Day 50: Alcatraz and more

Early Bird Alcatraz tour

We got tickets for the early bird tour which leaves at 08:45 from Pier 33. This meant we had to get up early (therefore the name I guess) and as we wanted to walk the ~40 minutes, we left shortly after 07:00.

It was really foggy in the morning, which led to a great atmosphere but it was also quite cold. On the way we spotted a parking full of Waymo (Ex google self driving car project) Cars, they are still collecting Data to train the AIs. In Parts of Phoenix they already drive fully autonomous without driver and can be ordered through an App.

In the end we were too early at the Pier and had to wait ~45 minutes, before we could board and were on the way to Alcatraz.

After the short cruise, we arrived at the Island. Interestingly the Island is part of the National Park Services, so we were greeted by a Park Ranger. Quick introduction about the Island, where is what and then we could make our way to the top. It was a bit of a climb, so we used our hiker legs and beat the masses and made it first to the start of the Audio Tour.

The Audio Tour is well made and lead you through the different Pars of Alcatraz. Narrated by former Guards & Prisoners.

Getting up early to catch the first tour is really worth it, you still have empty hallways and nothing is crowded. After the tour we went back to San Francisco.

San Francisco

We had to pickup the Bibs for the Race tomorrow, this was roughly another 40 minute Walk. But first we wanted to check out Coit Tower, which is roughly 80m over sea level. It was a short and steep climb, we took a way which consisted mostly of stairs.

On top we got a nice view of the city, there was also the option to go up the tower but the line scared us and we passed on that.

Then our next stop was the Marathon Expo Area, which was at the Fort Mason Center.

Everything was really good organized, there was no wait to get our Bibs, so we are ready for tomorrow morning! We then wanted to also do a short visit to REI, as I was looking for a better day pack. This was the next longer walk, ~1h.

We found some stuff at REI and found a really nice brand (Cotopaxi), they have unique/one of a kind colors for their Packs. But REI had only piece on stock, so no color choice. But one of the clerks told us that there is a Cotopaxi Store close, so we took an Uber (no walking for once) to it. Their we had too much choice, but found a nice color variation, will post it soon.

After all this walking, it was time to go back to the Hotel. I went for a short run, as preparation for tomorrow. Then we went to Montesacro for Dinner, where we had Pinsa, which is a Pizza type dish.

Now it’s time to sleep to be ready for the race tomorrow morning.

Pictures

Activities

Run: Quick Treadmill Run