A Cold Day at The Rock

Last Sunday I slept in a tad to recover from my marathon tour of the city on Saturday. I was really tired and sore from all the walking but I was SO excited!! I had a ticket to tour Alcatraz that afternoon! I can't even tell you how long I have wanted to visit "The Rock". I have always found it to be so mysterious and intriguing.

Once again, I caught the commuter train into downtown San Francisco. Then I took the light rail and connected to a street car. It was fun to ride in the old street car... what a blast from the past. I jumped off at the stop for Fisherman's Wharf. My Alcatraz tour was at 1:55PM, so I had allowed enough time to walk around the Wharf and get some lunch. Unfortunately, the day was a very cold, windy and rainy. Oh, and I didn't have an umbrella. Fortunately, what I had in mind for lunch would help me warm up nicely! I have heard so much about the sourdough bread bowls with clam chowder. After asking several people prior to my trip, the samerestaurant on the Wharf was recommended each time... Boudin Bakery. It was soooo yummy!!

After lunch, I bundled up and headed towards the pier for my Alcatraz tour. It was at that time that the sky decided to open and dump freezing rain. I stood in line relying only on my trusty Longhorn baseball cap and jacket to keep me dry, Everything from the waist down was just out of luck... good times. We all boarded the ferry and headed to the island. It was terribly cold and rainy, so I sat inside. The closer and closer we got, this creepy, looming figure began to appear in the fog... Alcatraz.

I did the self-paced audio tour and it was very well done! They did a very good job of interviewing former inmates, staff and narrating. I have to say that the weather actually added to the "creepy factor" that day. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed it.

One of the most fascinating thing about Alcatraz is its close proximity to the city. It is so close and yet so far away. One of the inmates talked about how when the wind was just right, it would carry the sounds of the city life across the bay and into their cells. When they had outdoor recreation time, it faced the view of the city... a reminder of what they gave up. Almost as if on cue, for the first time that day, the sun came out. I was allowed to see the city in in all her glory.

One of the Park Rangers gave a quick talk about how the cell doors operated. It was very interesting. However, the thing that made an impression on me was when he closed them... what a sound. I caught it on video... its only about 10 seconds long.

(If you can't see the video in your email, click here.)

I spent a couple of hours wandering around the island but then it came time to line up for the final ferry out for the day. As we lined up to board... it began to POUR again. Absolutely miserable. Then once we were on board... it stopped. I took advantage of this and ran up to the top portion of the ferry for pictures. It was so windy and cold and I was soaked through, but I was determined to get a couple pictures!!! Right after these were taken... it poured again!

After returning to land, I made my way back to the street car to begin my long journey home through the train system. I was so wet that I was beyond caring. All I wanted was to get into my sweats and the hotel and warm up. Even though the day had been pretty miserable, Alcatraz didn't disappoint at all. The tour was awesome, informative and very interesting. I am so glad I braved the weather to go.