I Spent Time in A Maximum Security Prison

Crime: Against humanity; the usage of terrible puns.

Jail term: 4 hours

And here are some cellfies to prove it. Cellfies, get it? Harharhar. Please don’t send me back…

Part of my West Coast trip here, we were in San Francisco and was highly recommended to visit Alcatraz, the famous high security prison which housed notorious hardened criminals like Al Capone, George Kelly, etc.

If you happen to be in San Francisco, I would also highly recommend joining an Alcatraz tour, especially the night tour. It is more expensive but so worth it. Go to the official website to book your tour!

It was freezing cold, dark and creepy the day we went, but totally memorable. You can just imagine the inmates getting through the long winter months or sweltering away in the hot summer days on the lonely, windswept island, pining for freedom. San Francisco is just a skip-and-a-hop away and you can hear the city especially during holidays like Christmas and New Year, but the fearsome choppy waves lap the sharp rocks that surround the island.

In certain cells you will find posters of their famous inmates.
“Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz”, was a convicted murderer, American federal prisoner and author who has been cited as one of the most notorious criminals in the United States.[1][2][3] During his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, he reared and sold birds and became a respected ornithologist, although regulations did not allow him to keep birds at Alcatraz, where he was incarcerated from 1942 to 1959. Stroud was never released from the federal prison system; he was imprisoned from 1909 to his death in 1963.” – Source

Incidentally, Alcatraz is a U.S. National Park and a seabird sanctuary.

The hospital wing was only opened at night and so I got a fabulous opportunity to visit it. It was slightly creepier at night as certain rooms were deliberately kept dark with just a light on, and others were completely pitch black! However, the night tour was much more captivating (see what I did there?) at this time.

As we all know, the prison closed down due to high maintenance costs but there is so much more to Alcatraz than just a place for people not fit for society.

We easily spent four hours here, who knew jail time was so enjoyable and fun!  However, I wouldn’t spent the night because I would go mad with fear, otherwise, it is likely the cold will get to me because it is really really REALLY hypothermically cold there.

Alcatraz = Awesome

If you can, I highly recommend visiting it if you are ever in San Francisco!