Tourist for a day

Jailbird

"Your English is really good", remarked an Alcatraz employee to me when I requested the audio guide to Alcatraz in German. Ha ha! I just wanted to challenge my brain that Saturday morning by listening to the German version. Yes, as you can see, I have finally realized my dream of visiting Alcatraz. No more lip service, I finally did it. I was on the early bird tour that departed Pier 33 at 9 AM in the morning because I wanted to avoid the hordes of camera toting tourists.

The whole Alcatraz experience cost me $24 approximately including audio guide in German or any other language that happens strike your fancy that day. You could get an audio guide in Mandarin if you're feeling particularly frisky that day. :-)

To reach the island takes only a 10 minute ferry ride. I purchased my tickets online at alcatrazcruises.com. If you're thinking of going to the island, it's a good idea to purchase tickets well in advance because the cruises are so popular that they sell out very quickly.

When on the island, you are given a mandatory introduction from a ranger, who points out the restrooms, the rules (no eating except on the docks), and warnings that the ground may not be level in all locations, so watch out! Afterwards, you can either go watch a brief introductory video about the island or walk up to the cellhouse. I would recommend watching the video first as it provides context for your visit. When you reach the cell house, you get the audio guides, which last around 45 minutes. The stories were kind of interesting because you hear about how some inmates tried to escape and were never found. Also, when we reached Block D of the cells, there's a park ranger standing around the isolation cell who lets a couple people walk in a dark cell and then slams the door shut very hard. Then he proceeds to open the little viewing door to let people take pictures. Finally he "releases" his prisoners who are all smiles. What an interesting job to do all day!

One great thing about Alcatraz is that you have spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline from the island. If you're afraid of bird poop however, I would not advise you to visit Alcatraz because birds now own the island and do their business all over the place. After seeing the cellhouse, there's not much more to do on the island, so you can head back to San Francisco, or do more island hopping by visiting Angel Island. I decided to head back into the city because I had to realize one other dream, which was to ride a cable car.

I got on at the intersection of Taylor and Bay streets and found some seating inside. After the cable car became less full, I got to stand at the back of the cable car where the operator turns some lever. It was SO fun to have the wind in your face and see San Francisco sights sail by! Maybe next time I will be holding on to the rails on the outside. In the picture below you see the cable car operator turning the cable car around.