, which we started using as soon as we had made our purchases, as it was such a bright sunny day outside.

Re-fuelled, we then set about reaching our next goal for the day (or should I say my next goal for the day, in this instance ), which was locating the Musee Mechanique, an antique coin-operated arcade full of awesome olden days pier-side attractions. As Nest loves games arcades, I was certain he’d love this place too. It didn’t matter that the machines would be antiques - I was sure he’d appreciate the simplicity (and perhaps corniness, going by today’s standards) of them. I first found out about the place waaaaay back in 2004, when I used to work in a Museum Library.

For some reason, Nest thought I had been looking for Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, and we crossed the road to get to it, with me thinking it was him who wanted to go there before going to Musee Mechanique - LOL! Once we sorted this little mix up out, we were about to cross back over the road, when I spotted a 7-Eleven store in another direction, and suggested we check it out for Twinkies, as not only do we love the little sugary cake snacks, one of Nests friends wanted him to bring some back to Australia for him to try too. Scouring the unfamiliar snack aisles, we found our calorie-ladened treasures on the bottom row, and bought the entire stock! We were worried that the cashier was going to think we were crazy, going up with seven double packs of Twinkies, and only two bottles of water, but thankfully a genuinely crazy person was already in residence, ranting on about wanting a discount on a cigarette lighter, as the shop down the road sold them for fifty cents cheaper. Leaving the store, we resumed our search for Musee Mechanique, super happy to have found Twinkies

Right before lunch, I had picked up a map of the area at Fisherman’s Wharf, so I got it out, and we located Musee Mechanique in no time - I was so excited, especially even more so on entering, when Nest realised how much he was going to love it also! Nest described it in his journal, as "a massive area filled with heaps of awesome olden days games." While the place is free to enter and look around, if you want to play the machines, it will set you back a quarter or two a time. I only remember one of the machines costing a dime to play. Luckily for Nest and myself, the establishment had fully stocked change machines on the premises, as we were to spend the next two hours, burying ourselves in the amusements of times past, and having an absolutely awesome time in the process!

My absolute favourite machines of this visit, were:

Dancing Susie: I absolutely loved this - it was probably my most favourite amusement, despite being so simple. Susie was a wooden puppet on strings, wearing a grass skirt and black bra. All she did was noisily jump up and down, the noise reminding me of a train! Somehow, I don't think she was actually doing the can-can, despite what the sign proclaimed!

Pixieland: This was so awesome - one of my solid faves along with Dancing Susie. The front of the machine was painted with a pixie mushroom scene at the bottom, and pixies walking through the forest to work at the top, leaving a small clear window in the middle of it all for you to look through, as if you were peering through a gap in the grass in real life Once you inserted your quarters, the inside of the box was gently lit up, and you could see a forest scene inhabited by pixies working away - it was so beautiful, yet very difficult to photograph due to the low light and constant movement (I kept plugging in the quarters till Nest could get a good shot.) A row of pixies holding all kinds of work implements, would leave a mushroom on the left side of the machine, and run across to a mushroom on the right side of the machine (I loved these big light up mushrooms!) In the middle of the scene, were smaller mushrooms, and pixies dancing rings around an older pixie.

Footsie Wootsie: These were super awesome - I loved them so much, as did Nest. As our feet were aching so much from all the walking we had been doing, these machines did wonders! What you did, was take a seat, put your feet (shoes had to be worn, otherwise goodness knows what would’ve happen) in the indicated position on the metal plate, then insert your quarters. The vibration to our aching feet was so strong, that our aches actually went away right there and then! If only we could've taken one with us Not sure which colour though - they had green, yellow and blue ones. We tried all three, just to make sure they all worked the same

Typing Horoscope: The reason I took a liking to this machine, was because of the result I got. The instructions were as such:

1. Set dial according to your birth sign
2. Place hand on cabinet to establish mystic contact
3. Insert coin into slot. Watch Zodi type your personal horoscope
4. Horoscope delivered at bottom right side of cabinet

With great expectations, I peered closely at the typewriter with baited breath, and all I got was "Yo"!! Hilarious!

Opium Den: This was awesome - another firm favourite of mine, not because I'm into drugs, but because it looked so funny, ancient, and corny by today’s standards. In the centre, was an Oriental man sitting next to a crate, who I took to be the distributor. It couldn't have been the guy sitting on the other end, as he looked really raggedy and unwell, as he had a red nose and was using a blankie as a shawl. Periodically, the crate they were sitting next to, opened up to reveal a set of scales and a substance wrapped in silver foil.

