Escape from Alcatraz

I spent my last day in San Francisco seeing "The Rock". It's very impressive and quite imposing. Viewable from most of coastal San Francisco, the island is only a couple of miles of the coast. Alcatraz spent its early years serving as a military installation and then when it was deemed to expensive to maintain it was transferred to a federal prison. It then spent about 30 years housing the "worst of the worst". It was famous for its brutal conditions and that it was impossible to escape. What I didn't realise is that the guards and their families actually lived on the island in a little community. Most of these buildings have been torn down now but the national park service (apparently) intends on building them back up.

The prison has been home to some of America's most notorious criminals, Machine Gun Kelly (who never shot anyone). Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz who never actually had any birds in the prison (he kept his birds in Levenworth). The most famous of all (well the only one I'd heard of) was Alphonse Capone. Serving time for tax evasion despite having believed to be involved in over 1500 murders in the 30s. The conditions really were pretty harsh. It was cold and barren and they say that the prisoners could hear all the people enjoying themselves out on Fisherman's Wharf from their cells, reminding them of their lost freedom. By far the most unsettling place was on "D block", where they used to put the inmates in solitary, including "The Hole", where you were locked in a soundproof cell with no light, smaller than a London bathroom. One guy told of how he used to pass the time by taking a button off his shirt, flipping in on the floor, then trying to find it in the dark. A pretty good place to visit and well worth the trip if you are ever out in that part of the world.

Well now I'm in Vegas, I got up here last night and met up with some friends I met in New Zealand. We've been down the strip and it's kind of unique, but I'll tell you all about that when I find somewhere I can do photos.

No Rich, I didn't do the flare thing from The Rock, I tried but security wouldn't let me go to where it was done. I got a photo of it I think though.