Chinatown, then Alcatraz

Last night the bomb squad taped off the area around my hotel and blew up a suspicious package across the street. It made a really loud bang, but i think it turned out to be nothing, and i was finally allowed out of the building to go get some dinner.

This morning i rode a ferry out to Alcatraz to have a look. It was really cool and it actually wasn't as pricey as i thought - only $11! The history of the place is kind of creepy, which i like!

Its actually really close to fishermans wharf, the ferry only took 10 minutes. I could have swam it if they locked me up there.

From the jail the prisoners were able to see the golden gate bridge and back into the city and financial district. Several of them tried to escape but it is unlikely that any were successful. A couple of them were never seen again, but the assumption is that they got washed away in the strong currents that surround the island. During the worst escape attempt 11 guards were held hostage and several killed, and it all happened in this one building i walked around. Thats why it was kind of creepy.

The Coit Tower, built in commemoration of San Francisco's firefighters.

Chinatown.

This afternoon i'm off to the Haight, where many consider the hippy movement to have been born.