The scene playing out behind them, left to right, was:

· A darkened doorway kept swinging open, revealing a skeleton hanging off the back of the door (there was a sign above, but it was written in an Asian script I obviously didn't understand)
· A dragon kept swinging his head through an arched window curtained in blue beads
· A guy resting in an alcove kept on starting awake
· An Oriental man stood guard in another doorway (I took him to be a guard, as he was holding a machete ... I suppose he could've come to rob the place though)
· A demon kept on peering out from the doorway at the top of a set of stairs

Nests favourite machines of this visit, were:

Iron Claw: Nests absolute favourite game was the Iron Claw. It was basically an olden days skill tester. You had to first rotate the crane to where you wanted it positioned. You would then insert 2 quarters. The crane lever would then move down towards the prizes you had aimed for. You could then move the arm backwards or forwards by spinning another handle. After a short time, the claw would move back up, closing the claw and grabbing some prizes (if any) from the vast amount that was there. It would drop them into the centre bucket. You would then have to rotate the bucket (using same handle used to rotate the crane) and align the markings. When the markings were aligned, you pressed a white button and your prizes came out into a small collection chamber below (sometimes the prizes would shoot out onto the floor because there was no guard on the collection chamber opening to stop them doing so.) We got sooooooo many goodies from this machine - it was great fun! While we were playing it one time, a woman came up to us and told us not to waste our money on it, as it wouldn’t work for her daughter. We ignored her advice due to the success we were having, and took it that they just hadn’t been following the instructions.

Gumball Skill Tester: This was another favourite of Nests. You operated a toy crane by dropping the scoop from a height, hoping that the two magnets on it would connect when you did so. You had to connect the two magnets because doing so would close the scoop when lifted. You then had to move the crane and drop the gumballs into a funnel. If done correctly, the gumballs would come out into a little collection chamber where you could pick them up from. You could repeat this until your time ran out.

Crane: This was also another skill tester, but instead of gumballs, you were collecting lentils. You didn't get to keep the lentils (waaaaaah!), it was just a matter of seeing how many you could get during the time you had. The amount was displayed on a dial.

Sharpshooter: Nest absolutely loved this! You had to shoot still and moving targets with ball bearings. He got me to try, and I was absolutely terrible at it, but after a while, I was at least able to hit the still targets with Nest's guidance!

Machines worth honourable mentions, were:

Laughing Sal: I would say that Laughing Sal is the icon of Musee Mechanique - everyone familiar with the place, knows her. She featured heavily on the Museums website last time I checked, and used to be the painting around the door (you would walk through her mouth), so it was good to see her for myself after all this time. She was much larger than I expected, and when she laughed, it filled the entire museum! Laughing Sal’s plaque read, "One of San Francisco's most nostalgic landmarks, originally located at Playland at the Beach from 1940 to 1972. Laughing Sal, also known as the "Fat Lady", has made us smile and/or terrified children for over fifty years."

Career Pilot: This machine beckoned, "Have the pilot steer you straight." I can't remember what Nest or I got, but more unusual choices were clock watcher, dish washer, nudist, hot air artist, love pirate, lion tamer, dictator, moocher, stooge. Nest and I must've gotten one of the more normal ones listed - If we had've gotten one of the ones I listed here, I'm sure I would've remembered.

Arm Wrestling: In his diary, Nest wrote: "I tried to do an arm wrestling game with a dodgy machine but I think it was broken because I started off on the lowest difficulty and it was way over-powered and it hurt my elbow." If Nest wasn't able to defeat it, then I had no hope! I tried it just to feel the strength - I didn't even begin to wrestle back, cos I have weak wrists and have only recently recovered from the last lot of aches. After feeling how strong it was on fly, I couldn't believe that there were champion, draw, and try again light-up options on the back board! Watching the documentary DVD when I got back home to Australia, I learnt that this machine was used in the Tom Hanks movie, Big.

