thefouramigosblog

For two well-traveled souls like Bruce and me, it’s a little strange that we’ve never been to Vancouver. The Emerald Princess landed and we were off the ship by 8am.

Our hotel was less than a half-mile from the port, so we planned to walk. But I first needed my morning coffee. We also split a scone.

We are staying at the Marriott Pinnacle. We booked a king but at 10 am they only had two doubles available so we decided that was good enough. We rested, and I actually slept until noon. I didn’t get any sleep last night since my stomach was upset. So I really needed the rest.

We adventure out to experience Vancouver. Our usual thing is to go to a bakery and a church. But first, we needed lunch. I had a salmon bowl and Bruce had a cheeseburger at The Brass Fish. My salmon was delicious.

We stopped at a chocolate cafe for dessert and coffee. Bruce had hot chocolate.

Our next stop was Christ Church Cathedral. This was a little less impressive than the cathedral in Victoria.

It was located between skyscrapers which made it seem even smaller. The cathedral was built in 1895 and received a Heritage designation in 1976.

We decided to head back to our hotel to rest again. I read while sitting looking out at our two-sided views.

We took a walk along the waterfront taking in the beautiful landscape.

This was an interesting sculpture from the 2010 Olympics.

Lots of seaplanes were taking off and coming in. It’s a thriving business taking tourists on tours.

We ate dinner at Mahoney’s Pub. I had a margarita pizza which I shared with Bruce and he had a bowl of tomato soup.

Tomorrow we head to Revelstoke!

#emeraldprincess#vancouver#christchurchcathedralvancouver#brassfish#mahoneyspub#britishcolumbia#vacation#

Yesterday was a sea day. We attended an enrichment lecture on whales, played in the casino, met friends for coffee, and went to another great production show. We also went to a candlelight concert featuring Bohemian Strings.

We didn’t get to port in Victoria until 2pm. It was really nice sitting on our balcony as the sun was finally shining.

We had no plans except to find a cathedral and a bakery. But what we found first was Aaron, a driver for Victoria Pedicab Company.

Aaron drove us around the lovely city of Victoria. For $100, we had a guided tour for an hour stopping wherever we wanted to stop. It was a bit chilly but Aaron gave us a warm, fuzzy blanket to keep us warm.

We began our journey along the waterfront.

We headed into the James Bay neighborhood where beautiful older homes were dispersed between newer, more modern homes.

Houses in the historic registry have plaques near the front doors. One house had an otter painted into their front steps.

And this was the house that Aaron said he could afford. A delightful little fairy house.

One tree was adorned with teacups. A resident, Rory Palmer, placed dainty porcelain teacups and a teapot in the plum tree in front of his house to honour his late grandmother.

We rode through the beautiful Beacon Hill Park.

The big bucket is a water spout for kids.

There were several giant Sequoia trees.

And lots of Canadian geese and peacocks. This peacock decided to make some loud noises while we were standing by the tree.

It was a canopy of fir trees!

A 128-foot totem pole was erected in 1956. It was carved from a 133-foot cedar tree by a Kwakiutl chief and is a memorial to the indigenous soldiers who died in World Wars I and II.

After the park, we headed to Christ Church Cathedral.

The Cathedral was built in the early part of the last century.

Next, we drove past the Empress Hotel. It was built between 1904 and 1908 and has undergone additions as well as a major renovation in 2018.

Driving past the hotel to its right is the Legislative Building.

At the right front corner is another totem pole.

Our last stop was a bakery of sorts called the Birdcage which has been around for over 50 years. A charming little place to get takeout coffee, tea, and pastries, as well as other necessities.

It was a fun little tour around the city of Victoria and I highly recommend taking the tour with Victoria Pedicab Company. And better still if you get Aaron who showed us the charm and whimsy of Victoria.

#canada#victoria#victoriapedicabcompany#vacation#tour#totempole#emeraldprincess#cruising#birdcage#empresshotel#christchurchcathedralvictoria

We boarded the Emerald Princess on Sunday and spent Monday at sea watching shows, working out, playing in the casino, listening to enrichment lectures, and eating.

We arrived in San Francisco at 7 am but didn’t need to leave the ship until 10am. We bought tickets to Alcatraz and the ferry through Get Your Guide.

We walked a short 5-minute walk to Pier 33, where the ferries to Alcatraz depart.

It was a short ride to the island and it was a chilly, cloudy morning.

The prison, once a fort, is now a tourist attraction. The US Army began using it in the late 1850s for housing prisoners, but the famous “Rock” building seen today was constructed between 1910 and 1920 to serve as a military prison.

Alcatraz became a Federal Prison from 1934 to 1963.

We had an audio tour so we started out walking up a hill. A short walk up took us to an exhibition on a 1969 native American demonstration, since they believed they were the rightful owners of the land.

A guard tower still watches over the island although it is no longer manned.

The next building we came upon was the Penitentiary Social Hall.

