Set the day aside for a city and rock tour.
Picked up from the hotel at 09:30, and taken to the Grey Line tour office at Fisherman's Wharf to check-in. We were told that the Alcatraz tour would happen first, and the bus would take us over there at 10:00.
Slightly disorganised, considering their demographic is non-english speaking and Amrikans. Sarah would whip them into shape pretty damn quickly.
So we make it on a bus to the actual wharf, and queue up to board the ferry.
It only takes about 12 minutes to get across.
I'm not sure what the sign graffiti on the wharf means, and I doubt Sarah felt relaxed by it.
What did appear to be very welcome on the island were the flies. The little buggers were everywhere.
Bastards.
As you enter, you need to queue up to get issued with a personal guide thingy. It's your standard issue digital player with headphones.
This is issued in quite a large room. We form a queue around the wall. Once upon a time, this room was the showers for the prison. The new entrants would get their first shower here. Cosy.
Notice the shower heads are set out from the central pillars, and are all facing down and in.
Down and in.
The lower rail at ,um, waist-level, has soap trays scattered along it, accessible from both sides. Efficient.
I'm guessing that's about enough on that subject. Yup. 'Nuf said.
It's an interesting tour. Worth doing.
One interesting tidbit, though.
The official consensus is that the prisoners who escaped and were not recaptured, perished in the waters. Tides, temperature, sharks. The Alcatraz trifecta.
The reality seems a little different.
There are many sharks in the bay, but they are all small, and not the slightest bit interested in people-sized meals. The impressive sharks usually don't come into the bay.
There has been an annual public "Sharkfest Swim" from Alcatraz to the mainland since 1993.
In 2006, a 7-year-old boy did the swim in 47 minutes.
Alrighty then.
Picked up from the hotel at 09:30, and taken to the Grey Line tour office at Fisherman's Wharf to check-in. We were told that the Alcatraz tour would happen first, and the bus would take us over there at 10:00.
Slightly disorganised, considering their demographic is non-english speaking and Amrikans. Sarah would whip them into shape pretty damn quickly.
So we make it on a bus to the actual wharf, and queue up to board the ferry.
It only takes about 12 minutes to get across.
I'm not sure what the sign graffiti on the wharf means, and I doubt Sarah felt relaxed by it.What did appear to be very welcome on the island were the flies. The little buggers were everywhere.
Bastards.
As you enter, you need to queue up to get issued with a personal guide thingy. It's your standard issue digital player with headphones.
Notice the shower heads are set out from the central pillars, and are all facing down and in.
Down and in.
The lower rail at ,um, waist-level, has soap trays scattered along it, accessible from both sides. Efficient.
I'm guessing that's about enough on that subject. Yup. 'Nuf said.
It's an interesting tour. Worth doing.
One interesting tidbit, though.
The official consensus is that the prisoners who escaped and were not recaptured, perished in the waters. Tides, temperature, sharks. The Alcatraz trifecta.
The reality seems a little different.
There are many sharks in the bay, but they are all small, and not the slightest bit interested in people-sized meals. The impressive sharks usually don't come into the bay.
There has been an annual public "Sharkfest Swim" from Alcatraz to the mainland since 1993.
In 2006, a 7-year-old boy did the swim in 47 minutes.
Alrighty then.
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