Alcatraz

Today we set off just before 9 am, to head down to Alcatraz Landing near Pier 33 for our trip out to Alcatraz. We spent a couple of hours on Alcatraz. We did the opposite to most of the crowds, and walked around the gardens and parade ground, and made our way up to the cell blocks via stairs - it was much more peaceful and enjoyable, and less crowded.

By the time we started our self-guided tour, the crowds had lessened considerably. We made our way through the various cell blocks, the library, visiting area, isolation, administration area, exercise yard, and dining room. During the tour we heard accounts of the harshness of “The Rock”, and the attempts to escape (most were unsuccessful). We also got to meet prisoner #1259, William G. Baker, a former inmate at Alcatraz who had written a book and was there to sign them. He ended up on The Rock because he had escaped from other penitentiaries. He is now 80 years old, and “out to pasture”. I asked him if he had another book in him, and he said he has sketched out an outline, but he said he is busy signing books and traveling, so needs to allocate the time. His first book took him 2 years to write.

We headed back across the Bay, and had lunch at Boudin, and then we did a quick wander through Pier 39, before walking back to our hotel, with a stop at See’s Candies to stock up and sample a couple of things😃

As Ian is a little under the weather, he had a rest at the hotel while Angus and I went to the movies to see Justice League. We had an early dinner at a local diner, and a quiet and early night. We walked about 23,000 steps today and we are all a bit tuckered out.Read more