06 May, 2006 (Saturday) San Francisco

A return to Alcatraz
The island known as The Rock sits in San Francisco bay, about a 15 minute ferry ride from Fisherman's Wharf. It originally served as a military outpost, one of the final lines of defense for San Francisco, before becoming first a military gaol and later a federal prison for the hardest criminals of the era. In it's time the island gaol played host to such luminaries as Al "Scarface" Capone, "Machinegun" Kelly and the Bird Man. It developed a reputation for being escape proof, with a number of high profile escape attempts but no confirmed escapes. Alcatraz's gates were officially closed in 1962 by Robert Kennedy, allegedly as a result of escalating operation costs. . (Picture - Left - The Rock; Right - From the gun gallery)

We explored the cell blocks under the instruction of the audio tour. With help from from former cellmates and wardens, the audio tour guided us through Cell Blocks A, B, C and D, describing the operation of the gun galleries, the major escape attempts and daily life on the island. We learnt about how the Sally Fort worked, with antique cannons, murder holes and a drawbridge. Afterwards we managed to get a special tour of the chapel, officers lounge and gun galleries, taking a closer look at the life beyond the cells. (Picture - Left - From the exercise yard; Right: Fishermans' Wharf - chowder time)