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San Francisco
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco
I had planned in ample time to walk to Fisherman's Wharf from my motel on Lombard Street, so I still had time to have pancakes at a nearby IHOP before taking the boat to Alcatraz.
It had been overcast until then and there had even been a few raindrops, but as the boat approached the island the clouds began clearning up and the sun came out just in time for my tour of the island. I opted for a ranger-led tour, since this always seems to be the best way to get information you would otherwise miss out on. Turns out the ranger tour also accesses a few areas that are otherwise blocked to the general public.
After the ranger tour (which concentrates on the outside and auxiliary buildings), I made it into the main prison building, which was impressive. I spent some time looking into the individual prison cells, wondering how authentic they were kept - one of them had a hole just like the one used in the movie "Escape from Alcatraz", so I wondered whether parts of the movie had been shot on location, or if someone thought it would be a good idea to create that false authenticity.
I completed my tour by walking the "bird island" part of Alcatraz, which is surprisingly green.
After taking the boat back to San Francisco, I took a Cable Car downtown.Visited Union Square, trekked through China Town, revisited Lombard Street (where I took more pictures), then hiked back to my motel.
Accommodation: Econo Lodge (San Francisco, CA): $60
Short summary written September 2nd 2003, modified May 21st 2005.