Alcatraz and Other San Francisco Sights

We arrived in Napa almost 12 days ago! I can hardly believe we’ve been here that long. This has been a special leg of the trip for us for a couple of reasons; first, our son and daughter-in-law came to visit, and second, we stayed in a resort instead of an Airbnb.

One of the places the kids wanted to see was Alcatraz, so we headed that way on Saturday. We booked tickets in advance that covered the ferry ride to the island, as well as an audio tour, which I’m glad we did because they were sold out when we arrived! Dale and I had toured the island with his parents in 1995, and it hasn’t changed much since.

If you’ve ever been to San Francisco you know it can be chilly there, even when it is warm everywhere else. Add that to a windy ferry ride across the bay and it was super chilly.

Situated in the heart of San Francisco Bay, this former military installation and federal penitentiary, gained notoriety as an inescapable prison that housed some of America’s most dangerous criminals.

With self-guided audio tours in hand, we wandered through gray corridors that once held the likes of Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz.” The audio tour provided chilling accounts of prison life and daring escape attempts, giving us a glimpse into the daily struggles of both inmates and guards.

The solitary confinement cells were particularly creepy. As I stood inside one, and listened to an inmate describe his stay, I couldn’t help but imagine the despair he must have felt.

Notice the hole in the wall. It was created by three men who escaped in the 1960s and were never found. Most escape attempts failed and it was thought these three drowned.

The iconic Alcatraz Lighthouse was built in 1854, guiding ships safely through the treacherous waters for over a century.