Welcome to The Rock

Connery & Cage 

Title above is famously uttered by Sean Connery in 1996 film with Nick Cage. Many folks in California never make a trip to Alcatraz. Obviously for those over 60 it was a prison they can remember being operational and for guys in law enforcement it is just another jail. But for me, it was quite a memorable historic National Park. Obviously the only way in and out is via boat, and ferry tickets aren't that cheap, but entrance to the island and a high-quality audio tour are included. We took the early bird slot so we could be the first tourists of the day, and have other attractions less crowded upon return.

At Pier 33 there is a meticulously crafted model of Alcatraz that gets you psyched up for it more so than wandering through the obligatory cafe & gift shop. Eliz and AA had also never been, so that added to the excitement. Upon arrival the Park Service gave us a perfunctory spiel before our hike up to the actual prison. This time of year many seagulls are tending to their hatchlings, so the ladies made sure we paused for photos of the little chicks on our hike up.

Once inside the prison you get a feel for how desolate it really was. The tour is marvelously narrated by real guards and cons who served time on the Rock. My favorite bit was seeing the cells where 3 inmates enlarged their ventilation holes big enough to crawl through, then escaped over the roof and out into San Francisco Bay. Clint Eastwood's 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz gives a plausible storyline. No bodies were ever recovered, and the FBI has no idea where the fugitives may have gone. I'm of the persuasion that the cons had a boat waiting and that they retired to South America. We'll never know.

Among other highlights is a photo board with Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Robert Stroud and others. Also interesting is a spot on the floor with freckled concrete: tell-tale signs of grenade explosions during a riot. I think America has a lot to improve upon in our criminal justice system. Frivolous cable TV and weight rooms, with draconian drug charge sentencing... I really don't get it. We do a lot of things right in America, but letting violent offenders out early and locking up tax cheats, marijuana smokers and the like makes no sense to me. I think America is like a ladder with no top and no bottom. If you screw up and are middle class, you'll pay for it. If you're uber-rich or very poor there is no justice. That is my $0.02 so your mileage may vary.