Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 23.

Indeed, I saw the inside of a Prison Cell.

In the album below is one picture of me standing inside a prison cell. I looked worried and troubled. Did I have trouble with the law while I was in the USA? Not at all. Rather, I was one of many tourists who visited Alcatraz, a disused penitentiary that is now the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Approaching Alcatraz on the Ferry.

Past inmates referred to the prison as The Rock, as it was built on a remote rocky island within San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles off the San Francisco coastline. Opened in 1934, it closed permanently in 1963 after just 29 years of service, when inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin managed to escape from the top-security jail. Since those three were never seen again, it was concluded that they drowned in the chilly waters of the Bay.

America's most infamous convicts were housed in Alcatraz. They include,

John "Machine Gun" Kelly - Kidnapping,

Al "Scarface" Capone  - Tax Evasion,

Robert Stroud "Birdman of Alcatraz" - Manslaughter, Murder,

Meyer "Mickey" Cohen - Racketeering,

Alvin "Creepy" Kerpis - Kidnapping, Bank Robbery,

Arthur "Doc" Barker - Kidnapping.

On show, there is a panel showing the faces of these six convicts and their crimes. The pic I took of them is also featured in the album below.

Each cell was fronted by railings, probably the origin of the phrase, "Behind Bars". When it was mealtimes and other daily occasions, the door slid open to let the man out, and closed behind him. When he wanted to re-enter his cell, the door slid open and then closed behind him. Each cell door, I believe, was activated by a mechanism controlled by a nearby guard.

Hence my feeling of unease as I stood inside one of the cells. The fear of the door suddenly sliding shut, imprisoning me. And that despite that by 1995, all the cell doors were cemented in place, making it impossible for them to move. Nearly all of them were sealed shut. But the one or two left purposely open were also cemented in place.

It was afterwards that I read that the prison was haunted by the dead for their past transgressions. The kitchen and dining room were notorious for violence between the inmates, also, several convicts were shot dead by the U.S. Marines in their attempt to quell a rebellion, which ended the lives of a few guards. As I stood inside the cell to have my picture taken, the oppression I felt in the air, could it have been supernatural?

Therefore, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief when I boarded the last ferry sailing back to the wharfs of the city. Indeed, to walk inside a disused penitentiary turned into a tourist hotspot was a unique experience. Yet, right now, I have heard rumours that their current President, Donald Trump, wishes to restore the prison to its original full use. No doubt, should the project go ahead, it would be a massive one, as some of its buildings are already crumbling, the warden's house completely burnt out, and paint was peeling from the walls and ceilings of some of its cells. With the effort to rebuild the facilities, along with the cost and the time needed, I have wondered whether Trump's dream would ever see the light of day, not to mention the loss of revenue brought in by tourism.

A meeting with a long-standing friend.

During the early nineties, a group of us often met in one of our homes. It was an after-service social meeting of unmarried Christian men from several churches. With coffee and Jaffa Cakes more or less mandatory for each host to provide, one of the group was Bill. However, around 1992 or 1993, Bill decided to move to California and settled in San Mateo with his wife or partner. But even after his Transatlantic move, he kept in touch with us and kept us updated. 

When Bill learned that I was about to enter the USA and call at San Francisco, he was keen to see me and take me out for the day. Thus, meeting with a friend in the San Francisco area was not the first time. In 1977, on my first visit to the area, I stayed with Valentino at an American home where the Italian student lived for the duration of his gap year. This time, 18 years later, I was to spend a day together after he collected me from the hostel to drive me to his home in a district around 20 miles south of the city.

At his home, he introduced me to his wife, and we spent some time together before Bill and I decided to drive south along the California coastline to Bean Hollow State Beach, around 30 miles south of his home in San Mateo. The route he chose took in the Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir, a ribbon lake that literally sits on the San Andreas Fault. After we arrived at Bean Hollow State Beach, he parked his car at a small car park, and together we strolled along the combined sand and rocky beach.

This stretch of coastline was looked to be unknown to the average tourist. Rather, it was an undeveloped stretch of coast which was deserted of people. Yet, strolling along its rugged wilderness was a contrast to the hustle and bustle of city life. But the wilderness also had its downsides. Accidentally touching some of its native bushes could irritate the skin to the extent that treatment would have been required. Furthermore, we encountered several dead seals lying washed up on the beach, their decaying corpses exposing their rib cages. I contrasted them to those in captivity at SeaWorld.

For the full Biography of this visit, click here for the Index link to Weeks 70-72.

Photos of the Alcatraz Visit.

The Ferry leaves San Francisco City.

A good view of the Bay Bridge as seen from the Ferry.

After arrival, I was about to enter.

The prison chapel.

Times Square.

The Broadway.

A typical cell interior.

Convict's pastime items.

Feeling uneasy in a cell.

Example of jail rules.

In these cells, there is no privacy. 

The isolation wing.

The shower room where the water remains hot

The Dining room, at times, the scene of violence.

The kitchen.

Al Capone was here. Note the flaking paint.

Guns and ammunition stores.

The cells never backed onto the outside wall.

Kelly, Capone, Shroud, Cohen, Kerpis, and Barker. 

Rules concerning haircuts and facial hair were banned.

Battle of Alcatraz, 1946. All but one were killed or executed.

The Exercise Yard.

The Lighthouse and the burnt-out warden's home.

The water cistern with the Bay beyond.

San Francisco as seen from Alcatraz Island.

Another view of the City.

How Alcatraz looks out to the Pacific Ocean.

I watch a ferry from Sausalito sail past.

We sail back to the Wharf.

A Sausalito boat also sails alongside ours.

A car ride south along the coast with a friend.

Bill and I meet.

We arrive at Bean Hollow State Beach.

We had a long stroll along the beach.

The Pacific Ocean rolls onto the lip of the USA.

One moment we tread on smooth sand...

The next moment, we scramble over the rocks.

Is that Bill or me? It's me. I'm wearing the shorts.

This is Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir.

The Lake covers a short section of the San Andreas Fault.

The main album for the 1995 backpacking holiday across the USA has concluded. The following six photos are a recap of the whole holiday.

St Louis, Missouri, from the Arch Lookout.

Battleship Rock, the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Papago Gardens, Phoenix, Arizona.

Horton Plaza, San Diego California.

Toontown, Disneyland, California.

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

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The 1995 Album is now complete.

Next Week, the start of the 1997 Round the World, beginning in Singapore.