The Alcatraz Experience

...in seeing. One was the Golden Gate Bridge and the other, which was my bloke's idea, was Alcatraz. He's a big film fan and was desperate to see this famous prison, which has been the centre point for many a film over the years.

We had heard that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to book on the day that you want to visit so we started to look online for tickets about a month before we were due to go. There are lots of different ...
...top bus tour going to the Golden Gate bridge and a city bus tour with hop on/hop off access with the Alcatraz visit.

Booking was simple and it wasn't long before we had the e-tickets arriving in our mailbox, which we printed off to take with us to the office to get the boarding passes. This was very easy and we were greeted by a friendly woman who gave us all the information we needed, at the office on Leavenworth down at Fisherman's ... more

***Background***

Our first stop on our honeymoon was in San Francisco and there were a couple of things we were interested in seeing. One was the Golden Gate Bridge and the other, which was my bloke's idea, was Alcatraz. He's a big film fan and was desperate to see this famous prison, which has been the centre point for many a film over the years.

We had heard that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to book on the day that you want to visit so we started to look online for tickets about a month before we were due to go. There are lots of different companies that offer package tours but we decided to book with a company at www.sightseeingworld.com who incorporated an open top bus tour going to the Golden Gate bridge and a city bus tour with hop on/hop off access with the Alcatraz visit.

Booking was simple and it wasn't long before we had the e-tickets arriving in our mailbox, which we printed off to take with us to the office to get the boarding passes. This was very easy and we were greeted by a friendly woman who gave us all the information we needed, at the office on Leavenworth down at Fisherman's Wharf. Our visit to Alcatraz wasn't until 1.45pm but we were told to be there early as boarding could take a while and you are told that if you are not there 10 minutes before sail time that your place may be given to someone on standby.

***The History***

Alcatraz was initially an island where Indians would visit from time to time. Then the Mexicans planned to put a lighthouse on it many years later but the United States took over California in 1846 and plans for this were abandoned.

It started off as a fort during gold rush times and it wasn't long before San Francisco had taken off in population. From as far back as 1859, the military used Alcatraz as somewhere to put soldiers who had been convicted of crimes of all sorts from theft to murder. Later it was used to keep Indians who were captured in various wars from the mid to late 1800s.

It wasn't until the fort was decommissioned in 1907 that a massive cellhouse made of concrete was erected and the first prisoners to be sent there were conscientious objectors to the First World War.

Alcatraz was turned into a high profile, maximum-security prison in the 1930's and that's where the men, who had been classed as troublemakers in other prisons, were sent.

In total there were 1545 prisoners that did 'time' on Alcatraz including the infamous Al Capone and Robert Stroud, otherwise known as the birdman.

Before the prison was closed in 1963 there were 14 escape attempts but only 3 prisoners managed to evade capture in June 1962. It is thought that John & Clarence Anglin, along with Frank Morris drowned in the Bay, even though no bodies were ever found.

Following the closure the Native Americans occupied the island a number of times to protest about their treatment in society.

Today the island is not only a tourist spot where hundreds of visitors flock to hear tales of the harsh prison life and the exciting escape attempts. It is also home to a flurry of seabirds who nest on the island and are protected by the National Park Service.

***Our Visit***

I have to admit that I wasn't that enthusiastic about visiting Alcatraz and that it was my hubby that was excited about it for weeks before we arrived. The thought of wandering round the ruined buildings in the prison grounds didn't really do much for me and I wasn't that interested in the history when I arrived on the boat that took around 15 minutes to get from Pier 33 to The Rock.

When we arrived at the dock area we were asked to gather for a quick chat about the island and the things we could see that day. We were informed that some areas were temporarily out of bounds because of the nesting seagulls and warned that some could get quite vicious if you went too near their young. We laughed at this as we are only too aware of the problems seagulls can cause when nesting, as we live at the seaside and along with our neighbours, we are always coming up with ideas to stop the annoying birds nesting on our roofs because of the way they attack the kids in our area. We were also told that there was an audio tour that could be taken at any time during our visit and it would take place in the cellhouse.

We were also told about the museum where we would be able to learn a bit about life on Alcatraz from the various exhibits including some of the weapons and restraints that were used and boards telling different prisoners stories. This turned out to be an extremely interesting part of our exploration.

