Hello from San Francisco: Our Last Day –
An Exhilarating Ride on a Cable Car & a Trip to Fascinating
Alcatraz
Finally we were treated to another gorgeous day with bright blue
skies -- our last day in San Francisco. From the historic Queen
Anne Hotel we took the bus downtown to famous Union Square,
location of all sorts of fancy retail stores. Saks Fifth Avenue,
Macy's, Nordstrom and many other upscale stores and boutiques make
this a magnet for the true shopoholics. So far we had had extensive
exposure to San Francisco's public transport system, but we had
left the real highlight for the last day: a ride on one of the famous
San Francisco cable cars!
One of San Francisco's famous cable cars
We hopped on at the corner of Powell and Geary Streets and started
to enjoy the outdoor experience on this moving historic landmark.
The cable car was so full I was literally hanging outside the vehicle
and did not have enough space to turn my body around. I kept thinking
to myself how ironic it was that in virtually every other kind of
vehicle you have to stay seated and strapped into your safety belts.
But here in San Francisco you can literally let it all hang out!
What a great experience on this gorgeous day - it really brought
out the kid in all of us.
Union Square on a gorgeous day
Our charming driver Rufus kept the whole car entertained and compared
his job to being a supervisor at an adult day care centre. How true!
Riding the San Francisco cable cars definitely brings out the playful
and adventurous spirit in everyone, regardless of age. He even let
us off at the top of Lombard Street to give us a quick peak at "the
world's crookedest street" before he rang his bell, and we
had to run to jump back onto the moving vehicle. The cable car ride
was one of the absolute highlights of our San Francisco experience!
Vintage streetcars
Once arrived in the Fisherman's Wharf area we strolled south, past
Pier 39 with its lazy sea lions and the various colourful flower
beds of Tulipmania. Our destination was Pier 33 where we caught
a boat across to another one of San Francisco's great destinations:
Alcatraz Island!
Arrival on Alcatraz Island
Right at 11 am we started chugging across the bay to Alcatraz Island.
Alcatraz
Cruises is the only cruise company that takes you across to
Alcatraz Island and lets you off on the island which is now part
of the National Park Service.It takes just about 10 to 15 minutes
to get across to this infamous island. During our boat trip we enjoyed
a beautiful view of downtown San Francisco, the San Francisco Oakland
Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and the mountainous communities
on the north and east side of San Francisco Bay.
The watchtower
We arrived at the ferry dock where a National Park Ranger provided
us with a brief overview of things to see and do on the island.
We then took in a 15 minute video that gave us a great summary of
the island and its fascinating history. From 1850 onwards, Alcatraz
Island was the location of a citadel, and it also housed the first
lighthouse on the West Coast, built in 1854. In 1909 it became a
military prison and in 1933 it finally was converted into the notorious
maximum security penitentiary that it is known for all over the
world.
Signs of the Indian occupation
Starting my walk, I stopped in a room that displays posters and
information about the 1969 to 1971 Native American Occupation of
Alcatraz. I then snapped photos all along my walk to the famous
Cell Blocks and caught some gorgeous views across the bay. I admit
I was morbidly fascinated by the run-down morgue that held deceased
prisoners from 1933 to 1963, the year the prison was finally closed.
The focal point of any trip to Alcatraz is a visit of the four cellblocks
that housed 390 cells, all designed for single prisoners, which
actually provided better conditions than many other penitentiaries
of the time.
What a typical cell would have looked like
After getting equipped with headsets and a recorder, I followed
the excellent narration of the audio tour that featured the voices
of real former prison guards and former inmates. Alcatraz is a truly
fascinating destination, and the stories of its famous inmates (Al
Capone, Robert Stroud -- the Birdman of Alcatraz, George "Machine
Gun" Kelly and many others) make your hair stand on end. The
audio tour provided a fabulous self-guided experience where you
could stop and linger at any of the destinations to look at them
up close. I stopped frequently and snapped hundreds of pictures
of this unique place.
View eastwards across the bay
The tour features many noteworthy stops, including the large dining
room and kitchen, the intake-area where new inmates got changed
from their street clothing into prison garb, the prison library
and the main cellblocks with their tiny cells, all equipped with
a metal bunk, a small wash basin and toilet bowl. The corridor separating
cellblocks B and C is named Broadway; another corridor is called
Michigan Avenue, and the area in front of the dining room was referred
to as Times Square. Several of the cells were furnished to show
what they would have looked like when the prison was still in operation.
The location of the famous 1942 Battle of Alcatraz and the cells
where several prison guards were killed was signposted.
The lighthouse on Alcatraz Island
The cells housing Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin,
location of the most famous escape attempt in Alcatraz' history,
were also furnished to provide an authentic demonstration of the
escape. The cells showcased the papier-maché dummies that
these inmates used to disguise their disappearance. I could also
see the small tunnels, hand-carved with metal spoons, which successfully
took the prisoners into an unguarded utility tunnel and from there
off the island. The three prisoners or their bodies were never found,
and to this day there are diverging theories that presume that the
escaped inmates either drowned or made their way all across to Latin
America. An episode of the Discovery Channel's "MythBusters"
TV series proved that the escape could have indeed succeeded.
The ruins make for dramatic shots
I also examined the Control Room and the visitation area as well
as the outside space at the southern end of the cell block building
which features a lighthouse and the ruins of the former Warden's
House which burned down in 1970. The stark outline of these ruins
against the bright blue sky created an eerie yet beautiful impression.
After checking out the many souvenirs in the gift shop I made my
way back down to the ferry dock, past another set of ruined buildings
which include the recreation hall and the Coast Guard quarter. There
is a real mystique to this place, and the lingering spirit of history
is palpable.
Just before 2 pm we caught another ferry back to the mainland,
because we needed to squeeze in one final adventure into our packed
San Francisco schedule: we were going to spend our last few hours
in this city on another bike ride. This time our destination was
Golden Gate Park.