It is basically a ruin. I was able to see inside.

At the power building, there was an old-time fire truck.

The power building was built in 1939 and provided power to the entire Penitentiary.

In the laundry building, there were presentations on the Native Americans and their occupation of Alcatraz. The prison had been closed for 7 years when the occupation took place and lasted for 19 months. In the beginning, it received worldwide press coverage, donations, and aid. However, as time pressed on it lost its audience and donations. It was still the beginning of the red movement to show how this group of people had been disenfranchised and basically treated poorly.

The building also housed prison statistics and the infamous criminals who served time in Alcatraz including Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly.

As we walked the grounds of Alcatraz, I noted how incongruous the beautiful landscaping was to the starkness of the buildings.

We next climbed another hill to reach the cell block. Our audio guide talked about the prison escape attempt in 1946 that led to the deaths of two prison guards and two escapees. Two other inmates were later executed.

Some of the inmates learned to paint, played music, or got an education. One inmate Elliott Michener was a groundskeeper and gardener while serving time on Alcatraz. He was an inmate who rehabilitated through gardening.

Inmates who were disruptive, often spent much time in solitary confinement.

The favorite place for most inmates was the yard.

Guards and their families often resided on Alcatraz. Below is a photograph of apartments for families.

The canons on Alcatraz were from the 1850s and 60s when Alcatraz was a fort.

There are many birds on Alcatraz and extremely large gulls.

There were some pretty views from Alcatraz.

We finished our walk on the rock and headed back to the ferry.

I could see the Emerald Princess in the distance.

And found another canon!

Before heading back to our ship. It was a fun day in San Francisco.

One last look at San Francisco.

Now we are approaching the Golden Gate Bridge.

And we are off! Tomorrow is another sea day and then Victoria, British Columbia.

#emeraldprincess#alcatraz#sanfrancisco#goldengatebridge#pier33#cruising#prison#gardens#nativeanerican#occupationofalcatraz1969

We woke very, very early to catch a flight to Los Angeles out of West Palm Beach. We were at the airport by 5 a.m., and going through security was a breeze.

Since I have a Platinum American Express card, it gives me access to many airport lounges around the world. Luckily this small airport had one, it was open and had no lines. It’s between Concourse A and B. Last week, we were on Breeze Airlines out of C, with no lounge. That’s always a bummer.

Our flight was on time. We flew American Airlines. Our tickets were $90 each for basic economy. But with my Citi Advantage card, I get free checked bags. With my Platinum American Express card, I get a $200 credit each year that pays for our seats. I was able to get extra leg room for our first leg.

In Dallas, we had a long layover. The lounge there only allowed two hours so we would have to wait to go. We splurged on the Centurian Lounge. I was free but Bruce was $50. To be honest, it wasn’t worth the money.

Our flight to LA was completely sold out. They offered to give money for giving up your seat. I would have done this but we are getting on a cruise and didn’t want to miss the ship.

We stayed at the Hyatt Airport and for some reason, I had a free room. Now I honestly don’t know why. Our room is nice, large, and comfy.

We arrived by 3 pm so we decided to go to Hollywood. I haven’t been there in 56 years and it has changed a bit.

Our Uber driver took us through a neighborhood of lovely old homes. They weren’t large but I believe this area was where many a young starlet lived.

But the wax museum is still there. I went there in 1970 with 3 friends. My bestie, Madeline, was grabbed by a werewolf and we very nice friends took off. I still don’t think she’s forgiven me.

We also told the cab driver we wanted to go to Grauman’s Chinese Theater for dinner only to be told it wasn’t a Chinese restaurant but a theater. That was embarrassing.

They are currently having a movie festival and we walked into the Roosevelt Hotel where they held the Oscars in 1931. What a beautiful place.

We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I had a Mediterranean salmon salad which was delicious. Bruce had a burger. It was interesting that they didn’t add on taxes other than a sales tax. In South Florida, many restaurants in tourist areas add on extra fees.

After dinner, we checked out the stars’ names on the Walk of Fame and then headed back to our hotel.

A few more images of the town.

It was a long day and we needed to sleep! Tomorrow off to the Emerald Princess.

#hollywood#americanexpress#citiadvantage#madamestussauds#hyatt#losangeles#roosevelthotel#hardrockhollywood

It was brief but filled with lots of love.

We stopped at Sully’s for lunch before checking into our hotel. Then we met up with Kadyn and Lauren for sushi night.

I spent the entire day Thursday with Lauren. Drinking coffee and doing nails.

We watched Kadyn’s soccer game but she wasn’t in it due to injury. The team did not win.

On Friday we had breakfast at Sully’s, then I had a great massage, a Mother’s Day gift from Lauren.

I took Kadyn for her nails today while Poppop relaxed in the car. Afterwards, dinner with the gang at Garibaldis. A quick trip but fun! It’s always great to see my kiddo.

#breezeairlines#sullysgolf&gather#northcarolina#familytime