Marathon Cycle Race For Two Players: We liked this machine because it was so simple. It consisted of two little figures on bicycles that you’d raced around the loop. All you had to do was to spin a little wheel as fast as you could, and the faster you spun it, the faster your bicycle would go. Nest won ... just

Ten Strike Classic: This was a little ten pin bowling machine. There was a little fellow at your end, which you had to aim as best you could at the pins facing you. All the pins were on strings, and before playing it, I thought the strings would affect the outcome. Nest did quite well (he scored 100. It sounds good to me, but I don't know where it stands in the bowling world.) I have a rare good photo (I never quite mastered the Canon 400D Nest leant me, making for quite a lot of interesting/frustrating photos!) of the pins mid-strike - some are flying up to the side, and about four are standing still - just goes to show the strings weren't a problem after all.

Santa Clause Workshop: This was really cute. There were six windows you could look through, and in each one, were Santa's helpers busying themselves in preparation for Christmas.
· Window 1: The paint room (with surprisingly clean white walls!) There were three big canisters of paint (red, yellow, and black) up on the first level, with a ladder leading up to it. Pipes go from the canisters, to smaller barrels on the floor below. On the floor below, are two helpers painting toys, such as tricycles and toy cars. There is a shelf below the big canisters, where painted toys (a selection of toy cars) have been put to dry.
· Window 2: Mailroom/office: Santa was sitting at his desk studying a big book, with his coat on a nearby coat stand (I thought that was a cute touch.) I think he may have just come from a Halloween party, as he has scary clown make up on! Someone or something to his right, was going through the mailbags (I'm not sure, as they don't seem to have any pants on?!), and the person to his left (who does have pants on - phew!) is studying a globe of the world. There's a cute rug on the floor. Along the back wall, are filing draws almost reaching the ceiling. On top of these draws to the right, are 13 file boxes of boys and girls' names, and to the left, are a number of rolled-up scrolls. I'm assuming this office is also where a magazine is compiled, as there's a poster up saying, "In this Christmas issue". I can't make out what's written underneath (there's loads of text), except for the word, "America".
· Window 4: This seemed to be some kind of engine room. Only one guy was on duty down here.
· From my photo, I’m not able to clearly describe windows three, five and six

Play Football: This machine reminded me of foosball, except the players weren't on rods. This must've been a super olden days version, as the players were wearing massively puffy red or blue woollen jumpers, which I found funny. I also found it funny how they were holding their arms up in the air (If real football was this amusing, then there’d be a chance that I would actually try watching it every now and then There were leavers below that you twisted to get their little legs kicking. I also loved the painted background, and how every single person, both male and female, were wearing hats!

The Pavilion: The Pavilions plaque read, "Assembled with hundreds of toothpicks. "Dine and dance" at the "Toothpick Carnival". Drop 25c coin for the gay life!" It was interesting to know that someone had sat down and taken the time and patience to make this attraction out of thousands of toothpicks! The bottom level of the structure featured two dance pavilions, and the top level was the dining area. It looked to be a highly exclusive dining area for gentlemen, as it was only big enough to hold two tables, both of which were fully booked and seating one man each. I loved the decorated lamps, which took up half the table - LOL! There were a couple waiting under a lamppost outside. I loved the retro pictures set as the background to this attraction (I think they may have originally started out as tea towels.)

Fun House: Judging by the style, the same person who made the Pavilion, also made this Fun House. When you inserted a quarter, the circular dance floor inside, rotated. It was a very popular establishment, as there were people waiting outside to go in, couples sitting on both benches under lampposts, and two younger kids running around out the front.

1928 Novelty Knock-Out Fighters: The fighters were very clanky, and you wondered how any side ever won, but when I versed Nest on two occasions, I was the victor each time - hurrah!

The Inquest: This featured three buffalo gathered around a dead Indian on the ground. When you inserted a quarter, all that happened was that the buffalo slowly nodded their heads, as if they were deep in thought, with a wind storm raging in the background.

The Bakery: I love bakeries, so there was no chance I was walking by this one! The sign promised "A prize every time!" The baker would open the oven door, insert his scoop, which would collect your prize that came down the chimney. He would then deposit your prize over in the collection chute. I thought this was very cute and clever. Nest and I both got silver skull rings with blue 'eyes'. Unfortunately, they were too small even for my little fingers, so I wasn't able to wear them to the upcoming pirate night. We will still retain them as keepsakes though.

