Alcatraz Adventure

As I walked down the main cell block that the old prisoners called 'Broadway', I can feel the hair on the back of my arms stand up. I can hear the echo of my own footsteps. I can practically smell the sweat and taste the desperation of the inhabitants of Alcatraz.

In my opinion,the main difference between actual travel and reading about travel are the details. One can spend hours reading about a place, the sights, the sounds- but until you are actually standing there and breathing in the same air as the keen tourists who came before you, you have not truly experienced a place.

Day three in San Francisco was jam packed- breakfast with a friend in Dobuce Triangle, delicious pho in Chinatown, and then a good 30 minute walk to Pier 39, where we proceeded to wait in line for half an hour to have a picture taken against a fake Alcatraz background before we finally got to board the ferry to the island.


Truth be told, I knew close to nothing about the nations maximum security island prison before I stepped unto it. Before we started the tour, we were told that the last ferry to depart Alcatraz was at 615 and "everyone has to be on that ferry. You can not stay on the island." Who would want to spend the night in an abandoned maximum security prison?! People truly are odd.

The 90 minute audio tour transported me back in time as we walked through the cell blocks, viewed the dining hall, and enjoyed the view of San Francisco city- yes, the view from the prison is one of the best of the city skyline- almost like its taunting the prisoners. All that lay between them and freedom was a few miles of freezing Pacific Ocean (and armed guards!)

After all that walking down memory lane, I was more than ready for a delicious dinner of much- awaited clam chowder at North Beach, the Italian district of SF. Although I could not help feel a little homesick for Papaginos on Lygon, I truly enjoyed the ambiance of the tiny family run local restaurant. I ended my third day in San Francisco with a nap and then a quick drink at a nearby lounge (btw strawberry mojitos are not as good as lychee!) Dragged my tired old self to bed by 1 am.