Escape from Alcatraz

It's been a while since I've posted here...life always seems to get in the way! I still have tons more pictures from vacation and several other events that have happened, so I'll just move on.

After walking the Golden Gate Bridge, we took an afternoon tour of Alcatraz Prison. We took a ferry from San Fran over to the island.

It was a lovely ride...except for the gull who followed creepily overhead. Was it the ghost of a past inmate? Or just a bird looking to leave a present on some poor unsuspecting tourist's head?

The island looms.

This is the processing area, where all the prisoners were showered, searched, and deloused. We just received our headsets for the audio tour here. Thankfully.

One of the cells. Very dark and small. Ew. And nasty. Ew.

I sure hope this isn't a sign of things to come!

This is "THE" cell...the one where the Great Escape happened. From Escape from Alcatraz. See the hole under the sink? They must have small men...that hole was not very big.

The menu board is still posted from the last day the prison was open. It doesn't look too terrible. Not too sure about stewed fruit, though.

We spent a little time in the recreation yard. The gang looks like they're ready for the firing squad, though!

Here's the view form the recreation yard. How awful it must have been to see this every day and not be able to go there. To hear the sounds of city life and be trapped on the island...wow.

It was a very interesting tour. The audio portion made the entire trip. If you go to Alcatraz, be sure and get a headset. The tour is narrated by former employees and inmates of Alcatraz. It was very personal.

Onward to Hollyweird!