If we didn’t have an excursion booked that afternoon, Nest and I probably would’ve stayed at Musee Mechanique until closing, we were having that much fun there! After about two hours of old-fashioned fun, we reluctantly walked back to the Wonder to drop off our newly acquired possessions ranging from the entire stock of the nearby 7-Elevens Twinkies, to prizes we had won from various machines at the museum, before heading off to catch a ferry to Alcatraz. We were hoping we would not miss the ferry, because we were running a bit later than planned.

Once back off the Wonder, we walked as fast as we could up to Pier 33. We were both so relieved to see that there was still a big line for our ferry, and that people had yet to board - phew! Eventually the line began to move, we had our photo taken with a backdrop of Alcatraz behind us, and then we got to board the ferry.

Once on board the ferry, Nest and I headed up to the top deck so wed have an unobstructed view as we approached Alcatraz.

Just as the ferry set sail, Nest decided he was hungry, so I went back downstairs to get him some turkey salad rolls and bottled water while he took photos of the view (including a very large seagull that had planted himself on top of some boxes, eyeing us all off. Little did I realise exactly what this seagull was up to at the time!) I was holding Nests second turkey salad roll while he munched his way through the first one. I was off in my own little world, enjoying the cruise and taking in the view, when I felt what I thought was someone carelessly knocking into me. I looked up in surprise, and was completely gob-smacked to find that it was the large seagull flying off with the roll I had been holding for Nest - I simply couldn’t believe it! I called out in surprise, and everyone looked around, laughing in the direction I was pointing! The seagull landed in the water with the turkey salad roll, where it was swarmed by other birds. As the roll was wrapped in plastic, we think it must’ve sunk to the bottom pretty much instantly, as we didn't see any remnants of it after a few seconds.

We arrived at Alcatraz soon after, and disembarked the ferry. We were directed to the Audio Tour up a huge hill As much as we don’t like walking up huge hills, we declined to take the lazy shuttle that was available, as we didn’t want to miss the views and other attractions along the way. I bought some pamphlets as we started off, so I could read up on the place at my leisure later on. One was called Discover Alcatraz : a tour of the rock, and the other was called Escapes : a tour of the attempts.

We saw some cool buildings on our walk up to the start of the Audio Tour, though a lot of them were mostly framework due to neglect. One structure that somehow escaped my notice last visit, was the morgue (operational from 1910-1963 ... though not always as a morgue.) Though macabre, we couldn’t help but stop for a look out of curiosity. It was incredibly small inside.

There was an information sheet stuck on the workbench, but it wasn’t facing the direction of the door, making it impossible to read. Back home, I altered the photo Nest took until I was able to read it:

This site originally was the entrance to an 1870s tunnel used by soldiers to cross to the opposite side of the island. In 1910 the Army built a morgue inside, which contained the three vault doors visible on the back wall.

Deceased army personnel from Alcatraz were buried in the army cemetery on Angel Island. In the early 1900s, the cemetery closed and funerals were conducted at the National Cemetery in the Presidio of San Francisco.

In 1934 Alcatraz became a federal penitentiary, the morgue was no longer used. The same year, an emergency lighting system was installed inside this building (notice the generator and switch panel.) During this period, deceased inmates were buried at a local cemetery, if not claimed by family members.

How super cool would it be if you could take a tour which included walking through the tunnel mentioned above, to the opposite side of the island!! As so much maintenance and reconstruction work was being carried out during our visit to Alcatraz, it would’ve been great if the tunnel was included in their plans. But as the tunnel was in use in the 1870s, I expect it would cost an awful lot of money to make it safe for people to walk through and look at. However, despite saying that, I would certainly pay to walk through it! I wonder if anyone involved in coming up with and managing the tours, has thought of this?

The water tank used in one of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry movies, was covered in a massive white tarp. Maintenance work had ceased on it for the time being, as there were signs around saying that it was a nesting area for certain birds at that time of year, and that they were not to be disturbed. We also noticed some cool looking plants and flowers dotted around the island, such as "Hens and chicks" (Aeorium arboreum.)

We finally made our way up the steep hill (as had a whole lot of other people - it was quite busy!), where we entered the main building and got our audio headset and pack.

