Framedlight

We left Alcatraz, arrived back on to the mainland around 2.00pm and walked down to Fisherman's Wharf to eat at a crowded outdoor restaurant. There is a collection of old ships in the Maritime National Park,  just by the Wharf so we went down to have a look. The collection runs from an 1890 steam ferryboat, the Eureka, to an 1886 square-rigger the Balclutha. There is also a 1907 steam tug the Hercules and a paddle tug the Eppleton. When the park closed we made our way back to the train terminus passing the turning area for the cable car. We got back to the Saint Francis Hotel, collected out luggage and got a taxi to the Aloft hotel near the airport (corny name). We would have liked to have stayed a further night in the city but they were fully booked. However there was a small indoor swimming pool at the Aloft, which was not being used by anyone else. So we spent a little time going up and down until we got bored and went t...

We checked into the St Francis Hotel and immediately went to our room, tried the television, bounced on the beds and had a shower. This hotel is quite old by US standards (1904) and has lots of interesting photographs of bygone days in the lobby.  A bit like the Overlook in the Shining! Next we hit the town and after a look at Union Square, which already had it's Christmas tree, we purchased a book of transport tickets, worthwhile as it makes travelling on the cable car, train or bus really cheap. The cable car to Fisherman's Wharf went from outside the hotel. We clung to a pole and it is quite a scary experience. I am not sure why more passengers are not peeled from the sides by passing cars. Fisherman's Wharf was buzzing, crowded and a bit like Blackpool. We walked around, people watching, as the sun went down and then went to eat in a seafood restaurant. Emerging on to the street it was now lit by a riot of street lights. We wa...