San Francisco’s Unanswered Question

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The Hero rarely dies in Hollywood; in the case of Clint Eastwood he never did which is why it is intriguing to ponder whether the true dramatisation of Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers had a happy ending; viewers of the 1979 film ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ are left hopeful but still in doubt. Did they survive the cold waters around Alcatraz to live long and trouble free lives after their escape from incarceration? No bodies have ever been found after their 1962 escape and shortly afterwards the prison was closed. It is open now as a museum and is a must see for anyone visiting San Francisco.

As you stand waiting for the boat on Pier 39 it does not look too far away; it is in fact 1.5 miles from shore in San Francisco Bay. These days strong swimmers take part in an annual race from Alcatraz to the shore; it is always sold out in no time after entries open with the Swim, part of a summer series in the Region, limited to 800 entries. The question remains whether men used to prison life were fit it enough fifty years ago. Could they combat the strong currents and the sharks to make good their escape?

Once you are on the island after the short boat trip you can get an audio tour listening to former inmates and guards along the way. You can go into ‘solitary’ and imagine what life was like.

If you have a few days in San Francisco, Alcatraz tops the list of things to see but there are other attractions. You may want to cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge or travel further to Napa Valley, the home of Californian wine.

Whether you are an American Football fan or not if you are in town between September and Christmas you should consider a trip to see the 49ers play. The game is four quarters of 15 minutes but the game lasts 3 hours in total with breaks and stoppages, sometimes for TV advertisements. It is an experience, a family day out with picnics, drinks, plenty of exuberance but no trouble.

The USA welcomes tourism and the online facility of the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (esta ) visa makes it easy to organise your trip. You can return to an application to check on your status and once everything is in place you will be free to enjoy the attractions of cities such as San Francisco.

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