While we were waiting to collect our headsets, we noticed a sign up saying:

Federal Penitentiary: 1934-1963
Inmates processed: 1576
Correctional Officers: 90
Rules & Regulations: 53
Escape Attempts: 14
Wardens: 4

This got me to wonder why you only really hear about the one escape featured in the Clint Eastwood movie, aptly title Escape From Alcatraz. Why aren't at least some of the other ones focussed on as well, such as the last escape attempt made by John Paul Scott, who actually made it across the bay (the only known successful swim from Alcatraz to land near the Golden Gate Bridge, by an inmate), but was too pooped to pull himself up on the rocks, and was thus recaptured? I suppose the escape attempt featured in the movie, has an air of mystery about it that gets people talking, seeing as the escapees were never seen again.

Even though I took the Audio Tour back in 2006, I still re-learnt a whole lot of cool things this time round and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The Audio Tour was narrated by former Correctional Officers and inmates of Alcatraz, which I believe gave the whole tour more meaning. We spent hours exploring the main cellhouse, which included solitary confinement cells, the library, the control room, the Wardens office, the kitchen, and the recreation yard. (At one stage we got totally lost while looking for the Utility Corridor, and had to ask a guard for directions ... something an inmate wouldn’t have been able to do ) The tour also took us part way out the front of the main cellhouse, where it made references to the lighthouse and the Wardens house. We were also able to see the Disney Wonder from this part of the island. I also spotted the Disney Wonder through a very small window (which were over an inch thick) from inside the main cellhouse. I wonder what kind of fun the inmates saw when they looked through that same window?

Library: As the inmates were physically confined for the majority of the day, the services of their local library were very popular. According to signage in the area, literate inmates read 75-100 books a year. The Alcatraz Library held 15,000 books, which covered topics such as fiction, philosophy and educational material. Books containing criminal and violent themes, among other taboo subjects, were banned (though on my first visit, I do recall an inmate getting hold of a magazine which included an article on how to make a bomb.) As inmates weren’t permitted to browse in the library, a staff member went around delivering books to inmates who required them. The library now stands bear, but there are a few bookcases still standing. Working in a library myself, I had a chuckle over how that’s where libraries of today seem to be heading, due to the introduction of the more favoured format of e-books. While I understand that there are advantages to e-books, I will always favour the good old fashioned physical book!

Solitary Confinement: Solitary confinement was reserved for unusually dangerous or violent inmates. Depending on their offence, depended on how long their stay in this section of the prison was. Examples of crimes weren’t given, but inmates had varying stretches in solitary confinement ranging from a few days to several years. Inmates housed here, received adequate care, but were confined to their cells 24 hours a day - there was no recreational privileges. Even though I’m not the most active person on the planet, I still cant imagine being confined to a small space, and not being able to get out even for a small walk.

"The Hole": The six closed-front cells in the solitary confinement section of the cellhouse, were used for the most severe disciplinary problems (again, no examples were given.) Treatment in "The Hole" sometimes included total darkness and a restricted diet. An anecdote that has stuck with me since my last visit, was how one of the inmates housed there used to played a game to pass the time. He would rip a button off his shirt, throw it off into the cell somewhere, and then get down on his hands and knees, looking for it. When he would find the button, he would pick it up, stand up, and then repeat the process all over again. I have never forgotten that, especially as it was the actual inmate narrating that part of the tour. Another inmate would focus on a pinprick of light making its way through a crack in the door, and after a long period of intense concentration, he would be able to watch TV on it. Stretches in "The Hole" usually lasted several days, but never more than 19. Few inmates ever saw the inside of "The Hole".

Former inmates: I’m sure you would agree that 1963, the year when Alcatraz ceased being a prison, was a very long time ago (49 years ago, if you’re reading this in 2012.) Keeping that figure in mind, I was very surprised to learn that three former inmates are still in prison to this very day! (The sentences probably weren’t uninterrupted ones from the moment they were transferred elsewhere from Alcatraz, but the fact that they’re in prison even after all the decades have passed, is a bad way to have led ones life. I would’ve thought that any normal person would’ve learnt from their first mistake, not to do certain things again.)

· Frank Sprenz, "The Flying Bank Bandit", is due for parole in 2013;
· Harvy Carignan, "The Wand-Ad Killer", whose sentence doesn't expire until 2075 (in 63 years time, if you’re reading this in 2012 ... which I very much doubt, as I typed this entry up on 11 January 2013 ); and,
· James L. Bulger is back in prison after 16 years on the run from the FBI! He was caught in 2011 when he was 82, on a lot of serious chargers (19 counts of murder among them.) He was an inmate of Alcatraz for three years for armed robbery and hijacking.

