Alcatraz Island

Where: San Francisco, California

When: June 17, 2014

With: Dave

The Rock. Alcatraz. The name is now the very definition of an inescapable fortress. 

This ultimate tourist site had eluded me on my previous two trips to San Francisco. Tickets to the famous island that once held some of the most notorious criminals in the world must be booked far in advance. However, on Dave's first trip to San Francisco, we had the foresight to book ahead, and finally would be boarding the boat across the San Francisco Bay. Thankfully, because the island always seemed to be taunting me from the highest points of the city. 

After leaving the piers of San Francisco, it's a pretty easy boat ride to Alcatraz Island with some good views of the island as the boat docks. While it sits less than two miles off shore, this prison was impossible to escape with the bay providing extra insurance of strong currents and chilling water. 

Initially built as a military fortification and prison back in the 1860s, the stark character of the prison buildings is palpable immediately. 

Also immediately apparent was the graffiti referring to "Indians" and "Native Americans" all over the old structures. In 1964, after the prison was shut down, a group of Native American college students began to occupy the island to protest policies of the US government as they related to their people. They lived on the island for two years, demanding that it be developed into an Indian education and cultural center. 

The first building we entered was the old shower hall for check-in and obtaining a headset for a guided tour. This does not look like a place one would want to shower. 

A fresh change of uniforms. 

The tour takes guests up and down the long hallways that make up the main barracks of the Federal Penitentary that was open from 1934-1963. Of the first 137 prisoners to arrive, most were bank robbers and murderers, and many of them had notorious reputations. 

Here's what a day in the life would look like for most of these men. They wake up in this tiny room, complete with toilet and sink. 

Imagining prison life. 

Life was even worse for the guys in solitary, with only a small, caged window to look out from their cell.

The high windows of the prison. One would need to stand on the radiator to get a glimpse outside.

Outdoor activities were allowed for a short period of time in this courtyard. If it wasn't for the whole prison thing, these views wouldn't be half bad. Most favored sport of the prisoners? Baseball.

Here is the mess hall and kitchen, where the knives are carefully counted and tracked at all times.

Visiting hours: the rules and the windows through which it happened.

And finally, the typical garb of the wardens.

Throughout the tour, there were definitely some fantastic stories, and surprisingly, they went beyond the most famous inmate at Alcatraz, Al Capone.

The most exciting story is of the three men that escaped the island (and no, none of them were Sean Connery). These men, Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, and Frank Morris, spent six months widening out the air vents under their sinks using spoons and makeshift tools. 

The vent led to a space between the prison walls, just wide enough for the men to squeeze through. From there, they had crafted themselves a life raft made from salvaged rain coats and other items they collected to attempt to cross the bay. 

To delay the realization of their disappearance, they created dummy heads out of toilet paper and soap, painted them, and used hair from the barbershop. This cell has been recreated to show what the guards found the morning of their disappearance. 

The men were never heard from again, leading to the mystery of whether they actually survived. There is a whole book about what may have happened to them called Escape From Alcatraz. If they didn't survive, their bodies were never recovered and may have been swept out to the Pacific Ocean. 

Another more tragic escape attempt is referred to as the Battle of Alcatraz when six inmates overpowered officers to obtain weapons and keys to the cellhouse. Two guards were shot, one fatally, and eventually the Marines were called in to help with the situation. Some of the blood from the shootout remains in the floors and a memorial to the fallen officer stands in the cell he was taken hostage in.

After touring the inside, it's a beautiful walk around the perimeter of the island, with stunning views of the city. It's crazy to imagine being held here on this island with normal civilization so easily visible and close. 

An ironic end to our visit to Alcatraz was some form of military exercise involving helicopters and fighter jets. I couldn't help but think of the movie The Rock and worry something was happening. But thankfully, there was no Ed Harris and we were able to board the boat and get away. 

So glad I finally got to visit Alcatraz. It totally lived up to the hype and was a fantastic tour.