We boarded the Emerald Princess on Sunday and spent Monday at sea watching shows, working out, playing in the casino, listening to enrichment lectures, and eating.
We arrived in San Francisco at 7 am but didn’t need to leave the ship until 10am. We bought tickets to Alcatraz and the ferry through Get Your Guide.
We walked a short 5-minute walk to Pier 33, where the ferries to Alcatraz depart.
It was a short ride to the island and it was a chilly, cloudy morning.
The prison, once a fort, is now a tourist attraction. The US Army began using it in the late 1850s for housing prisoners, but the famous “Rock” building seen today was constructed between 1910 and 1920 to serve as a military prison.
Alcatraz became a Federal Prison from 1934 to 1963.
We had an audio tour so we started out walking up a hill. A short walk up took us to an exhibition on a 1969 native American demonstration, since they believed they were the rightful owners of the land.
A guard tower still watches over the island although it is no longer manned.
The next building we came upon was the Penitentiary Social Hall.
It is basically a ruin. I was able to see inside.
At the power building, there was an old-time fire truck.
The power building was built in 1939 and provided power to the entire Penitentiary.
In the laundry building, there were presentations on the Native Americans and their occupation of Alcatraz. The prison had been closed for 7 years when the occupation took place and lasted for 19 months. In the beginning, it received worldwide press coverage, donations, and aid. However, as time pressed on it lost its audience and donations. It was still the beginning of the red movement to show how this group of people had been disenfranchised and basically treated poorly.
The building also housed prison statistics and the infamous criminals who served time in Alcatraz including Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly.
As we walked the grounds of Alcatraz, I noted how incongruous the beautiful landscaping was to the starkness of the buildings.
We next climbed another hill to reach the cell block. Our audio guide talked about the prison escape attempt in 1946 that led to the deaths of two prison guards and two escapees. Two other inmates were later executed.
Some of the inmates learned to paint, played music, or got an education. One inmate Elliott Michener was a groundskeeper and gardener while serving time on Alcatraz. He was an inmate who rehabilitated through gardening.
Inmates who were disruptive, often spent much time in solitary confinement.
The favorite place for most inmates was the yard.
Guards and their families often resided on Alcatraz. Below is a photograph of apartments for families.
The canons on Alcatraz were from the 1850s and 60s when Alcatraz was a fort.
There are many birds on Alcatraz and extremely large gulls.
There were some pretty views from Alcatraz.
We finished our walk on the rock and headed back to the ferry.
I could see the Emerald Princess in the distance.
And found another canon!
Before heading back to our ship. It was a fun day in San Francisco.
One last look at San Francisco.
Now we are approaching the Golden Gate Bridge.
And we are off! Tomorrow is another sea day and then Victoria, British Columbia.
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