One of the most iconic land masses in the world is situated in the San Francisco Bay: Alcatraz. \u00a0 Sometimes referred to as \u201cThe Rock,\u201d it houses an abandoned prison, a ferry dock, and tons of sea birds.\u00a0 Alcatraz lures both tourists and locals alike, and it isn\u2019t just to see the physical remnants of the old jail; it is attractive because of the folklore.\u00a0 The hardest criminals were sentenced to time at this prison, and the escape attempts of some of them are intriguing.\u00a0 Multiple movies have been made about this destination point, and it is amazing to experience it for oneself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
I was born and raised in San Francisco, and I am like most locals: I don\u2019t visit tourist attractions unless I have out-of-town visitors.\u00a0 So, when my cousin and her four children announced an upcoming visit from Chicago, I quickly arranged the ticket purchase.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Historically, getting tickets to Alcatraz required advanced purchasing by two weeks or more. \u00a0 I am not quite sure the reason for this, but we were lucky to acquire the tickets five days prior to travel. \u00a0 Getting a same-day ticket is highly unlikely.\u00a0 When purchasing tickets, it is important to acquire them through the portal associated with the National Park Service: https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/alca\/planyourvisit\/fees.htm<\/a>.\u00a0 This is the one and only site!\u00a0 Beware of other websites: they may look legit, but they are fraudulent.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n On the day of travel, we departed from Pier 33 in San Francisco.\u00a0 The Alcatraz ticket included the ferry ride out to the island and the audio tour of the prison. Once on The Rock, each visitor paced themself on a self-guided adventure. There is also a live tour, for those interested in partaking in a docent-led outing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Stepping inside the prison and listening to the pre-recorded audio tracks is like a time capsule.\u00a0 The cells were so tiny, and solitary confinement was especially creepy.\u00a0 I got the feeling that the walls could talk.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Some key pieces of information:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One of the biggest impression points of the Alcatraz adventure is the view from the Bay.\u00a0 The ferry ride to and from The Rock is, in and of itself, an incredible experience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The price point on the tickets is quite high. \u00a0 Shockingly high.\u00a0 But is it worth it? Absolutely!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the most iconic land masses in the world is situated in the San Francisco Bay: Alcatraz. \u00a0 Sometimes referred to as \u201cThe Rock,\u201d it houses an abandoned prison, a ferry dock, and tons of sea birds.\u00a0 Alcatraz lures both tourists and locals alike, and it isn\u2019t just to see the physical remnants of … <\/p>\n\r\n