We made this trip by train. We stayed at the Hyatt Grand in Union Square. Our 30th floor, corner room had a fantastic view of Alcatraz, Chinatown, and the Bay Bridge. We had dinner at one of our nearby favorite restaurants – Uncle Vito’s Pizza. Where else can you get beer, cheese bread, antipasti salad, and Greek pizza for under $40 in the city? On our second day, we took the Muni Metro N line to Golden Gate Park to visit King Tut at the De Young Museum. Wow! Did I learn a lot to a story that I thought I had already known it all. We spent a few hours touring the artifacts and reading every plaque and pinup in the exhibit. The drippy fog and cool breeze took us indoors for lunch at Bistro 9. I had a yummy Belgium beer (okay beers) and a rotisserie turkey sandwich. We returned to the hotel and went out again to the Ferry Building to catch the bay views as the sun set in the west. On our third day, we took a vessel to Alcatraz for our first ever tour of the prison island. It doesn’t seem right that we have both grown up in Northern California, but never made the 12 minute trip. We were impressed with the audio and video tours and finished our two hour tour feeling satisfied. We had a final celebration at Scoma’s Restaurant near Pier 45. I had the crab sandwich and Theresa a shrimp Louie. We enjoyed watching the boats drift in and out of the harbor and noted how peaceful a dining experience could be without little ones present.
We could have done more. We could have gone elsewhere. But, sometimes the greatest trips are the ones with small agendas and a train ticket away.
