We're on our way home after a great adventure in California! There's a little delay from Long Beach to Austin. Expected arrival (JetBlue #216) in Austin is now 1:40 am.
UPDATE: On the plane at 9:10! ETA in Austin 1:50 AM.

     This morning we "slept in", which meant we were down for breakfast about 9:00 AM. Those who didn't get to do their laundry Saturday night carried their clothes bags down the street to the laundromat while others packed for leaving the hostel tomorrow.
     In the afternoon we once again walked to a bus stop and today rode to Alamo Park for a picnic. Alamo Park is directly opposite a famous view of a row of "pained lady" houses seen on post cards and the intro to the old "Full House" TV sitcom. The park was sunny, but chilly and windy! We still enjoyed a picnic on the green grass, walking around the park. Before we left, we had a unique opportunity. One of the Painted Ladies was open for an estate sale, so we were able to go inside. Don't worry, no one is coming home with any antique dressers or bookcases.
     This evening, after we returned to the hostel from our Alamo Park outing, we ate out at a great, fun, local place called Tommy's Joint.

This morning we once again caught a bus to the bay, near Pier 1. The Farmers' Market there on Saturdays is one of the largest in the country. We sampled produce, shopped art and craft booths, and ate lunch from vendors. Then we bused to the cable car terminal and rode it to within a few blocks of our hostel.

Will:
     I liked the cable car ride. It was squishy, but good. Really good. They kept stopping every so often.
Ian:
     Cable cars were bumpy & they made weird noises. They sounded loud.

We took a bus to Chinatown after we disembarked from the Alcatraz Flyer. We found a small storefront cafe called "Yummy Yummy" that could accommodate all 31 of us. After our early morning long walks, we were glad to get off our feet for a while. 
      The Adventurers all enjoyed our late Chinese lunch. Ashley said we had really good food in Chinatown! The restaurant was excellent and the people were very polite. We also got a fortune cookie. Dylan loved his sweet and sour chicken and rice at the Chinese restaurant. Will really liked his meal. It was fantastic! He had Kung-Pau chicken over rice. Gracie liked going out to eat. She was happy to have a diet coke with her sweet and sour chicken over rice. It was really good! “I was hungry.” Vicente ate beef over rice. It was good. He wanted to know why they don't make Chinese Coke. He saw everything in Chinatown. He saw Chinese people.

Take a look at these new photos from our day at Alcatraz and Chinatown! 
     We were up and out the door by 7:30 this morning to catch the bus down to Pier 33 where we would board the Alcatraz Flyer for our tour of Alcatraz Island. We explored the former fort and prison, including an audio tour of the cellhouse.
     When we returned to the pier, we took a bus to Chinatown. We ate a rather late lunch at a small Chinese cafe that could still seat our whole group. We wandered in small groups through shops, then rode and walked back to our hostel.

Today we caught the bus early to spend the whole day at the Exploratorium at Pier 15. The Adventurers really enjoyed all the hands-on, interactive exhibits. It was a great experience & we only scratched the surface of what this unique museum has to offer. When the Exploratorium closed, we wandered up to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. We wandered among the shops, saw sea lions, and ate supper on the pier, in small groups that chose from a variety of small eateries. You'll notice the sweatshirts in the last picture. Yes, it was pretty chilly. What was it like in Austin?

Check out some of our pictures from our first day!