Call it Alcatraz or Bird Sh*t Island
An honest review of Alcatraz Island (3 min read)
I did a day time boat tour to Alcatraz Island, a former maximum security prison that housed some of America’s greatest crooks like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly (not the artist). The self-guided tour gives you access to the entire facility where you can check out the courtyard, prison cells, watch towers, and read cool stories of what happened there.
And as per title, the first thing you notice is the island is covered in bird sh*t.
Alcatraz Day Tour
I did the tour through CityExperiences. Tickets sell out, so you must book a couple days in advance. Doing the tour will likely take up your entire day.
Meet up at Pier 33, then they put you on a Ferry to the island
Once there, you’re on your own for a self-guided tour
The tour gives you access to all indoor spaces and outdoor such as the rec yard and rose garden
My Favorite Spots
The solitary confinement cells were so eerie. All sensors are blocked away in the cells: no lights, no sound. Prisoners spent months locked in there, only given outdoor access an hour a day.
Rose garden was a pretty contrast to the dark history of Alcatraz. You get to see the entire bay outside, and the golden gate bridge!
1962 Frank Morris Prison Escape route. Learn about the escape route that these clever cronies took and the tools they used to pull it off.
Vibe Check
There’s lots to learn and deep history beyond it just being a supermax prison. The island has indigenous history and in 1969, activists came to symbolically claim the island.
Yes, it’s creepy asf.. but that makes the experience feel more authentic. The prison is a time capsule to capture this unique moment of history. I can’t imagine what night tours feel like. Someone do it and get back to me on it!
The beauty outside is a stark contrast to the gloom within prison walls. However, outside smells like bird sh*t. Seagulls take over!
Solitary Cells
