We took a vacation to the city of San Fransisco and saw some beautiful sites and landmarks. One that impressed me was our tour of Alcatraz!! It was such a worthwhile stop and one that I will never forget. The view of the city from the island, the feeling of entering an eerie place in history, and the firsthand look at the prison living quarters was an awesome experience.

Has anyone else stopped here? San Fransisco's the place to go!!

NO!!!!! I love a good spook show but I'll have to pass on Alcatraz. :lol:

We stopped there a few years ago...my kids were younger...and they loved it..LOL. I loved all the history and the tours....very interesting peice of information. I actually loved san Fransisco. I live in WA state and it reminded me a bit of Seattle in way...the smells, the water and teh whole feeling of it...I felt like it was a part of home to me.

Haven't been there but always wanted to go. Your pics are awesome.

It is a beautiful ride out there :D Thank you for sharing :D:D:D

Never been but... did see the movie.
I would think it would be fascinating!!!!
We went to a local prison here in Maine when it closed.
It was kind of a chilling experience!!
But the history was intriging!!
To be there is quite different than seeing it in the movie's

I lived in SF bay area for 13 years. Been there quite a few times. It is freaky but worth the trip. Lots of walking up hill though.

The pictures I posted are ones I found on google images. I did not have a digital camera at the time, but my 35mm took great pics. I agree with the hill climbing, but so worth it!

Oh, the hill climbing was not good for bad knees, but we had all day to get up that hill and I will never regret it. It was so interesting and I could feel the ghosts. When we went there a few years ago an old fellow who had been a guard there had written a book about it and was there to sign the book and answer questions. That made it even more interesting.

And, as far as San Fransisco is concerned, I can see why Tony left his heart there....I totally loved it and all the fog and the bridges and all, and couldn't get enough of the whole city. Beautiful and fun.

We were there many years ago when my nephew was stationed in San Fransisco with the Army. As a part time job he gave tours of Alcatraz. It was very interesting. We have a picture of my DH and I in a jail cell. Didn't have a digital camera then but did take lots of pics.

Lots of walking but so worth it. The cells were creepy. And the dining area, seemed like the prisoners just left. A must see when in San Francisco. Then have a crab sandwich after.

I was born in SF and lived in the East Bay until I was 14 when my parents moved across country. I ended up staying on the East Coast. I am dating myself here.... I can vaguely remember as a small child when it was still open and recall the specific escape that made them decide to close it down. Inmates had tunneled through the concrete walls with teaspoons because the elements of the bay had deteriorated it so. I more clearly recall the Indian occupation of it and also when the last few holdouts were forcibly removed.
I have not gotten back to the bay area as often as I would like and have yet to tour Alcatraz. There is so much to see and do in that area but doing a tour of "The Rock" is definitely at the top of my list for the next visit.

Another exciting thing we did was to ride the cable car! I did't realize how steep these roads were!! We had so much fun that day! :-D

Yes, I've been to Alcatraz. I thought it was fascinating. I really liked the self-guided tour using the headphones as we walked through. So much better than being at the back of a crowd unable to hear the tour guide.
San Francisco is such a fun city to visit...lot's to do there.

Yes, I was there about 3 years ago now. And had watched the movie a few years or so before we went, so was able to picture the inmates actually being there. It seems so small, considering how many were there.
And it was unbelievable to me, how small the cells were!!

We visited it when we live in Mountain View, about 17 years ago. 2 of my children were too young and don't really remember going there.

Yes - we did go there - it was really quite eerie! One could almost FEEL the souls that resided there and the evil. It really has alot of history - are they planning on cleaning it up at all?? It was taken over by native Americans quite a few years ago. We enjoyed it somewhat but not something we would ever do again.

I don't know if they are planning to clean it up, but I think it would take away from it's originality or something like that. Sorta like an antique, it's worth more in the original state. Aren't quilts like that too?
I believe when it was taken over by the Indian group it suffered some damage.
I like your pics MollieSue, thanks for sharing. :D

I visited Alcatraz many years ago while in SF for a confrence. It impressed this Texan.

thanks for sharing the pictures, I have never been there but would love to visit sometime

"If you go to San Francisco, wear some flowers in your hair..." During the "Summer of Love", that would work.

If you go to San Francisco in 2010, be sure to keep your eyes on where you're walking...you may have to clean "stuff" off your shoes. I'm not referencing chewing gum.

Also, keep your pockets closed as pickpockets are rampant and panhandlers sit, stand, and lie everywhere.

For the last 28 years I have lived on the east side of SF Bay. Until just a few years ago, we had season tix to the SF Symphony for 15 years. My husband and I finally said, "Enough!" to the crud, the smells, the mess, the high prices, and the political correctness of the town. We have watched San Francisco deteriorate at warp-speed. The place is a mess and the sidewalks stink!

My friend, who grew up in SF in the 40's and 50's, tells me about wearing a hat, gloves, nice dress, and shoes to go shopping downtown (Union Square), how the business men wore a hat with their business suit and tie, etc. Now, you are just as likely to see someone half naked parading and prancing around...be they male or female...and not just in Union Square.

"Local color" is fine, but San Francisco continues to take it extremes. Ah, but for some thrill seekers, that's the charm of San Franciso. It's not a Rice-A-Roni commercial...although "ding! ding!" could be an apt description.

And yes, I put my money where my mouth is. We do not support anything in San Franciso by going there. The only time we may go there is if we have visitors who want to go. Generally, what we do is give them a few good maps, directions to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), or directions on how to take the ferry from Jack London Square in Oakland to the Ferry Building in SF, and then take a GrayLine tour of the city or take the cable cars to the tourist sites.

There was a time when I was enchanted by San Franciso. Not any more. It's grubby, expensive, and it smells (and I don't mean ocean breezes, either).

I like SF. I have visited Alcatraz and it left a strong impression on me. It allows you to put yourself in the shoes of the prisoners. It must have been pretty difficult to be so close to a beautiful city, to be able to see it clearly but not be able to leave the prison. Alcatraz was a special kind of hell.

We lived in the bay area in the 1970s. Had gone to SF several times and saw most of the sites. Fisherman's Warrf, Crookedist Street, Chinatown, Coit Tower. But sadly never made the trip to Alcatraz.