I escaped from Alcatraz!!

This morning I took a relaxing drive into Oakland to go through the LDS Temple there -- which brings the number of temples I've been through to 17 (not counting the two or three I didn't go through but went to the temple grounds). It's always great to take time out for a little spiritual rejuvenation.


After that, I had some lunch in Chinatown (more food than I could eat for a whopping price of $3.45) and drove around the city, took a picture of the "Painted Ladies" -- that row of houses that are in just about every tv show and movie that takes place here. It was fun to drive around the city and see all the different neighborhoods. You can cross the street and enter an entirely different city; it reminds me of Chicago and New York. While at Alamo Square, across from the Painted Ladies, I saw a little dog running away from its owner. Evidently, it was the dogs first time off a leash and before I even saw the dog, I heard a kid (9 or 10) yelling at the top of his lungs "STOP THAT DOOOOOOOG!!" The little dog by that time was going full speed down a hill and into the street. Luckily, San Francisco streets are by and large very narrow and have 4-way stops at every intersection. The dog made it safely across the street and into the arms of a couple who were looking at a house. Don't you just love a happy ending??


Next stop: Alcatraz!! Once there, it's a quarter mile hike to the top of the hill to the cell block. Then, you get an audio tour to take you through the jail. It was so great to hear all the cool stories and see the cells in person. I could almost imagine the jail in its heyday. My favorite story was of the prisoner who, when in solitary confinement where the cells were pitch dark 24 hours a day, would throw a button, wait for it to land, and crawl around on the floor until he found it, then repeat over and over and over and over again. It was also weird to think of families with young kids living there -- families of the guards -- like any other small town. That is, if your small town was primarily inhabited by the worst criminals the country had to offer.
Finally, it was dinner at Ghirardelli Square and back to the hotel for some R & R. Tomorrow, I get to hang out with Ariel and go across the bridge ...