Alcatraz Island

We had set the alarm for 7am as we were going to Alcatraz Island today. We had breakfast and then walked to Pier 33 which was a 45 minute walk away. We decided to grab a coffee from the cafe next to the Pier and because of tax and a tip it cost $25 AUD for two coffees! We were advised to arrived 30 minutes before our boarding time of 9:40am, so we started queuing for the boat. It wasn’t long before we boarded the boat. We decided to head to the top deck but there were a lot of people and not much room to take photos so we headed down to the bottom of the boat at the very front.

We had beautiful views of the city and of the Golden Gate Bridge. We could also see seals and dolphins on the way over to the island.

Upon arrival we were given a short briefing about the island before we walked up to the prison. The island was originally used as an army fort to keep San Francisco safe from invaders, before a military prison was run on the island from 1850 to 1933.

We both got an audio set and started the walk around. We entered the Dining Room and were advised that a talk would be starting soon on Prisoners who escaped Alcatraz. We listened to the talk and learnt that only 3 people had ever escaped, most who attempted to escape were caught on the Island and some were found in the waters surrounding Alcatraz.

In 1962, John and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz. They planned their escape for over a year, creating a raft from raincoats and dummy heads to deceive guards - which they had recreated in a cell. They exited through ventilation ducts, climbed to the roof, and launched their raft into the bay. Although there were extensive searches, the men were never found, leading to an assumption that they likely drowned in the bay.

The cells the prisoners were living in were tiny, and apart from a couple of hours per day for meals and exercise they were in their cells. There was a nicer area of the prison and the prisoners were given books, radios or musical instruments, however overall it was a place you wouldn’t want to be in.

We walked around the outside of the prison through the gardens and to the lighthouse, before catching the ferry back to San Francisco.Baca lagi