Northern California Coast Trip - Day 6 (San Francisco & Alcatraz)

This was our second day in the San Francisco area.  We started at the Oakland Temple, where my parents were married and where Mark and I went while we were growing up to do baptisms for the dead.  We love this temple!  The views are magnificent.  At night, it's lit up so bright and pretty that the pilots landing planes at the airport use it as a landmark to know where to go.  When there was a power shortage years back, the temple turned their lights off at night to save power.  The airport called and asked them to please keep them on, since their pilots really needed them! Kind of cool!  We took our kids through the visitor's center there, and then walked around the beautiful temple grounds...

A few minutes from the temple is Fenton's Ice Cream - a favorite of Mark's family while he was growing up.  We HAD to go there - anyone who knows me knows I will NEVER pass up great ice cream!  It did not disappoint!

With all the countless times Mark and I have been to San Francisco while growing up, neither of us had ever visited Alcatraz Island.  We were so excited to do that this trip.  We took a ferry from the San Francisco Pier across to the island.  I love seeing the Golden Gate Bridge encased in the fog well known to this area...

We toured Alcatraz with headsets that told us the many stories of its residents.  Some exciting and scary stuff!

After leaving Alcatraz, we walked down the pier to Pier 39.  We hit the candy store and took in some street performers.  We also always love seeing all the sea lions piled up there...

From Pier 39 we got on the Trolley and rode it to the end of the line which is Union Square.  There is a great mall there, the Westfield Mall, that also has an awesome and huge Food Court.  We ordered from several different places.  I loved the Coconut Soup and my Strawberry Nutella Crepe I had for dessert!