Adventure to Alcatraz

Henry had lived in San Francisco for over a year and had yet to visit Alcatraz. I know what you’re thinking. That’s crazy! How could he not have gone yet? Alcatraz is super awesome (even if it is totally a tourist destination)!

So back in June, I decided we had to take a trip to The Rock before I left. We bought our tickets 4-5 weeks in advance to guarantee that we would be able to get a spot for this weekend in August.

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to run a few errands before we left. We walked to Pier 33 from the new apartment and found the dock where the ferry departs. As we waited in line, I got more and more excited to get out on the water, see the city from afar, and finally get to do something truly touristy for the summer.

We approached the island after about 15 minutes on the water. Henry and I watched the “orientation video” in what used to be the old dining hall in the military housing quarters. The video explained a lot about the history of Alcatraz. Besides being a penitentiary for America’s Most Wanted back in the day, it was also formerly a military fort used in conjunction with two other locations to protect San Francisco Bay as well as being the location for a Native American movement in the 1980s focused on reclaiming land in the US and using Alcatraz as a symbolic demonstration of their efforts.

"Home of the Free Indian Land" written on the tower

After walking up a winding hill, we found the main entrance to the jailhouse. We chose the Audio Tour, which we heard was world famous, and let me tell you, it was pretty great! We started out in the shower rooms and uniform station area, waiting in line to receive our headpieces. Then we were off!​

​The audio tour was narrated by men who used to serve as prison guards when the prison was still in use. They walked you step by step through Broadway Avenue, C-D street, the D block (where they house the men who receive solitary confinement), the library, the Guards’ offices, and ended with the massive dining hall.​

​Major events were recapped such as Al Capone’s time at Alcatraz and the iconic night when 3 inmates allegedly escaped using spoons to dig their way out of the cells. I also was reminded that over 60 families with children lived on the island while the prison was active, but it had no overall effect on their happy memories while growing up. ​

At the end of the tour, when we stepped outside, I was also reminded of how harsh the surrounding environment is in which Alcatraz exists. It is summer – the beginning of August – and here I am getting chilled to the bone with 55-degree blustering wind and mist hitting me in the face. I can only imagine what it was like for the prisoners to feel the cold air seeping into the jailhouse on a frigid night, with only simple provisions to keep them warm.​

On our way back across the bay, the sun began to shine through the clouds, illuminating life in the city. We arrived back at the Pier more informed and knowledgeable about the Alcatraz's historical past, and we were also very grateful that spending time at Alcatraz was temporary and not something that would last years, as were the experiences of many other people in a time long before us.​

#SanFrancisco #nature