The four of us hung around the hotel until Kent & Laurel's room was ready. Once they had transferred their luggage to their room we went to Fisherman's Wharf in search of a late lunch. I was eager to try an In & Out Burger (something we don't have in the midwest) so while Bob ducked into a nearby Subway, the other three of us ordered burgers. Mind you...this was the middle of the afternoon around 3:30 pm and the place was so packed. Bob was back from Subway and had he not been polite and waited he could have finished off his whole footlong before we even got our orders filled. Definitely more of an "IN" than an "OUT" experience.
Weeks earlier, Bob and I had reserved tickets online for the nighttime tour at Alcatraz. Much of what we did in San Francisco was based on information that I got from Laurel. They had just spent several days in the area the past summer and had recommended we do the night time tour. Compared to the day tours this one offered smaller groups, a narrated boat tour around the island, and extra options on the tour inside.
I wanted to make sure we arrived at the pier plenty early. With the extra day we now had in San Francisco, Kent & Laurel decided on a 3-day MUNI pass (although they only used it for two days, it was still a better value) and the four of us boarded the F Line streetcar to go to Pier 33.
We parted ways at Pier 33. They walked on further to visit the Ferry Building and we waited for our tour to start.
When we boarded the boat, we chose seats at the very back on the upper, outdoor level. A chilly ride but it gave us a great view of the San Francisco skyline.
There was also an ongoing narration giving us some history of Alcatraz as the boat made a complete circle around the island.
Although the prison had closed in 1963, the island was occupied for 19 months in the early 1970's by Native American protestors. The water tower still bore evidence of this situation.
To get into the prison required a walk up the road which is quite steep. Looking down, you could see that the island has become quite a bird sanctuary.
Once inside you are given headsets for an audio tour. The voices on the recording are actual former inmates and helps you understand what it might have been like to be incarcerated at "The Rock". A few cells were furnished to look as if they might have when they were occupied.
The movie "Escape from Alcatraz" is based on a true story of prisoners who chiseled a hole in their cell walls and then left paper mache heads in their bed to disguise their disapperance. This cell is what it might have looked like...including the escape hole next to the sink.
At one point in the tour I glanced out a window and saw that the sun was starting to set. I couldn't resist ducking outside to get a photo.
The night time tour also included special opportunities that aren't available during the daytime tours. We chose to visit the hospital and also a special presentation on solitary confinement.
During the latter, Bob went into Robert Stroud's (the Birdman of Alcatraz) cell and lay on his bed for a short time. Later in the trip we joked that this must have had a great influence on Bob because he developed a great attraction for sea gulls and chickens on the islands!
One other memorable experience was getting to watch as the cell doors were automatically closed and locked. The sound of these doors closing has been used in numerous movies. Here is the video I took...
The night tours had two scheduled return ferries and by staying for the presentation on solitary confinement we missed the earlier one and had to wait for the later one at 9:30 pm. I was so tired by then I wasn't sure I could even walk down the steep hill to the dock! (Walking all over San Francisco in the morning had caught up with me!)
It had gotten quite chilly so we chose to sit inside for the return trip. I was able to get a few photos from a platform on the back of the boat.
When we got to the F Line streetcar stop near the Alcatraz pier, the sign said it would be 17 minutes until the next streetcar arrived...and it was correct. Having not had dinner, we were both hungry, but mostly tired. The last stop was in front of the Walgreens at Fisherman's Wharf and that is where we got off. Too tired to go looking for someplace to eat, we bought packaged sandwiches at the Walgreens and headed back to our hotel. The sandwiches were barely edible and a good portion of the bread ended up as seagull food the next day.
Coming up tomorrow...our bonus day in San Francisco.
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