Sep 2, 2013 Last updated: 9/8/13 2:00pm PT
Today we went to Alcatraz. The island had a military prison from the mid-1800’s and a federal prison from the 1930’s to the ’60’s. The cells are incredibly small. Buy your tickets in advance, as sometimes the tours sell out. There is a short ferry ride (about 15 min.) and the audio tour is included in the price. The audio tour has commentary from former guards and prisoners of Alcatraz. You can spend as much time as you want on the island, you just have to leave before the last ferry of the night.
From the boat heading over.
You can see two bridges here. During the earthquake of 1989, part of the Bay Bridge collapsed (bridge between SF and Oakland). They repaired the bridge, but it is not structurally sound, so they’ve been building a replacement. The new bridge opened while we were here. You can see both bridges, old and new in this picture. The new one is the taller white suspension bridge.
Alcatraz island, outside the prison.
Alcatraz island, inside the prison.
San Francisco from Alcatraz Island.
Can’t visit Alcatraz without taking pictures of yourself in a cell.
This is the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge, with the least amount of fog, taken from Alcatraz Island.
After Alcatraz, we went to Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s very crowded and touristy. I didn’t take any pictures of the shops, just of the sea lions that hang out there all the time, and the foggy Golden Gate Bridge.
The most interesting thing to see was the Musee Mecanique, which is a collection of old arcade machines. All are still usable. You can feed quarters into them.
Dinner was at The Stinking Rose, a garlic restaurant.
