Happy Ending

Another 4 a.m. wake-up call today, this time in order to fly to San Francisco for more Junior Statesmen meetings (which lasted all day).

But I got to have dinner at the end of the day at Original Joe's on Taylor Street -- a classic old-style Italian restaurant and one of my favorite San Francisco haunts.

Reliving My Aussie Adventures

With my two weeks in Australia earlier this year still fresh on my mind, when I learned "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" was screening tonight at the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard I immediately made plans to attend.

What a fun picture -- and I love seeing it on the big screen.

I happened to be sitting next to Tim Chappel, who won an Oscar in 1994 for Best Costume Design for the movie. After the screening was over I asked him if he was involved in the stage musical based on the movie which debuted in Sydney last fall. Turns out he is and he told me they're expecting the show to transfer to London next March and then go to Broadway the following year. I told him after seeing it in February I was convinced it would be a big hit.

Went on a Cruise

Ever since I was a little kid I've wanted to visit Alcatraz Island. Since my Junior Statesmen meetings didn't begin until late in the day on Saturday I finally had a chance to go.

The Rock -- best known as Uncle Sam's answer to the gangsters of the 1930s.

The discount way to Alcatraz?

This Coast Guard boat, complete with a massive machine gun mounted on its front, went zipping by as we were landing at Alcatraz. I think it was more of a show for the tourists than anything else.

This dock, the only one on Alcatraz Island, dates back to 1854 when a Fort was built on the island.

Guard Tower.

A typical cell at Alcatraz.

Recreation Yard.

These cells were considered the most desirable because they had the best natural light.

An artist's cell.

A musician's cell.

Plenty of time for checkers.

A typical row of three stories of cells. When finished in 1912, the cellhouse was the largest steel-reinforced concrete building in the world. Labor was largely provided by inmates who became the first prisoners to live in it.

Alcatraz is only 1.1 miles away from San Franciso, so the inmates could hear the sounds of the city. In particular, on New Year's Eve they could hear the party at the San Francisco Yacht Club.

I didn't really understand the Audio Tour's telling of "The Great Escape from Alcatraz." I think fake heads in the beds were part of diverting the prison guards. But I don't understand how inmates at a maximum security prison could come up with the materials to put together "fake" heads. So maybe the truth is far more gruesome.

The prison on Alcatraz Island closed 61 days after I was born.

The Alcatraz Lighthouse was the first built on the West Coast, lit on June 1, 1854. In 1909 this 84-foot concrete lighthouse replaced the original. The light is currently operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The island's Parade Grounds is in disrepair. The Bay Bridge is in the background.

Once the sun started to come out it was a lovely day for a sail on the Bay. That's the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

The latest option for tourists in San Francisco -- it's a go-cart you rent that leads you on a computerized tour of the city. Helmets are included.

One of the best parts of my adventure was riding on the historic streetcars the MUNI system runs along Market Street and around the Embarcadero to Fishermen's Wharf -- passing Pier 33, where the boat to Alcatraz leaves.

Ironically, I ended up on this car which is painted to resemble the streetcars run by the Los Angeles Railroad Company between the 1930s and the 1960s. And here I was thinking San Francisco hates Los Angeles.

This is the streetcar I took from Pier 33 back to the BART station. I don't remember which city its silver paint job commemorates.

Sometimes It's the Small Things

Got up at 4:09 a.m. this morning to catch a 7:00 a.m. flight to San Francisco for some Junior Statesmen meetings.

Once on board the plane, what a delight to discover -- a few years after straying -- United Airlines has dropped its contract with Pepsi Cola and has returned to serving Coca Cola products. At that hour a Diet Coke really hit the spot.

Stay-at-Home Classics

Instead of going out every night this week I've been staying at home catching up on the more than 50 hours of entertainment TiVo has recorded for me.

For instance, last night I watched the classic 1954 MGM musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" starring Jane Powell and Howard Keel.

Tonight I watched the equally classic 1984 Warner Bros. movie "Cannonball Run II" starring a cast of a thousand stars -- Susan Anton, Sid Caesar, a very young Jackie Chan, Tony Danza, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dom DeLuise, Jamie Farr, Marylu Henner, Don Knotts, Shirley Maclaine, Dean Martin, Ricardo Montelban, Jim Neighbors, Louis Nye, Telly Savalas, Charles Nelson Reilly, Burt Reynolds, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tillis, Abe Vigoda and an orangutan in a chauffeur's outfit to list a few.

Gosh I miss the 80s.

Travelogue

The new movie "Paris Je T'aime" is far better than my ability to photograph the film's poster. I saw it tonight at the Laemmle Sunset 5 on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.

There's a unique concept at work here -- something like 18 different directors shot a 6 to 8 minute film about "love" in a different Paris neighborhood. The stories aren't related -- but the unusual format allows each director to feature their own style.

All together, the movie demonstrates why Paris is such a perfect city for cinematic magic.

Gena Rowlands shines in her short, but my favorite was the funny one featuring two mimes.