Famous inmates plaque: There was a long plaque running along one of the walls, with mugshots of Alcatraz’s most infamous inmates, along with their names, crimes, and sentences.

· Alphonse "Scarface" Capone, income tax evasion, 1934-1939
· George "Machine Gun" Kelly, kidnapping, 1934-1951
· Arthur "Doc" Barker, conspiracy to kidnap, 1935-1939
· Alvin "Creepy Karpis" Karpavicz, conspiracy to kidnap, 1936-1962
· Robert "The Birdman" Stroud, murder, 1942-1959
· Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, narcotics, 1954-1958 and 1959-1963
· Meyer "Mickey" Cohen, income tax evasion, 1961-1963

Recreation Yard: I didn’t get to explore the recreation yard during my last visit, so I made sure I did this visit. We walked down a steep narrow staircase to the yard below, and fanned out (not that there was much to see and explore.) I went to the wall furtherest away from the prison, and looked back at its decaying condition, imagining what it must’ve looked like in its heyday. I also imagined what the yard must’ve been like with all the inmates in it at once (cue background noise of such a time), and how there was simply nowhere to hide if you were trying to avoid someone. We also found a door in the side wall, with an amazing view when you looked through it, but I doubt the inmates would’ve had such use of it. I was surprised at how steep and high each of the bleacher steps were - they were quite difficult for a person of my fitness level to clamber up. The whole area seemed hauntingly vacant, despite the hoards of tourists that had come to visit that day. I very much doubt that anyone at the time would’ve imagined the place to become such a huge drawcard within the tourism industry.

On display near the door where you go out into the recreation yard, were pictures taken at the time of it in use, such as inmates playing baseball. A sign nearby said, "In a prison of strict regimentation, the yard offered rare freedom of movement, association, and choice. Some inmates chose to play baseball or run laps. Others simply walked to the top of the bleachers and looked out at what they were missing. General population inmates visited the yard on Saturdays and Sundays, for 2.5 hours each day. Treatment Unit inmates got one hour a week, usually alone." The latter goes against what I learnt while visiting the solitary confinement area - hmmmmm - I must’ve mis-remembered the information - there was just so much to take in. As for the general population, I was surprised they were only granted access to the recreation yard on the weekend only - I would’ve thought they would’ve gotten a bit of time there each day, for health reasons.

Escapes: I wont concentrate on the most famous escape, by Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, and Frank Morris, as everyone knows that story by now. Still, it was good to see for ourselves where everything happened, and the inside route that was taken (the Audio Tour didn’t cover the outside route.) There was a poster up of pictures of what the escapees looked like then, and predicted aged pictures of what they would look like now.

The Battle of Alcatraz, 2-4 May 1946: I’m pretty sure this escape attempt has been newly added to the Audio Tour, as I cant remember it at all from my previous visit. I haven’t even heard of it in general, so it was an exciting learning experience for me. I think its great how the Audio Tour seems to be regularly updated/improved, for the benefit of repeat visitors.

Bernie Coy was the main ringleader of this escape attempt involving five other inmates. He used his privileged position of being allowed to work in the library, to plan it all out (giving all us other library workers a bad name in the process) He started by making a bar-spreading device out of a bolt, nut and piece of pipe, on discovering a weak section of bars in the Gun Gallery. This bar-spreader forced the bars apart, allowing Bernie to slip through and surprise and disable the guard on duty, relieving the guard of his gun and keys.

Bernie passed the keys down to his fellow escapees to try and open the door to the courtyard where they planned to escape from. Unluckily for them though, none of the keys worked, as unbeknownst to them, "Officer Bill Miller broke prison regulations when he pocketed the key to the door leading to the recreation yard." Guards came to investigate what happened to the first guard, one at a time, and the inmates took them hostage and put them all into a cell. One of the guards being held hostage, Officer Ernest Lageson, luckily thought quickly before being fatally shot, and wrote the names of the inmates involved, on the cell wall he was being held captive in, circling the names of the ringleaders. Frustrated with the way things were turning out, an inmate turned a gun on the guards in the cell and shot them. When the other guards heard the gunshots they figured out what was going on. The prison alarm was triggered and Alcatraz was put into lockdown. Eventually the Army and Navy were called in because the escapees were not giving up. The cell block was shelled by Marines and eventually grenades were dropped in through the ceiling, killing two correctional officers and three inmates. The marks from the exploding grenades are still on the floor this day for all to see.

