After eight years of trips to Northern California to visit with the kids, finding new things to do can be challenging particularly when you factor the age differences of the kids. One place we had not yet been to and they agreed would be fun is Alcatraz. It was truly a picture perfect San Francisco day and a perfect day for a short trip across the bay. After lunch at Wipeout on the oh so commercial Pier 39 with its $7 an hour parking in which Meghan was served a beer instead of an Ice Tea. Only when she added sugar and it exploded did dear old dad realize that the Ice Tea was in a huge Pilsner glass and had no ice or lemons. Must have been jet lag. I messed up the lighting, but here are the very excited children on the boat.
It is quite a climb from the dock to the cell house which led to the requisite but short lived whining. Later when asked Meghan to grade the trip she rated it an 8. She said the hills were the only thing that kept it from being a nine. Compared to the 2 she gives the Train Museum, that is a resounding endorsement.
Once up at the cell house they had a very nice self guided audio tour. Rarely is the kids attention held for so long. We got to learn and see about the various escape attempts including the cells with the broken vents as immortalized in the Clint Eastwood movie, Escape From Alcatraz. We also got to see the Recreation Yard, Dining Area, Library and many other areas. The National Park Service has put together an excellent exhibit and it is easy to understand why over one million people visit Alcatraz every year.
Many things were destroyed by fire in 1970 including the Warden’s House and the Officer Club. This time frame coincided with the Indian occupation of Alcatraz that began in 1969 and ran for 19 months.
Walking around the island made me want to go home and watch The Rock and Escape From Alcatraz immediately. We all had a great time and I highly recommend the trip to anyone. Hopefully you’ll have as nice of day as we did to visit.
Other activities during the visit included a touch football game and a trip to Scandia Family Fun center where Meghan won the jackpot on the spinning light game yet AGAIN. It must be the hours of Guitar Hero because it is uncanny how every time we run into that machine she takes the Jackpot. Ryan and I played several rousing games of air hockey also. All in all it was a good visit. It is really nice being only one time zone and a two hour flight away so that weekend trips are much more feasible.