Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island is one of the top tourist destinations in the San Francisco Bay area. As part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, it is protected under the umbrella of the National Park Service along with John Muir Woods National Monument, Marin Headlands, Presidio and Angel Island State Park.

The boat ride to Alcatraz was a quick trip via Alcatraz Cruises from Pier 33. My sisters-in-law and I enjoyed the sea breezes and view of San Francisco from the wind and solar powered vessel.

The view of The Golden Gate bridge from the water just as the sun began its descent was beautiful, just as the view of the skyline from the island was. For a prison, Alcatraz was situated in a particularly beautiful place.

But it’s most well known for its years as a maximum security penitentiary (1934-1963). Some of the nations most infamous criminals spent years of their life at Alcatraz, including the likes of Al Capone and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud.

I was especially impressed with the audio tour of the facility, narrated by past prison guards and prisoners. It was like stepping into the pages of history, listening to the stories of escape atttempts and daily prison life.

It strikes me as a little odd that Alcatraz Island is now a National Park. Why do we as Americans find the prison society interesting enough to warrent making it into a tourist destination?

Truthfully, walking the halls and examining the vacant cells reminded me of how lonely and boring life in jail must be.  In general prisoners days were filled with monotony and tedium, hardly something tintillating enough for the average population to revere.  However, I could not deny my intense interest in Alcatraz, even a voyeuristic fascination of it.