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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature; Sites by State >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> California >> Golden Gate National Recreation Area – California >> Alcatraz Island – California (2018) tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Alcatraz Island – California (2018)

Images of Alcatraz Island – Northwestern California, taken in August 2018.

In a city full of iconic sights the island that sits in the middle of San Francisco Bay is among the most recognizable and possibly the most interesting. Alcatraz Island, today part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area maintained by the National Park Service, has been home to military installations and both military and US federal prisons. Stories of its use as a federal penitentiary are most widely known because of the storied escape attempts and some of the more well-known prisoners to include Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and the Famous “Birdman of Alcatraz” Robert Stroud (who actually did his bird studies when housed in the Leavenworth Penitentiary, not Alcatraz).

About three months prior to my arrival in the area I decided, on a whim, to check out what I needed to do to land my ticket to the famous prison. Being a criminal was no longer an option so I would have to secure passage as a tourist instead. So I got online to check on the ticketing process and quickly learned that tours were booked solid months in advance. I broke into a cold sweat as I punched in the dates of my stay in the area. Tuesday August 14th, booked; Wednesday August 15th, booked; Thursday, Friday, Saturday…BOOKED! Then I pulled up my last day in San Francisco, Sunday August 19th and lo and behold there was a single solitary ticket available on the 2:15 p.m. trip to the island. I’m not joking, only ONE ticket available! If I had been traveling with someone I would’ve had to ditch them in order to visit the island…and ditch them I would because I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. As it was this was fate and I scrambled to secure the ticket before someone else took it; and for that I could be considered a hero in that I saved some guy somewhere from having to ditch his wife or girlfriend or maybe his whole family so he could take the tour! I probably deserve an award but being as humble as I am I decided to forgo the honor in exchange for this tour ticket…I was going to Alcatraz as planned.
View from the San Francisco pier area of Alcatraz Island
View from the San Francisco pier area of Alcatraz Island 		Close up view from the San Francisco pier area of Alcatraz Island
Close up view from the San Francisco pier area of Alcatraz Island		 Alcatraz tour boat returns from Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz tour boat returns from Alcatraz Island		 The approach, by tour boat, to Alcatraz Island
The approach, by tour boat, to Alcatraz Island		 Prison warning sign seen on approach to Alcatraz Island
Prison warning sign seen on approach to Alcatraz Island
View approaching the dock of Alcatraz Island
View approaching the dock of Alcatraz Island		 Building 64 barracks and the guard tower on Alcatraz Island
Building 64 barracks and the guard tower on Alcatraz Island		 Penitentiary information and signs of the 1969 Indian occupation on Alcatraz Island
Penitentiary information and signs of the 1969 Indian occupation on Alcatraz Island		 Looking up at the Warden’s House, lighthouse and cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Looking up at the Warden’s House, lighthouse and cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 The ruins of the warden’s house and the lighthouse on Alcatraz Island
The ruins of the warden’s house and the lighthouse on Alcatraz Island
View of the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
View of the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 The fenced in cellhouse from below on Alcatraz Island
The fenced in cellhouse from below on Alcatraz Island		 Remnants of the 1969 occupation by “Indians of all Tribes” on the water tower on Alcatraz Island
Remnants of the 1969 occupation by “Indians of all Tribes” on the water tower on Alcatraz Island		 Guard tower and guard house, with the Bay Bridge in the distance, on Alcatraz Island
Guard tower and guard house, with the Bay Bridge in the distance, on Alcatraz Island		 Fences around an entrance to the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Fences around an entrance to the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Administration building entrance with “FREE” added during the 1969 Indian Occupation on Alcatraz Island
Administration building entrance with “FREE” added during the 1969 Indian Occupation on Alcatraz Island		 Prison supply room in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Prison supply room in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Prisoner shower room in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Prisoner shower room in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Guards prison command post in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Guards prison command post in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Cellblock “C-1” painted on the wall in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Cellblock “C-1” painted on the wall in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
A-Block, part of the early military prison built in 1912, on Alcatraz Island
A-Block, part of the early military prison built in 1912, on Alcatraz Island		 Cell used by a prisoner of the famous attempted escape from Alcatraz Island
Cell used by a prisoner of the famous attempted escape from Alcatraz Island		 “Michigan Avenue” cells in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
“Michigan Avenue” cells in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 First two stories of cells in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
First two stories of cells in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Military prison A-Block cells built in 1912 on Alcatraz Island
Military prison A-Block cells built in 1912 on Alcatraz Island
Basic cell in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Basic cell in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 View from inside a cell looking out in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
View from inside a cell looking out in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Looking down a three story row of cells in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Looking down a three story row of cells in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 View from solitary confinement cell number 10 in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
View from solitary confinement cell number 10 in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Solitary confinement cell number 10 in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Solitary confinement cell number 10 in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Cell used by a prisoner of the famous attempted escape from Alcatraz Island
Cell used by a prisoner of the famous attempted escape from Alcatraz Island		 Escape path through a utility hallway used for the famous attempted escape from Alcatraz Island
Escape path through a utility hallway used for the famous attempted escape from Alcatraz Island		 Cellhouse porthole view of San Francisco from Alcatraz Island
Cellhouse porthole view of San Francisco from Alcatraz Island		 Prison library in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Prison library in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Heavily fortified windows in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Heavily fortified windows in the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Water tower viewed from an entrance to the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Water tower viewed from an entrance to the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 Lighthouse (1854), the first built and used on the west coast, on Alcatraz Island
Lighthouse (1854), the first built and used on the west coast, on Alcatraz Island		 Succulent in one of the ornamental gardens on Alcatraz Island
Succulent in one of the ornamental gardens on Alcatraz Island		 Ornamental garden below the cellhouse on the western slope of Alcatraz Island
Ornamental garden below the cellhouse on the western slope of Alcatraz Island		 Guard tower on the west side of Alcatraz Island
Guard tower on the west side of Alcatraz Island
Ruins of the warden’s house on Alcatraz Island
Ruins of the warden’s house on Alcatraz Island		 View of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge through the warden’s house on Alcatraz Island
View of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge through the warden’s house on Alcatraz Island		 A sea gull perched above the guard tower on Alcatraz Island
A sea gull perched above the guard tower on Alcatraz Island		 The lighthouse overlooking San Francisco on Alcatraz Island
The lighthouse overlooking San Francisco on Alcatraz Island		 Outside view of the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Outside view of the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
The prison morgue below the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
The prison morgue below the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 View inside the prison morgue on Alcatraz Island
View inside the prison morgue on Alcatraz Island		 “ALCATRAZ” painted on the roof of the prison warehouse on Alcatraz Island
“ALCATRAZ” painted on the roof of the prison warehouse on Alcatraz Island		 Warehouse with the stack from the power plant behind it on Alcatraz Island
Warehouse with the stack from the power plant behind it on Alcatraz Island		 The Guardhouse and Sally Port entrance on Alcatraz Island
The Guardhouse and Sally Port entrance on Alcatraz Island
View of San Francisco from Alcatraz Island
View of San Francisco from Alcatraz Island		 Stairway leading toward the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island
Stairway leading toward the cellhouse on Alcatraz Island		 The guard tower on Alcatraz Island
The guard tower on Alcatraz Island		 Ruins of the warden’s house and the lighthouse on Alcatraz Island
Ruins of the warden’s house and the lighthouse on Alcatraz Island		 View of San Francisco from the tour boat returning from Alcatraz Island
View of San Francisco from the tour boat returning from Alcatraz Island

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Guest 01-Oct-2018 02:05
Nice picture you've photographically painted for us. Thanks for sharing.
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