San Francisco Excursion #2

I just returned to my hotel after another nice day here in San Francisco. Before I share some highlights with you, an item of business: I have not established a clear-cut identity for the blog, and I am not sure I will. My plan is to avoid it from becoming only detailed journal entry of my daily rides, or strictly a collage of pictures from my sightseeing experiences, or just a platform for me to rant and rave about things that are on my mind. I guess it's going to be a little bit of each (and hopefully much more) -- a smorgasbord of sorts. I am just hoping that, in aggregate, it's enough to keep you all following the blog.

That said, a couple of things to report. First, my bike arrived at the hotel today. I must admit that I had been harboring some apprehension until I saw the boxed up bike. I was nervous that my method of getting home would not join me on the West Coast in time.

Second, I had a great day in town – I spent some quality time at Pier 39 where I saw the Sea Lion-ebrities, and some of the other great attractions that this place had to offer. I also took a nice tour of Alcatraz Island – home to some of history’s most notorious criminals (including Southie's Whitey Bulger). And yes, I had Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris on the mind as I toured the island. Thankfully, however, I was not held captive on the island -- although I did spend a couple of minutes "in the hole" as you can see in the picture above (Side note: nothing is really made for people who are 6'8" -- The "hole" cells at Alcatraz are certainly no exception).

Scenes from the day:
Pier 39:

Sea Lions (or 'Sea Lion-ebrities' as they are affectionately called at Pier 39):

Pre-Alcatraz signs:

Alcatraz -- "The Rock":

A couple of scenic photos (foggy day so not ideal):