Alcatraz

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Here in San Francisco
Hotel is nice but the location is a bit doggie at night during the day it’s not to bad. Pretty central location, only a 15 minute walk to fisherman’s wharf this is where the action takes place for tourists like us.
Today we took a tour to Alcatraz Island one of the Golden Gate National Parks. Take the Ferry across to the island and then it’s a self audio tour which was very interesting. Walking through the tour you have headphones on and you are listening to the commentary about different parts of the prison. There are quite a lot of people doing the self audio tour but if you take your headphones off and listen you don’t hear anyone speaking, it’s a little ere. Alcatraz served the army as fortress and military prison before serving the Department of Justice as a maximum-security federal penitentiary. The prison closed due to deteriorating buildings and high operating costs, (an example of his was lack of sewage systems). The last inmates left the island on March 21, 1963. Famous cell mates contained here where Al Capone and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud. In the 29 years that Alcatraz served as a federal penitentiary, 36 prisoners tried to escape the Rock; all but five were recaptured or otherwise accounted for. Three who were accounted for participated in the same breakout, the June 1962 (great “dummy head”) escape? This was immortalized in the movie Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood. Alcatraz is now part of the National Park Service.

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Photos

Coit Tower
Coit Tower has been made to look like a fireman’s nasal

On the Boat
Travelling to Alcatraz

Alcatraz Army Uniform
Military uniform

Comments

[kasey]

cool
In 1934 was alcatraz a army base or a prison? How many people have ever been in alcatraz ? Will alcatraz ever be a army base or prison again?

[kasey]

cool
In 1934 was alcatraz a army base or a prison? How many people have ever been in alcatraz ? Will alcatraz ever be a army base or prison again?