Today we went to prison. Not just any prison, but the most famous in the country, Alcatraz.
Early this morning, we journeyed from Fisherman's Wharf to Pier 33 where we embarked on the Alcatraz Island Ferry. This 12 minute, 1.5 mile ferry ride, took us to the island that ruthless men once feared. Alcatraz was the first maximum security federal-penitentiary in the country and was home to some of the most notorious criminals of its time. To the men sent there, Alcatraz was the end of the line.
The prison was open from 1934 to 1963 and was later closed because it was too expensive to maintain. During that time, there were approximately 1545 inmates to pass through the walls and 36 attempted escapes.
While on the island, the crew followed the Alcatraz Cellhouse Audio Tour that brought the history of the prison alive. We heard the voices of actual inmates and correctional officers as they told stories of that era.
Perhaps the most fascinating part of our visit to Alcatraz was meeting one of the former prisoners, Bill Baker. He was a car thief, escape artist, and most frequently, a fraudulent check writer. Bill Baker spent 4 years at Alcatraz, beginning at the age of 23. He has been in and out of prison his entire life dating up to 2011. Several people in our group bought his book titled "Alcatraz #1259" and got it autographed!
For the remainder of the afternoon, the crew had free time to explore San Francisco. They split into groups of 5 or more and visited places such as Union Square, the Painted Ladies, the California Academy of Sciences, and Ghiradelli Square.
