Escape from Alcatraz

Jul 23rd. One of the reasons for staying a bit longer in SF than I originally intended was to get to go to Alcatraz and see the infamous prison island of Alcatraz - Home to such notable prisoners as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. The tours are massively oversubscribed so I did well getting one. The island itself sits menacingly in the centre of the bay only 1/4 of a mile from SF harbour. The prison itself is really run down and is home to 5000 seagulls as there are no predators there. Walking around the island gives an insight into the place and what it must of been like when it was a prison - Being able to look over the harbour and see all the landmarks of SF just there but unreachable is torture in itself. I take an audio tour around the cell block and hear about escape stories, ex prisoners and some of the events that took place. There were only ever 3 escapees from the place as detailed in the Clint Eastwood film 'Escape from Alcatraz'. It is believed that the men drowned though and no trace of there bodies was ever found. The mugshot of Al Capone is amusing - he looks like Danny DeVito after snorting helium. His brain was rotted by syphillis by this time. A spooky and eerie place.
Pictures (Left) - View of the island just as we are about to dock, (Right) - The Welcome sign, (Bottom) - The lighthouse and US flag tower over the island.