This escape attempt, and the tragedy that came with it, made a caption accompanying a poster about the life of a Correctional Office, really stick in my mind - "Hours of boredom, seconds of terror."

"In Memoriam: During the May 1946 escape attempt, Officer William A. Miller (1903-1946) was one of several correctional officers held hostage in this cell (402). He was mortally wounded when he hid the key that the inmates needed to complete their escape. His quick thinking, bravery and attention to duty prevented the escape from succeeding, and he will never be forgotten."

The Dining Hall: The dining hall had changed a bit since my last visit, but only because it had been set up for a conference on "Life after murder". The program was stuck up on one of the pillars, and large photos of the speakers (taken around Alcatraz) were up around the dining hall. Anyway, back to describing the dining hall itself. Inmates were served three meals a day, with guards and inmates eating the same meals. I found it interesting how the menu for the last breakfast served, was still up (or reproduced, at least.) Listed, was:

· Assorted dry cereals
· Steamed wheat
· Scrambled eggs
· 2 milk
· Fruit
· Toast
· Bread & butter

It was considered that Alcatraz had some of the best food in a correctional facility of that time. Having said that though, at one point the inmates were served spaghetti over and over again, until one day they decided the next time they got it, they would turn the tables up. And sure enough, one Saturday, they were served spaghetti, and up went the tables. Surprisingly though, when the Correctional Officer on duty blew his whistle, the inmates calmed down and simply exited the dining hall. This was probably because there were canisters of tear gas mounted around in the dining hall and if they would muck up too much or have a riot they would be set off. (These canisters were never used, surprisingly.)

"Take all that you wish - eat all that you take" -- Institution Rules & Regulations, 1956

The Kitchen: On a wall in the kitchen, were black outlines of all the knives and sharp instruments. If there was still a black outline in view at the end of a shift after everything had been tidied up, then the guards knew exactly what was missing, and that it needed to be dealt with immediately, which happened a few times. The dining hall and kitchen were considered to be the most dangerous places to be in Alcatraz because the inmates had access to metal knives, forks and spoons. While there was a metal detector at the entrance/exit to the dining room, it was still possible for an incident to occur in these areas.

On a shelf in the kitchen, I noticed large cans of chicken noodle soup, prunes strawberry preserves, King syrup (whatever that is), sliced peaches, and even washing powder?! Perhaps that was used for the dishes?

Visiting Area: The windows through which visits were conducted, were so tiny, you'd be lucky to be able to see the whole of each others heads! It was at this stage of the Audio Tour, where I remember listening to a story told by a sister of an inmate, who was originally told her brother was dead, and found out years later, that he was actually alive. Even though I know inmates are in prison for a reason, its still a terrible mistake to have been made, especially if the concerned families were close.

"Visitation rules & regulations, USP, Alcatraz: You are allowed one visit each month from members of your immediate family or other approved visitors ; visiting hours are approximately 1.30pm-3.10pm ; All personal visits you will confine your talk to personal matters and refrain from discussing other inmates, institutional matters, etc. ; Physical contact shall not be allowed ; Food and beverages are not permitted ; Interviewers and inmates shall remain seated during the visit ; inmates shall not smoke ; Visits with your attorney of record may be arranged through the office of the associate warden ; violation of rules and regulations may result in termination of visitation room privileges"

Control office: In this day and age of advanced technology, it was interesting to see this office contain old-fashioned typewriters and phones with the ring dials, not push buttons. In another office nearby, was a really bright red waist high Coke fridge - it looked brand new, and had me wondering if the original office really had one of these.

Last Words: Alcatraz closed on 21 March 1963 because it was no longer considered to be escape proof (there were 14 escape attempts), the condition was deteriorating, and the poor living conditions of the inmates.

"Alcatraz was never no good for nobody" -- Frank Weatherman, last prisoner to leave Alcatraz

When we finished the audio tour it was starting to get late and was losing a lot of light outside. Unluckily for us, when we got to the souvenir shop, it was closed A guard nearby commented on Nest's Twilight Zone t-shirt, and mentioned how he liked the show. We then had a little conversation about how we liked it also, and wished there were more shows like it on TV these days. He thought that they wouldn't be able to make a modern version. (While there has been a modern version made, we don't know what it's like. We can't imagine a version without Rod Serling's involvement though.)

