Today we visited Alcatraz, a must see for anyone visiting the Bay area. Tickets go fast so ordering online is best (which is what we did,whew!). It started out as a cold and windy day. The boat ride was nice but man we were COLD. The views were amazing though, we were blessed not to have the fog though it was overcast.
When you get to the island you are greeting by a park ranger who goes over the rules of the island. they are plain and simple, like don't go where it is marked close for your safety, etc. From there you can stop in and watch a 10-15 minute movies that goes over a brief history of the island, or you can continue your walk up the the prison (like going up a thirteen story building). We choose to watch the movie first. It was very informative, and there is a lot that we had never heard before.After the movie, we made are walk up to the prison. It actually isn't as hard as one may think. Once inside you are greeted again and asked what language you speak. You are then given a headset that will take you on an audio tour of the prison. It is very interesting. You can stop and pause the audio at anytime, and can take as much time as you would like on the island and prison building.
One of the best parts was when two little boys, I would venture to say ages 5 and 3, shut themselves in on of the open cells. It was funny. Their mom however, didn't see the humor at that time. Since the boys were "stuck" in there a "manager" and another worker were called to get the boys out. What was neat was to be able to see how the cell doors operate (by remote, the technology was cool to see) and hearing them shut. It was awesome. The boys were released unharmed.
There is SO much history that surrounds this island, that it is so hard to sum up here. My recommendation is to check it out yourself. You won't be disappointed. I know we will be back one day, hopefully with our kids (and hopefully they don't lock themselves in a cell too. teehee)I know the history will not be lost on them either.
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