San Francisco Travel: An Exhilarating Ride On A Cable Car And A Trip To Fascinating Alcatraz

Finally we were treated to another gorgeous day with bright blue skies -- our last day in San Francisco

. From the historic Queen Anne Hotel we took the bus downtown to famous Union Square, location of all sorts of fancy retail stores. Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Nordstrom and many other upscale stores and boutiques make this a magnet for the true shopoholics. So far we had had extensive exposure to San Francisco's public transport system, but we had left the real highlight for the last day: a ride on one of the famous San Francisco cable cars!

We hopped on at the corner of Powell and Geary Streets and started to enjoy the outdoor experience on this moving historic landmark. The cable car was so full I was literally hanging outside the vehicle and did not have enough space to turn my body around. I kept thinking to myself how ironic it was that in virtually every other kind of vehicle you have to stay seated and strapped into your safety belts. But here in San Francisco you can literally let it all hang out! What a great experience on this gorgeous day - it really brought out the kid in all of us.

Our charming driver Rufus kept the whole car entertained and compared his job to being a supervisor at an adult day care centre. How true! Riding the San Francisco cable cars definitely brings out the playful and adventurous spirit in everyone, regardless of age. He even let us off at the top of Lombard Street to give us a quick peak at "the world's crookedest street" before he rang his bell, and we had to run to jump back onto the moving vehicle. The cable car ride was one of the absolute highlights of our San Francisco experience!

Once arrived in the Fisherman's Wharf area we strolled south, past Pier 39 with its lazy sea lions and the various colourful flower beds of Tulipmania. Our destination was Pier 33 where we caught a boat across to another one of San Francisco's great destinations: Alcatraz Island!

Right at 11 am we started chugging across the bay to Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz Cruises is the only cruise company that takes you across to Alcatraz Island and lets you off on the island which is now part of the National Park Service.It takes just about 10 to 15 minutes to get across to this infamous island. During our boat trip we enjoyed a beautiful view of downtown San Francisco, the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and the mountainous communities on the north and east side of San Francisco Bay.

We arrived at the ferry dock where a National Park Ranger provided us with a brief overview of things to see and do on the island. We then took in a 15 minute video that gave us a great summary of the island and its fascinating history. From 1850 onwards, Alcatraz Island was the location of a citadel, and it also housed the first lighthouse on the West Coast, built in 1854. In 1909 it became a military prison and in 1933 it finally was converted into the notorious maximum security penitentiary that it is known for all over the world.

Starting my walk, I stopped in a room that displays posters and information about the 1969 to 1971 Native American Occupation of Alcatraz. I then snapped photos all along my walk to the famous Cell Blocks and caught some gorgeous views across the bay. I admit I was morbidly fascinated by the run-down morgue that held deceased prisoners from 1933 to 1963, the year the prison was finally closed. The focal point of any trip to Alcatraz is a visit of the four cellblocks that housed 390 cells, all designed for single prisoners, which actually provided better conditions than many other penitentiaries of the time.

After getting equipped with headsets and a recorder, I followed the excellent narration of the audio tour that featured the voices of real former prison guards and former inmates. Alcatraz is a truly fascinating destination, and the stories of its famous inmates (Al Capone, Robert Stroud -- the Birdman of Alcatraz, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and many others) make your hair stand on end. The audio tour provided a fabulous self-guided experience where you could stop and linger at any of the destinations to look at them up close. I stopped frequently and snapped hundreds of pictures of this unique place.

The tour features many noteworthy stops, including the large dining room and kitchen, the intake-area where new inmates got changed from their street clothing into prison garb, the prison library and the main cellblocks with their tiny cells, all equipped with a metal bunk, a small wash basin and toilet bowl. The corridor separating cellblocks B and C is named Broadway; another corridor is called Michigan Avenue, and the area in front of the dining room was referred to as Times Square. Several of the cells were furnished to show what they would have looked like when the prison was still in operation. The location of the famous 1942 Battle of Alcatraz and the cells where several prison guards were killed was signposted.

The cells housing Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, location of the most famous escape attempt in Alcatraz' history, were also furnished to provide an authentic demonstration of the escape. The cells showcased the papier-mach dummies that these inmates used to disguise their disappearance. I could also see the small tunnels, hand-carved with metal spoons, which successfully took the prisoners into an unguarded utility tunnel and from there off the island. The three prisoners or their bodies were never found, and to this day there are diverging theories that presume that the escaped inmates either drowned or made their way all across to Latin America. An episode of the Discovery Channel's "MythBusters" TV series proved that the escape could have indeed succeeded.

I also examined the Control Room and the visitation area as well as the outside space at the southern end of the cell block building which features a lighthouse and the ruins of the former Warden's House which burned down in 1970. The stark outline of these ruins against the bright blue sky created an eerie yet beautiful impression. After checking out the many souvenirs in the gift shop I made my way back down to the ferry dock, past another set of ruined buildings which include the recreation hall and the Coast Guard quarter. There is a real mystique to this place, and the lingering spirit of history is palpable.

Just before 2 pm we caught another ferry back to the mainland, because we needed to squeeze in one final adventure into our packed San Francisco schedule: we were going to spend our last few hours in this city on another bike ride. This time our destination was Golden Gate Park.

by: Susanne Pacher

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