Escape to Alcatraz: Travel to the Bay Area

When most people hear "Alcatraz" they think "prison," and that is certainly some of the most interesting stuff of the legend. Make no mistake, just walking around in this imposing, if decrepit building will give you the creeps--even knowing how long it's been empty of bad guys. But there is still much more history among the shambling ruins on the island off San Francisco's Pier 41.

Pier 41 is adjacent to the chaos of Fisherman's Wharf and the constant foot traffic that San Francisco is famous for, from souvenir shops to chowder served on the street in bowls made from sourdough bread. But being on the boat, headed for the island, the sea gulls hovering off the stern, is a much more tranquil tourist experience.

Long before it was an officially recognized prison, Alcatraz was home to Native American tribes. Ohlone (a Miwok Indian word meaning "western people"), lived in the coastal area between Point Sur and the San Francisco Bay. Historians believe that the island was used to isolate or ostracize tribal members who had violated a tribal law or taboo, as a camping spot, an area for gathering foods, especially bird eggs and sea-life, and that Alcatraz was utilized also as a hiding place for many Indians attempting to escape from the California Mission system.

Following the Indian occupation, Alcatraz Island became a fortress intended to defend California against the Confederacy during the Civil War. It was never actually attacked and its weapons became obsolete. It was then seen as an excellent place for holding military prisoners and later civilian convicts as well.

In the 1960s, a movement to reclaim the island for native people sprang up. There were three occupations of the island, two of which were very brief. The third was staged by Richard Oakes, a Mohawk Indian, on November 9 1969. Oakes and a group of Indian supporters set out in a chartered boat, the Monte Cristo, to symbolically claim the island for the Indian people. Realizing the potential for a long-term protest-or sit-in--Oakes left the island for the American Indian Studies Center at UCLA where he recruited Indian students to return with him to Alcatraz. On November 20, 1969, this symbolic occupation turned into a full scale occupation which lasted until June 11, 1971 and is still considered the longest occupation of a federal facility by Indian people.

Today, Alcatraz Island is part of the State Park system. A variety of tours are available throughout the year, including evening tours, the proceeds from which go directly to support Alcatraz. Evening visits feature park guide-led tours to the cellhouse, the award-winning 35-minute audio tour, Alcatraz Map & Guide, special programs on a variety of Alcatraz topics, and terrific views of the San Francisco skyline. Guided walking tours are offered throughout the day by NPS rangers and volunteers on many themes including military history, famous inmates, escapes, natural history and the Indian occupation. Some of the most interesting history you'll learn on the tour is what didn't happen at Alcatraz.

It's about 1/4 mile from the dock to the cellhouse at the top of the island--about a thirteen-story climb. Visitors unable to make the climb up Alcatraz's steep road may take advantage of SEAT (Sustainable Easy Access Transport), an electric shuttle, which runs once an hour from the dock to the cellhouse, and once an hour from the cellhouse to the dock. Also be advised, it gets pretty windy on the island so a jacket is recommended for excursions at anytime of day or year. In the summertime, tours may sell out a week or more in advance, so it's a good idea to purchase tickets in advance (Blue & Gold Fleet at 415-705-5555).

Once you've escaped from Alcatraz, it's just a short walk from Pier 41 to the Pier 39 shopping center and the Aquarium of the Bay. Described as "a descent into the hidden world of life under San Francisco Bay," this attraction is less impressive by far than the Steinhart Aquarium, but a fascinating place to see nonetheless. A moving walkway guides visitors through two 300 foot tunnels with clear ceilings and walls. Surrounded by 700,000 gallons of filtered Bay water and more than 23,000 aquatic animals, the effect is of strolling underwater in San Francisco Bay among bat rays, angel sharks, and even an elusive giant pacific octopus. In the tide pool exhibit, you can touch live bat rays, leopard sharks, as well as sea stars, anemones, and other tide pool life.

Outside the shopping center and below the Sea Lion Café, hundreds of sea lions gather to wrestle and sunbathe, entertaining the ever-present crowd of onlookers. It's also a great location from which to photograph Alcatraz Island as the sun sets on your day in and over the Bay.

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