So as frequenting the souvenir shop was out of the question, we just lined up for the ferry back to Pier 33. Its a good job we did, as we were the last ones to board! I didn’t realise we had cut it so fine there!

Once on the ferry, we went up to the top deck but it was too cold for Nest, so we went into the warm cabin area. We arrived back to the Pier without incident, and checked out the souvenir shops nearby, seeing as we had missed the one on Alcatraz. We both laughed when we found a lot of seagull soft toys for sale. Perhaps we were not the first people to have their snacks snatched off them by these over-sized birds?

We walked back down Bay Street to the Disney Wonder, where we went to Pluto’s Dog House for our new afternoon tea tradition of weenie dogs and fries (though this time, Nest had a tomato and lettuce salad.) From the drink station, Nest had a hot chocolate, and I had a Sprite. We had a superb view of San Francisco Bay while we ate - what a simply brilliant day we had had!

After our late afternoon tea, we went back to our stateroom for a well-deserved blob around As time went on, we eventually got ready for dinner, which was to be held in Parrot Cay this evening - I was looking forward to seeing the tropical decor.

Waiting for us on the table, were warm delicious thick slices of banana bread, which we could choose to have plain, or spread with butter or some kind of cream Who am I to turn down butter and cream?

Nest had:

· Drink: Diet Coke
· Appetiser: A cold mango and papaya puree
· Main: Chicken with corn salad and sweet potato mash
· Dessert: Mini lemon meringue pie - it was so cute and yummy. Came with a tiny blob of cream, half a strawberry, and two orange segments

I had:

· Cocktail: Melon mojito garnished with lime and lemon wedges with a blue ships wheel twizzle stick (ahoy there! )
· Appetiser: St. Maarten's stack consisting of thin layers of eggplant, fish and tomato, and topped with a small fuzz of greens
· Main: Mixed grill (2 lamb cutlets, a bacon-wrapped sausage, and something else which unfortunately eludes me) on a bed of mashed potato with 3 asparagus spears on top
· Dessert: Mini lemon meringue pie

We were taking photos on our way out of the restaurant, when Charlie, one of our dinner servers, ran up to us and offered to take our photo, which we thought was really nice (even if it did turn out fuzzy - LOL! )

On our way back to our stateroom, we saw Mickey walking through Shutters. I automatically began waving and saying hello (momentarily forgetting my actions may have embarrassed Nest ) Mickey waved back, but couldn’t stop, as he must’ve been off to dinner with Minnie, and was running late.

Waiting for us back in our stateroom, was a towel rabbit and some goodnight chocolates.

Took in the beautiful night scenery of San Francisco from our balcony, and attempted a few night shots. Off in the distance, there was some kind of concert or sporting event taking place, as we could see the spotlights strobing the sky. And on the Oakland Bay Bridge, we saw a police pursuit - its all go in San Francisco, no matter what time of the day or night it is!

After the massively full exciting day we had had, we crashed into bed - Nest in the luxurious king-sized bed, and me on the sofa I was almost wider and longer than - LOL! Next time were getting the Walt or Ron Disney suite for sure!
Next entry: Another busy day in San Francisco!

[chezp]

What a great day in San Francisco. I loved seeing the Wonder right in the city centre - so beautiful. I must admit reading this is making me wonder (scuse the pun) about going back to San Francisco one day, reading this.

[pamcarey]

What a great day! I loved the early morning and nighttime shots of San Francisco from the ship!

[Dlandmom2]

What a fun day! I remember the first (and only!) time I saw the Sydney Opera House in person. I can completely understand what you mean about finally seeing an iconic structure in person!

Of the many times I've been to San Francisco, I've never been (or heard of) the Musee Mechanique, but now I'm fascinated by it! I'll definitely have to try and visit it in the future!

Ooo, Alcatraz, I'm mesmerized by the history and mystery surrounding it. I've only visited once, but it was incredibly memorable. Even though it has sat empty for so many years, it felt eerily still alive as I walked around! There weren't the audio tours back when I went, but it was fascinating nonetheless. One of the neatest things was that one of the former prisoners was there signing his book, which was so cool!

I can't wait to read your next installment! I know it's so much work to write them up, but I absolutely love reading about your trips! You and Nest are sooo good about keeping up with your journals during your trips!

[mushu22]

youranding your TR. More please