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| From the Alacatraz boat looking back towards Fisherman's Wharf and the city |
This morning we were up early (7.30) so that we could get the first boat to Alcatraz. That was amazing. Approaching it across the water was definitely foreboding. It was really interesting, with a superb audio tour to accompany you and guide you round. Fab views of SF bay and Golden Gate bridge. The whole place is just fascinating - especially with so much popular history and legend attached to it. Certain places inside the jailhouse were certainly eerie, particularly the solitary confinement cells; both of us had strange chills while standing in one, and I remember feeling relieved when I noticed that the barred doors had chains on them to keep them open. The audio tour mentioned above really enhanced the atmosphere, as it was narrated by ex-prison officers and reformed prisoners (after the experience of Alcatraz!), had recordings of interviews with inmates and also had background recordings of the cells doors shutting, of riots and clattering mugs as new prisoners were brought in. It also got pretty cold while standing outside on the bluffs - the wind really iced you up inside, and looking down at the rocks, and sea currents (which you could see in the patterns on the water's surface) really brought it home how desperate some prisoners must have felt to attempt the 1 1/2 mile swim to the shore. Some of the more poignant recordings of the cons were related to SF directly - saying that if the wind was in the right direction on big 'party days' (for instance New Year's eve) they could hear the sounds of merriment and voices. The recreation yard was fairly small although was probably a bit of a sun trap at certain times of the year, giving the prisoners some welcome respite from the cold, damp and draft of the prison itself; even inside the main block there seemed to be very little protection from the Bay winds, giving you the impression that it was a thoroughly miserable place to be and not just because your freedoms were suppressed.
After lunch (at a restaurant called Scoma's) we hired 2 bikes to go from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate bridge itself, cycle across it and into Sausalito on the other side and get the ferry back. The ride was around 8 miles, completed in 2 hours or so. The winds whipping across the bridge made it slightly more taxing than both of us thought necessary but it was well worth it. Fantastic to actually be there and so close to such a world-renowned landmark, but sadly I imagine that your average San Franciscan barely sees it any more. People tend to tune out things that are familiar, but as a visitor, it really is impressive. Much longer than it looks too. As we came down the other side, we'd been told that it was all downhill to Sausalito. While this was true initially, it quickly became apparent that this was as big a fib as it was perhaps possible to be, making it necessary to go up a hill almost as large as the one on the other side to get to the bridge proper. Despite this, we made it to the ferry with 5 minutes to spare - otherwise would have had to have waited around another 90 minutes for the next one as well as missing an easy bike return. The sun was setting over the bridge on the ferry back which was absolutely glorious and profiling Alcatraz in shadow. You can see why people rave about SF bay.
Another relatively minor point that San Franciscans perhaps don't notice any more, was the experience of travelling on their trams, confusingly called cable cars. (When I first heard this, I could have sworn I hadn't noticed any large towers suspending cables and it took me a while to associate that that's what they meant). This was great fun, and when busy, the drivers encouraged punters (i.e. B and I) to hang off the running boards holding on while it rattled and clanked up and down those famous hills. Not a health and safety officer in sight.
The lunch that day, incidentally, was distinctly average. As we've got further into the interior of the States, more and more we have been thinking that it was worse than average. A lunch we had a Denny's (on 21/1/12) on the road was better than that lunch, and at roughly a tenth of the cost. Scoma's, alternately christened Scummo's, Scammo's or Smuggo's, depending on the time of day and depth of feeling, has certainly been on the receiving end of some pretty strong language.
