san francisco, day six.

My brother got arrested once when we were in high school. Trespassing, I think it was. (In a vacant house, mind you.) Such a dork, that one. I, on the other hand, have no criminal record whatsoever.  But I have been to jail.  

DAY SIX. Thursday, June 30.

YOU GUYS. ALCATRAZ IS AWESOME.

My parents were all Nah, we don't wanna go there. And I was all ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU HAVE TO GO. And they were all, Nah, we don't wanna go there. So, instead of going alone, my sweet friend Joe flew in from Seattle to go with me. 

I know, right?!

Joe and me in the bar in my hotel on Wednesday night. SUCH A DOLL, THAT ONE.

Joe's a bit of a free spirit. He travels the world, goes with the flow, and rarely--if ever--gets fussy or upset or stressed about anything. You'll be in San Francisco? he asks. I'll just fly down and spend a couple days there and hang out with you. And then I'll book a one-way ticket to Hawaii for afterward. See what I mean? Free spirit.

So the precious boy booked tickets to Alcatraz several weeks before my trip (because he knew they'd sell out if we waited--and he was right--because once I arrived in SF, the tickets were sold out until July 4!). And on Thursday, he met me at my hotel and off we went!

Um, I took a ton of pictures. Are you ready?

This little guy escorted us the entire ferry ride to Alcatraz.

I couldn't get over how close he came to us on the top deck!

I was feeling sassy.

This is the view you see when the ferry docks at the prison.

Joe was excited!

Like, a lot!

There are tons of ruins all over the island, and gulls of all types and sizes make their homes in those ruins.

Joe took some pictures of me. This one's my favorite.

Joe decided to hold on to my backpack strap so we wouldn't get separated.

We opted for the self-guided audio tour. It. Was. So. Kick-Ass. It's narrated by four prison guards who worked on Alcatraz at one time or another.

And it's also narrated by four actual prisoners. It was so eerie, but so cool.

This is the exercise yard where the prisoners got to have some free time.

And this? Well, let's just say this image is now permanently ingrained in my brain. I wish it wasn't.

There are incredible gardens all over the island.

It is SERIOUSLY windy on Alcatraz, folks.

{note my scarf: I purchased it in Sausalito the day before!}

Poor Joe. Shoulda tied his hair back!

This was seriously one of the best days of my trip. Spending time with Joe was awesome, and touring Alcatraz was incredible. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Afterward, we took the ferry back to San Francisco, and I got to ride a genuine 1938 trolley car! It was so cool!

Then we hung out by this totally cool fountain sculpture by my hotel.

Joe enjoyed playing with my camera. He took the shot of the fountain above. Gorgeous, right?

Day Seven? Well, let's just say it involved a flying dog.  Stay tuned...

san francisco, day five.

I'm a really good shopper. Like, I'm still unclear as to why I will never be awarded a Ph.D. in shopping. Because I should. Seriously.  That handbag above? Thirty bucks.  In Sausalito.  

I should offer a tutorial or something.

DAY FIVE. Wednesday, June 29.

Okay, I have to be honest: this was kind of a tough day for me. It was Ross's birthday, and with as much as I've been missing him lately, and with the sadness I've been feeling, the day sort of hung over me like a cloud. He was on my mind and in my heart all day long. But, thanks to some retail therapy, I managed to get through it.

And I ended up with some really cute stuff from Sausalito, which is a tiny coastal town right across the Bay from San Francisco. You may recall that my parents and I went there on Day Two. But, I mean, let's be honest again: one time in Sausalito is never enough.

I don't have too many photos to share from this day because, well, I WAS BUSY SHOPPING. Mom and I did have fun, though. She got some beautiful scarves, and I got a gorgeous scarf as well. I mostly did some window-shopping, because I wanted to scope out the shops and see what was there and determine if I should spend money there or wait, seeing as though I still had several more days left on my trip. I also knew that I'd be returning to Sausalito AGAIN on my last day, because my best friend Amanda would be in town, and it was imperative that we spend some good gal pal time shopping there.

Half the fun of going to and from Sausalito is the ferry ride. So peaceful...

And that yellow bag? Well, I spied it that day and knew I'd be back to make it mine. All in good time, my friends. All in good time.

Day Six involved going to jail.  It was awesome.  Guess you'll have to stay tuned to see what happened!

san francisco, day four.

*hiccup* Oh, hi! Sorry about that week of no posts. I was busy drinking.

Just kidding.

Truth is, the hotel I stayed at was charging $15/day for internet. HIGHWAY ROBBERY, PEOPLE. So, as much as I loved lugging my laptop across the country and on several different flights, I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money. Plus, it kept you on the edge of your seats, right? When is Laura gonna post Day Four? Day Five? Day Six? I'm sure it kept you up at night. I like to believe that people are always thinking about me.

DAY FOUR. Tuesday, June 28.

Day Four was fun, despite the pouring rain (an anomaly in San Francisco) and the fifty-degree temperature. While Dad was working (poor thing), Mom and I went on a bus trip to Sonoma for a tour of the Benziger Family Winery.

Did I mention we got to booze it up, too?

After we boozed it up tasted the wine in a sophisticated manner, we did a little shopping. I got a delicious Moscatu, some chocolates, and some chocolate wine sauce. Mom got...hand cream. I know, I know. I still have so much to teach her.

The trip there was almost an hour and a half, so with travel time and the actual time we were at the vineyard, most of the day was shot. We did, however, get to stop in a little shopping area to eat and, well, shop. We ate at an adorable little french cafe called The Girl and The Fig. ADORBS, people. ADORBS. And the food was HOLY MOLY BANANAS GOOD.

We spent most of our day with two other lovely ladies whose husbands were at the same business conference my dad was at (hence the reason for the trip): Olga (from Russia) and Vivian (from Texas, who is a long-time family friend, as well). Such lovely, lovely ladies:

After we ate, we did a little shopping and then hopped back on the bus to return to San Francisco. Needless to say, after all the fun, we just fell right to sleep when we got back to the hotel!

It was a delightful day, despite the rain and cold. 

So, what's Day Five, you ask? It involved SHOPPING. In the charming little coastal town of Sausalito, right across the Bay. 

Did I mention there was SHOPPING?

Stay tuned!