The Rock

In August I was in San Francisco for a meeting and since I arrived a little early, I tackled one item on my bucket list.  I went on a night tour of Alcatraz!  I've visited the City by the Bay several times and done the Bay Cruise, but was never able to tour the famed prison.  As soon as I knew about the trip, and even before I booked my flight and hotel, I bought my ticket to jail. 

I went by myself (I was going to be with my colleagues enough as it was that week!) and I have to confess, it was a little creepy in the hospital and when I walked in one of the solitary confinement cells.  I enjoyed listening to the stories of the prisoners and guards who narrated the tour and seeing all the things I'd only read about.  I think my favorite room was the library, where the bookshelves still stood.

One thing on the tour made me laugh.  It was the other people!  As you listen to the tour on your headset, the narrators tell you to go to certain places.  I got such a kick out of it being completely silent in the prison with people moving around in odd patterns.  It was if we had been overtaken and someone was moving our bodies.  I know that sounds odd, but you kind of had to see it to understand my humor in the situation.

Almost there.  The cold and fog led to the ambiance.

Welcome to the Rock (said in my best Sean Connery voice).

Before its stint as a federal prison, Alcatraz was a military fortress during the Civil War.

Beautiful hydrangeas in a not-so-beautiful place.

The famous Alcatraz seabirds are the island's only inhabitants.

The first stop for all prisoners was the laundry, where they were issued their prison uniforms, followed by a trip to the showers.

The cellblocks.

The cells on the bottom were the solitary confinement cells.

It was creepy inside those cells!

The prison library.

This prisoner must have been a painter.

The control room.

The creepy operating room.

The darkness and fog made it impossible to see the water.

Happy to be on the boat and on the way back to the city!

Coit Tower welcoming us back to shore.