Time off for Good Behaviour

Today I went to Alcatraz, possibly one of the best things I've done in the US. I was half expecting to be a bit bored and to rush through the cellblock just glancing at the info cards like I usually end up doing in museums (with the exception of GOMA which I always enjoy) but I was completely engrossed in the whole thing.

The boat takes about 20 minutes to sail the mile and a half to the island and you're greeted by a tour guide who makes sure everyone knows where they can and cannot go, where the toilets are and where the shops are. Then you're pretty much left to your own devices. I went straight up to Alcatraz and took the self-guided (free) audio tour which has won awards year in, year out and features the voices of former guards and inmates (the majority by Leon 'Whitey' Thomspon, a bank robber who was sentenced to Alcatraz for 15 years and never received a single visitor or letter) giving their accounts of prison life. There is a group tour with a guide but that seems slightly pointless when the self-guided tour is so good, even telling you where to walk to and where to stand to get a good view. Obviously everyone else is on the same self-guided audio tour so there are a few bottle-neck situations but being on the first boat out ensured it was the minimal amount of disruption and you can pause your tape at any time.

Alcatraz was the only American prison at the time to give inmates hot showers. By getting them accustomed to relative luxury they were less likely to attempt to escape to the icy waters of San Francisco bay. They were also given healthy, good quality food that was presented nicely on plates - certainly not the bread and water gruel served in other prisons. As part of the tour you are encouraged to go into some of the cells to feel how small they are - 5ftx9ftx7ft. The only cells larger than this are in isolation but they are in total darkness. Leon's method of keeping himself sane in isolation was to take a button off his shirt and throw it in the air. He'd then spend the next few hours crawling around in the pitch black trying to find it. When he found it, he'd do it all again sometimes for days at a time.



Aside from the prison, Alcatraz played host to a demonstration by Indians (their term so I'm assuming it's right) who were annoyed with the government for not following through on a treaty allowing land that is no longer used as government land to be reclaimed by Indians. When Alcatraz, the prison, was closed due to rising costs and a change from punishment to rehabilitation of offenders, a group of Indian students landed on the island to make their point. It worked and although they never lived on Alcatraz for any length of time the government did honour the treaty at other similar sites.

Alcatraz was also an area that people aspired to live in even though it meant a boat trip to do shopping or go to school. Originally the housing was for guards and their families but other families started to move to Alcatraz for cheaper housing and it's low crime rate. Apparently it was common to keep doors unlocked and to use a neighbour's bike or lawnmower on the basis that it'd be returned at some point. Quote from a former resident: "We knew where all the bad guys were so we didn't have to worry about things". Fantastic. Who'd have thought Alcatraz would have been an area people aspired to live in - not quite the same with Barlinnie.

It was all go on the tourist express yesterday as well. I walked the Golden Gate bridge, well part of it anyway. It was really windy and crowded so I walked to the first big tower, took a few pics including one of the 'Crisis Counselling' hotline and turned back. My second stop on the tourist express was Lombard St, the 'crookedest street'. It was another place I just wanted to see just so I could say I'd seen it. Kind of cool but dominated by tourists which is to be expected. I pity the people who live on this street, must be so annoying having coach tours pull up outside your front door every 10 minutes.

Last night was spent in the ballroom with Wyatt, a film student using the hostel as a base while he finds an apartment and Matt and Colin, 19 year olds from Chicago who started every sentence with the word 'Dude'. As the night wore on this got funnier and funnier until Colin thought I was making fun of him and informed me that I had an accent too. I thought he'd fallen out with me at that point but he was talking to me this morning so he's either put it behind him or his hangover got the better of him. Not sure.

Tonight is another free dinner (yaay) and maybe a trip to a few gay bars in the Mission with Wyatt... It's fun to stay at the YMCA!

San Francisco's ABC: Alcatraz, Ballet and Climbing!

I arrived in San Francisco (or SF as the locals say) last night after a pretty uneventful flight and airport shuttle into the city. One thing to say about the flight though, on a 4 hour flight costing 140 quid you'd think there'd be grub. Apparently not. American Airlines don't feed you but you do have the option of a complimentary soft drink or purchasing a snack or "adult beverage". I wasn't impressed.

Got into my room and my dorm buddies seem nice enough, no obvious axe-murderers anyway. I've got the bed under the window on one of the busiest streets in SF. The street is full of bars, restaurants, clubs and "adult entertainment venues". Wonder if they also sell "adult beverages"? I'm just glad I have the ability to sleep anywhere and the noise won't bother me.

Woke up early this morning, had breakfast and decided to go for a wander to get my bearings. I headed up to the piers where all the tours leave from to book my Alcatraz tour. I'd already been warned by dorm buddy Vanessa, French girl, very nice, that there's only one company authorised to land on Alcatraz so they book up fast. Sure enough, the earliest tour I could book myself on was Thursday 16th at 12.30pm. BUT, I'd also heard that it's better going on an earlier tour as there are fewer crowds. People can stay as long as they want so the crowds build up throughout the day. Knowing this I booked myself on the Early Bird tour at 9am on Friday 17th. $24 including tax for the boat trip and tour around the prison. The audio tour features ex-prisoners giving their account of life on Alcatraz and has apparently won awards year in year out. Looking forward to it.

After that I took a leisurely stroll around the tourist trap piers, think Brighton pier with more expensive shops. It was nice enough but exactly what you'd expect from a pier aimed at tourists. So I headed to Stern Grove where, informed by the info board at the hostel, I knew San Francisco Ballet were performing. For FREE! My favourite price. I tried to walk the whole distance but after realising my map wasn't to scale and I was attempting to walk approx 10 miles in an hour I hopped on a bus. $1.50 plus free transfers for the following 90 minutes, although as I discovered today 90 minutes last much longer here than in Britain. My 90 minutes lasted about 4 hours because the bus drivers rarely check the times and you hold onto your ticket. Fantastic.

The SF Ballet were amazing and the park was packed. Seriously packed. We're talking main stage at T in the Park packed (OK, maybe Belladrum) but definitely over a thousand people. It's amazing what FREE does to the audience numbers at the ballet. Most people had been there for hours with picnic blankets, small tables and hampers full of wine and cheese. I did try sitting close to people and smiling hoping they'd share but I didn't have a very good view so I staked out a spot in front of the tech desk - always the best spot in the house. I arrived too late to catch the first piece but I did catch a George Balanchine piece which was good but just your standard traditional ballet then Paul Taylor's Spring Rounds which was just gorgeous. Set to jazz music and with relaxed, colourful costumes in a 1940s style the dancers were so fluid and quick I was grinning like a maniac watching it with toes tapping, obviously. Stern Grove runs a free arts festival throughout the summer every year. Next week is the last week but it's opera so I might give it a miss.

And so on to C: Climbing. It's no wonder I couldn't walk the distance today. Apart from 10 miles in an hour being a tad over ambitious the hills are mental. Seriously mental. I walked up one today, Broderick Street between Villeja and Broadway that was at a 28 degree angle. 28 degrees! It was actually a bit scary at one point and I was holding onto the wall in case I slipped on some leaves (leaves are slippy you know, just ask British Rail) and at the top was a sign saying... HILL!! HILL-arious. (sorry)

I took loads of photos today and will get them up as soon as possible but it's almost 7pm, my feet are killing me and I'm hungry so I'm going to change my shoes and head into Chinatown for some food. I get free dinner here on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and snacks are so cheap (and so big) in certain places that I'm actually better off eating out that buying stuff to cook. Sounds good but we'll see...