We wandered round the site for quite some time and my hubby got very excited about seeing all the old ruined buildings including the Officers Club which used to house a dancing area, a gym and even a two lane bowling alley. Unfortunately it had been severely damaged by a fire that had happened in 1970 and never been restored. He also loved seeing round the old water tower, the power plant and the guardhouse area.

I have to admit that the heat and jetlag was getting to me a bit at this stage, as we climbed the extremely steep hills up to the Cellhouse itself and I have to say that I was beginning to wonder why we had come to this punishing island. All that changed as soon as we entered the main event of the tour though and as soon as we had put on the headsets and started walking through the main doors of this forbidding building I started to enjoy myself and finally realised the importance of visiting such a historic place.

Former guards and inmates tell the story on the 45-minute audio tour, as you walk around the building and see the tiny cells where the harshest of men were kept. This really sent a chill through my bones as we learned about the daily routine and what would happen if you caused trouble and were sent to solitary confinement. I won't go into too many details of this part of the tour as I feel it would spoil it for anyone wanting to do it but the sounds of cell doors slamming shut and guns being fired when stories of escape attempts are being recalled, are quite haunting and something I will remember for a long time. I can only imagine what it must have felt like for the prisoners and guards alike, being stuck on this small piece of land with only limited entertainment to pass their time. Going outside temporarily on the tour we were shown the old warden's house, which was also destroyed by fire and the lighthouse that was finally built in 1954 and still shines a light out to warn ships of the island today.

The total time we spent on the island was an hour and a half, which was ample time to see everything. Boats arrive every half hour so we timed it just right to be able to get one back without having to wait for more than 5 minutes.

***My Thoughts***

Despite my initial reservations, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at Alcatraz. The tour was amazing and I would encourage anyone to go and visit and although young children might not appreciate this experience, I'm sure many teenagers would enjoy it.

The island was a bit of a nightmare as far as the seagulls went and there was a lot of bird poo about so if you are going then remember to watch out below. Luckily we escaped falling victim but we did see a few people trying to clean themselves up along the way. The birds are also very temperamental at nesting times so be very careful if you have any youngsters with you and remember that no eating or drinking anything but water is allowed on the island except at the picnic area at the dock. It is not permitted to feed the birds.

We visited right at the end of July and it was extremely busy. It also gets remarkably hot at times, despite the breeze from the bay, so remember that sun cream, although San Francisco is prone to smog and it can suddenly get quite chilly should the sun be obscured so take a light jacket or cardigan with you, just in case.

Remember that you really will have to book early as tickets can be sold out for at least a week in advance at busy times and if you are planning a trip to the beautiful city of San Francisco, it's worth checking ahead.

For those who need a bit of extra help with accessability, there is a service that will take you from the dock up to the prison building although wheelchairs cannot be hired on the the island itself.

***Did You Know?***

Just for fun I thought I'd put some of the facts we learned from the guidebook and on the audio tour.

Rule Number 5 was, "You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege."

The Birdman Of Alcatraz kept canaries at Leavenworth Penitentiary but never had birds at Alcatraz. He was actually known as the Bird Doctor at Leavenworth.

The whereabouts of Al Capone's cell is a mystery and he spent some on his time there in a hospital isolation cell.

There is only one land mammal on the island and that is the Deer Mouse. The only amphibian is the California Slender Salamander. (We didn't spot either on our travels round the island.)

Prisoners remained on Alcatraz until they were no longer considered to be disruptive or incorrigible. This generally took 8-10 years.

There were no executions on the island although there were 5 suicides and 8 murders during the years it was open.

No women prisoners or officers were on the island although officers' wives lived there with their husbands and children.

***The Cost***

The price for the 3 tours was $61 dollars each online, which we felt was very reasonable as it works out about £30 each the way the exchange rates were at the time. If you book while you're there it will cost $67. There are various other companies out there who offer different tours so it really depends what you are looking for but plan your day well if you are going for a package like this one.

We started off on the Golden Gate tour and then walked along to Pier 33 to get to the ferry for Alcatraz. We then walked back to do the City tour but we were so tired that we stopped off at Union Square and finished our day back at our hotel. The tickets for the city bus loop is valid for 2 days though so don't worry if you don't manage to get it all done at once. 

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