Alcatraz In December

Growing up I was kind of a dark kid. I loved true crime novels and murder mysteries. And so, I have wanted to go to Alcatraz for as long as I can remember. This year for my birthday 5ohHubby took me and we had an amazing time!

 Before I get started, let me just tell you it rained. It rained while we were driving to San Fransisco, it rained while we were waiting for the ferry, it rained while we were walking up to the jail. When we were planning the trip I was worried about footwear Uggs are the most comfortable at this point in pregnancy but do I need to by some rain boots for this trip?, I was worried about rain gear should I but a rain coat? Do we need ponchos?, and I was worried about warmth will a jacket and gloves be enough? Let me just say: if you are wondering what to wear to Alcatraz- don't. The tour is inside... sure, there are some outside parts if you're there in the summer but if you travel to Alcatraz in December any boots, uggs, or sneakers are fine. Make sure you wear a jacket and bring gloves because its COLD (obviously). And I'd say an umbrella is more than enough rain gear. So, there you have it.

To get to Alcatraz you get to have to take a ferry through the Bay. Make sure you are there early to line up for a seat but don't fret about standing in the rain: most of the ferry (ie basically all of it) is inside or covered. There is a little snack shop that sells drinks including but not limited to some really horrible Hot Chocolate. But, hey, its cold. So go ahead and splurge that $1.50

 
When you arrive on The Rock you have the option for an audio tour or a guided tour (seasonally, I think?) There were no guided tours the day we went but I totally would have done it had their been. We did the audio tour and it was really really good. The tour is guided by former guards and inmates which is super interesting. Make sure if you are traveling in a group you start your tour at the exact same time 5ohHubby and I literally did the ONE..TWO..THREE..PRESSYOURBUTTON or else you'll be walking off while the rest of your tour is still listening to one part or vice versa.

 I learned a ton about the prison that I hadn't known before and heard a little about things I had already known. I knew Al Capone was there but learned he was basically cray cray from syphilis. I heard about the famous "spoon" prison escape but learned that some of the guards believed they had used tools other than spoons. I learned that the families of the prison guards lived on the island thank you lord that wasn't me and seemed to really enjoy living there. I learned that Indians tried to claim Alcatraz as their land in the 70's as a protest. I learned about a prison escape attempt that lasted days, killed many guards, and ended in the military basically bombing Alcatraz.

I also found that Alcatraz has a beautiful view of the city. We seriously had such an amazing time and I'd love to go back again.. twice. Once when it is pretty out so we can see the island which is now a bird sanctuary and apparently has a beautiful garden. I also heard that there is a super spooky night time tour that takes you on a boat ride around the island and I would LOVE to go on that one, too.

Afterwards 5ohHubby took me out for dinner at The Melting Pot. Oh.my.yum. He had roses and sparkling cider (instead of champagne) waiting at the table when we got there. The Melting Pot has been one of our favorite restaurants since we started dating and we have literally gone all over the country. This time after the amazing brie fondue we wised up and just did the filet. The main course is usually meh so we just skipped the shrimp and chicken and did the steak. Best decision until the dessert. Now, usually my favorite is the White Chocolate/Dark Chocolate ying and yang fondue but this time we did the Banana's Foster fondue and it was ri-donk-you-lous. We've decided to stop being fools and start sticking with the steak as a main course and switching up the chocolates.

Then, for absolutely no reason and as a total surprise and shock to me, 5ohHubby gave me this BEAUTIFUL right hand ring that I totally intend on wearing for the remainder of this pregnancy instead of my $10 cheapo kmart ring and sizing down once this pregnancy swelling has passed.

Seriously, the day could not have been better. It was a very happy birthday indeed!