#pier 33

Alcatraz Island

San Francisco, California

At Pier 33 visiting a friend.  

Basking in the sun, with the cool seabreeze creating ideal temperatures, a sunny island off of the coast of California sounds like the perfect oasis. It’s clearly visible from the big city but far enough away to escape the grinds of daily life. But perceptions can be deceiving. Today, you can lose yourself staring at the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco and see a large island in the distance. Instead of beautiful homes sitting on the shore, the remains of one of the most infamous penitentiaries in American history calls Alcatraz home. The prison shut down in 1963 and has since become a site that the general public can tour. You can explore the former grounds through an audio tour of the prison. The island, now operated by the National Park Service, also offers night tours of the prison (a little too scary for me) and ranger-led tours of the island, including highlights of the natural habitants of Alcatraz. The island has not simply served as the resting spot for the penitentiary, famously documented in film and television. Prior to the opening of the prison, there was a long-standing military use of the land and following the closure in 1969 it was occupied in protest by American Indians. In fact, from the moment you arrive at the island you will see evidence of this. To find out more about the island and what it has to offer check out http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm. My Alcatraz tour tip: BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in San Francisco and it does sell out. When I visited in May 2012 and went to Pier 33 there were no available sailings to the island for three consecutive days. The island is only accessible by boat…so if your heart is set on going and to avoid disappointment, make sure to buy your tickets before your trip.

There is only one official site where you can ensure your tickets are legitimate (http://alcatrazcruises.com/). If you decide to buy from other sites you run the risk of being sold invalid tickets or pay inflated prices. The boat departs from Pier 33 and it is recommend you show up approximately 30 minutes before the sailing time indicated on your ticket…you don’t want to miss that boat (Did I mention getting over there is popular?). Depending on when your sailing time is, I would suggest taking the opportunity to explore a bit of the waterfront on the San Francisco side either before or after your Alcatraz trip. Pier 39, for instance, is a short jaunt away and is home to hundreds of sea lions that rest on the wharf in addition to restaurants, shopping and even a carousel.

Once you finally get on the boat to sail towards Alcatraz don’t fret if you don’t have the ideal seat. People move around to take images and will likely block you at some point anyways. People are extremely concerned with capturing the perfect image on the way there, I have a feeling they forget you can get it on the way back as well. So if you don’t get your National Geographic cover shot on the first leg of the trip, remember you’ll get a second chance.