[ Down by the waterfront ]

The cable car dropped us at the far end of the waterfront tourist district, at Fisherman's Pier. All along this area are the typical tourist-trap shops and restaurants, with the odd old-timey streetcars thrown in for good measure.


[ Walking along the Embarcadero ]

We walked back along the main waterfront drag, Embarcadero, towards the pier where we'd be boarding a ferry to Alcatraz. Side note: does anyone know what kind of tree these are?

Update: My dad weighed in with 'pollarded plane trees.' This required a fairly lengthy explanation as to what pollarding is, but I think he's right.


[ The boat to Alcatraz ]

The pier for the boat over to Alcatraz had changed since I was last in the city, and I didn't pay too much attention to where we were supposed to end up, and as a result we were among the last to board. Had we arrived earlier we might have taken the time to read the historical blurbs.


[ Gulls over San Francisco Bay ]

The boat ride over to Alcatraz for the night tour (which is a bit more extensive than the standard daytime tour and highly recommended if you're planning to go) was notable for two main factors: the rapid onset of some large clouds making the sun disappear and the rapid onset of some low-flying gulls...


[ Tourists taking pictures ]

.. which attracted quite a bit of attention from the assembled masses on the boat. Maybe they don't have seagulls where they came from? Is there such a place? Can I move there?






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