Escape from Alcatraz

Quickly, this city has some supreme hills.

This morning I woke bright and early after my first 11-hour sleep in possibly my entire 11-month trip and headed to the main street, Market St, to grab a coffee and a map of the city at the local tourist bureau. I walked all the way to the harbour and on the way check out the Coit Tower (photo below). It is a magnificent structure on top of one of the many hills of San Francisco shaped like a... rocket or tower. It was built for no reason but to make the city look more beautiful. I'm not sure it makes the city more beautiful but it does give one access to seeing the city better along with its beauty. (But its a bit of a walk up to the top of the hill.) I then walked to the harbour shore and the pier and found Pier 33 where the cruise to Alcatraz leaves from. I had already bought my ticket online the night before but I was smart and pretended I couldn't print it off, I was then able to get a real ticket and keep it as a souvenir. The tour to Alcatraz was great but expensive. It was $21 but it included the cruise, entry to the island, and an audio tour so I guess it wasn't too bad. The audio tour was thorough and informative and we got to see the main prison cells, the shower room, dining room, administrative areas, and the yard. It was pretty interesting and a lot of the things reminded me of Prison Break.

The most interesting stories about Alcatraz are the story of the escape and some of the characters that Alcatraz held at different times during its use. The famous escape from Alcatraz occured in 1962 when 3 prisoners used spoons to brak through the wall surrounding the airvent in their cells. They disguised this with the use of cardboard. They also fashioned fake heads with real hair out of soap so as to trick the guards into thinking they were sleeping. They then climbed through the air vent and along pipes to the roof and then along there out onto the island. They'd stolen a number of raincoats and used these to make a small raft which they used to survive the cold and strong water of the San Francisco Bay. No-one knows if they made it but they were never found. Clint Eastwood stars in the movie adaption Escape from Alcatraz.

I then walked along the different piers and checked out all the tourist shops and expensive rip-off other stores. It felt like a set form Pirates of the Caribbean because it looked like it had been built for fake pirates at Disneyland. Then I stumbled upon the sealions who have made a part of the dock their home. Loads of them lie on the floating beams and just talk with each other all day. The Sea Lion Gang.

Then I stumbled through Chinatown on my way home and searched and searched for something to eat that looks good and was semi healthy. I ended up with pizza (of course) and it was so beautiful that I took a photo. (coming soon) Tonight I would love to go out with friends and get drunk but I have no friends and I have no money so I'll read instead. Tomorrow night I might find a friend and find a bar (and miss a meal for some drink money).

And check out this Mullet.
There are some new videos uploaded.