San Francisco: Alcatraz and Ghirardhelli Square

Last Tuesday, I was sitting at my desk working when my cell phone rang. It was The Nerd, but that wasn’t unusual. He likes to call me during the day to chat when he has a break.

“Umm, honey, have you looked at your flight status online?” he asked. I was scheduled to leave for my trip to San Francisco for the Adobe Girls Photography Getaway the next day.

“No, why?” “Your flight is showing that it’s canceled.” WHAT!?! Panic immediately set in. What would I do? I soon found out that the weather in Dallas was supposed to get icy and cold the next day, prompting the airline to cancel all flights to San Francisco.

Cue even more panic and freaking out. I HAD to make it to California for this trip. So I did what any normal person would do. I sped home, packed in half-an-hour and busted tail to get to the airport to try to get on a flight leaving that night.

Luckily, I made it on the last flight of the day. Flying standy-by, I was the second-to-last person to get on the plane. The flight was packed, and we had to stop in LA before heading to San Francisco, but I made it. Oh, how lucky I was.

It was The Nerd’s idea that I leave early — he even offered to pay for the hotel room for the extra night just so I could have the chance to go. He is such an amazing man and I am so lucky to have him.

Needless to say, I had an extra day to explore San Francisco on my own. So, I decided to head on down to Ghirardhelli Square, where I found the chocolate store of my dreams.

Rows and rows of yummy chocolate goodness.

Drool.

My favorites were these chocolate replicas of the Golden Gate bridge. Take a bite out of that!

Then, I hoped on the ferry and headed out to Alcatraz.

Did you know that the prison guards told the inmates they had captured a man-eating shark and set it loose to patrol the waters surrounding the prison?

The story is that they cut off one of the shark’s fins, only allowing it to swim in a circle around the island.

It was supposed to deter the prisoners from trying to escape (as if the frigid water and strong currents weren’t enough…)

The “Indians Welcome” graffiti is a testament to the Indian Occupation of Alcatraz.

Did you know that Alcatraz is a US National Park?

The inside of the prison was really creepy.

Can you imagine having to sleep in this tiny little cell?

Tinny. Little. Cell.

Here’s the water tower.

Here’s an extra-creepy sight from the day. Do you see the cardboard prison guard watching from the window?

Funny thing of the day: I have a hard time remembering that it’s Alcatraz and not Albatross. In fact, several times during our trip, I referred to the prison as Albatross.

Why do I think this isolated prison is, in fact, a bird?

No idea.

It was such a great day and I had an amazing time exploring the city on my own. I’ll have several posts over the next few days about the trip and all the wonderful things I saw and learned.

I can’t wait to share it all with you!

**Disclaimer: Adobe paid for my trip to San Francisco. They flew me to California, put me up in a swanky hotel and provided nourishment for my tummy. I love their products and endorse them of my own opinion.**