Alcatraz – the Rock
Hi there,
the prison Alcatraz
Well, here we are today, eager to get to see this famous prison on the island just right out there in the bay of San Francisco, partly hidden by the mist. But let’s start right at the beginning of it all. Back in 1854 the original lighthouse was put in service. The one that’s operation today is just a successor of the just mentioned one. The island was then first used as a prison by the US Army during Civil War. Then later in 1934, the Federal Government opened a maximum security prison. There were actually many of the nation’s most notorious criminals incarcerated on the Rock, while numerous escape attempts were recorded, there is no firm evidence that any of them succeeded at all.
Cell in Block A
Alcatraz was never filled to capacity. The average number of prisoners was approximately 260, the lowest (during regular operations) was 222, and the highest, was 320. The prison was then closed by the government in 1963, due to prohibitive operating costs but there is also some speculation that the prison was closed because of the infamous 1962 prison break immortalized by Clint Eastwood’s movie ‘Escape from Alactraz’.
old warden house
Now the island is part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area and the prison can be visited on guided tours, like one we were about to take.
Clam Chowder Soup
Getting back on the Ferry the sun is finally winning over the fog and it starts to clear up. But we are totally frozen once we arrive at Pier 39. So we decide to go for an early lunch at Boudin, obviously they serve the original sour dough bread there, filled
China Town in San Francisco
with a steamy clam chowder soup, yummy. Just around a corner on the pier there is the next restaurant claiming the same. Well, Pier 39 is more like an overcrowded outside mall and we don’t spend very much time there. Not even the wooden boards for the famous sea lions are frequented that day. Just some few sea lions lay lazily around. Time to move ahead and stroll around town, to Fisherman’s Wharf, up and down the famous streets of San Francisco to the China town, and later on to Union square, before another day ends way too fast. That doesn’t really matter, since San Fran is just the gateway to Hawaii.
See you soon, Honu
