|
|
|
|
I normally do not do a one day trip on my web site of my World Travels but some places are interesting on their own merits. Alcatraz is one of them and the history and moods of the prison and various weather patterns are interesting. I work as a volunteer with the Community Access Ticket service and the Central YMCA and make arrangements with the agency to obtain free tickets to events for seniors. We get free cruise tickets to Alcatraz from time to time so I thought I would take advantage of the free service. Such a job at the YMCA with benefits. I have lived in San Francisco for 50 years this fall. I came in the fall of 1963 and now it is 2013, who would have thought! I did go to Alcatraz for the first time on November 7th, 2007 with my friend Viviane who then was living in Beverly Hills. She visited me and said she had a surprise for me! She laughed and said it was a night cruise to Alcatraz. Well it was foggy as you can see by the montage I created from that visit! Check out the link below to access the photos of the cruise to Alcatraz.
Native Americans kept well away from the island, calling it "Evil Island" and believing it to be cursed. The first Spaniard to document the island was Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775, who charted San Francisco Bay and named one of the three islands he identified as the "La Isla de los Alcatraces," which translates as "The Island of the Pelicans,"from the archaic Spanish alcatraz (in English: "pelican"), a loan word from Arabic القطرس al-qaṭrās, meaning Albatross. Over the years, the English version "Alcatraz" became popular and is now widely used. In August 1827, French Captain Auguste Bernard Duhaut-Cilly wrote "...running past Alcatraces (Pelicans) Island...covered with a countless number of these birds. A gun fired over the feathered legions caused them to fly up in a great cloud and with a noise like a hurricane." The California Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) is not known to nest on the island today. The Spanish put a few small buildings on the island, little else. |
Sailing from San Francisco to Alcatraz
This
was my morning view from my apartment on the 28th floor! A full
moon to start out the day!
Trish,
Daniel, Helen and Chuck Our
trusty Captain
Leaving Pier 33 A
Cruise Ship in Port
San Francisco & Alcatraz from the
Boat
The
Beautiful City by the Bay
Approaching Alcatraz around 11:00 A.M.
Landing at Alcatraz Pier ~ Tiburon Island in the Distance
Alcatraz from the East
Looking North to the Island of Tiburon - In Spanish Shark - this is
where the expensive homes are with great views!
Entering Alcatraz - Main Cell Block - Gardener's Shack
Entrance
to the Jail
Looking
North, the Main Jail Cells
The original Gardener's shack,
still used today!
Main Jail
Cells - West Side of Island
The Main Cell Block
Broadway by the Bay
I didn't
realize the cells were that small!
Help!
Let me
out of here!
Golden Gate Bridge and American Cup Boats Practicing
The
Golden Gate Bridge with the American Cup boats Tacking in the Wind, what
a sight!
We
live in such a Fantastic City by the Bay!
Beautiful
Schooner Sailing By.
Sailing by the American Cup - End
of the Finish Line When Racing
This is
the Home Base of the American Cup. This will replace the old Ship
Terminal.
These
are some of the racing boats!
More of the racing boats!
The
Italian Boat
After a Day Tour of Alcatraz and the American Cup Exhibits, We took a break at the Wine Cafe!
I love
this area of the American Cup Finals, real leather upholstery, Trish
said this is like a chair in Alice in Wonderland!
Our boat to Alcatraz left at 11:30
a.m. We were worried if it might be cold as is normal for our
summer weather. We got to the island and the sun came out and no
wind! We couldn't believe it. We had a great time and I even
ended up getting sunburned!
.
.
The
American Cup & Chuck!
Created on: 2013.09.06
Updated on: 2020.09.10