Walking around on Alcatraz Island is suprisingly lush and scenic for a spot that was once the most forbidding prison in the country. The lush maritime foliage, steep, winding access roads, and the decrepid but strangely scenic buildings leant the whole place an air of beautiful dreariness.
After walking up the steep access road to the height of land on the island, we entered the main cell block, where we donned a set of earphones and an electronic audio guide. The audio guide turned out to be surprisingly good, giving us a very thorough tour of the prison. The audio guide's production was top-notch; it had the feel of a well-polished TV documentary.
The interior of the prison itself was fascinating; everything seemed pretty much as it was 50 years ago; it was a compelling, spooky, yet strangely scenic place.
After following the audio tour, we headed out a different entrance and into the Prisoners' exercise yard - a bleak and forbidding place but again with a certain stark beauty to it. A tiny baseball diamond of grass in the far corner of the courtyard gave a small glimpse of what it would have been like to be interred here.
An inmate's view of the city
Chris contemplates escape
