If you're going to San Francisco there are a few things on the beaten path you should do: Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, ride a street car. Make sure when you go Alcatraz is your #1. In history and popular culture there are few prisons as famous as Alcatraz. It is the unescapable fortress that hosted some of America's worst criminals and now for a very nice price ($30, not a life sentence) you can walk through the corridors of The Rock. If you like history, architecture, photography, culture, crime, or oxygen you must go here.
There are a lot of amazing things about the island prison and it starts on land. When walking along the piers, it is not that far at all. If you have a moderate zoom lens on your camera you can actually get a spectacular shot of the place.
When you get to your departure pier, the people around you are going to be buzzing. I felt the excitement of everyone around me and it made me even more ecstatic. When you depart on your ferry you begin to realize just how hard it would be to swim to land. San Francisco has a very moderate climate that stays pretty constant throughout the year but it's water and the wind coming off of it never warm up. So as you approach the island and get a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Salsalito, and the Bay Bridge you realize how hard it must have been to actually escape from Alcatraz.
When you get there you are orientated as to where to go, there are restrooms, a gift shop, a movie hall, and maps of the prison. Besides being the most famous incarceration station in America it was a civil war fort and home to a Native American protest that lasted months. There are guided tours with Park Rangers (always recommended) and an audio tour you take as you walk through the cells and halls of the prison. Whether you have a phone, point and shoot, or DSLR camera you will get some amazing shots.
Once you go outside you get an amazing view of the city skyline and the exterior of the prison. This is a place that I will put on my top 50 places to visit in the U.S. It is historically and culturally relevant in the best ways and it is a very unique place. It is not the biggest prison or the most infamous but how many times can you walk through a place that held Al Capone? What other prisons give such a beautiful view of a city that is just out of reach? Where else can you go in a cell Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage were in? It's is a great way to start or end any San Francisco adventure and if you do go, the daytime is great, but the night tour is even better so plan ahead and definitely keep Alcatraz on your list of things to do.
P.S.
If you want to get a feel for the prison, I highly recommend the film The Rock. It is a classic and going to Alcatraz and seeing how they used the prison in the film made my inner child the happiest in the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClOQJAB0uD0
P.P.S.
I forgot how awesome 90's previews were. Don't let the voiceover or Nicolas Cage deter you, its a great film.
This place is ridiculously cool. Like, in a horrifying way.
ReplyDeleteLove that shot of the whole prison from afar. It's so hard to believe that so much history can be contained in one photo.
I've wanted to visit Alcatraz since before I can remember and this is only serving to intensify that desire. The criminologist in me is mentally purchasing my ticket as I type this :)