Keeping up with the Bragassas: We escaped from Alcatraz to see Navy Fleet Week!

I don't know how many of you have been out here and visited San Francisco, but personally, I don't think a San Francisco trip is complete without a visit to Alcatraz. For those of you who don't know what Alcatraz is...you should look it up! The history is pretty fascinating but I'll give you a little info on it...Alcatraz (aka The Rock) was discovered by a Spaniard in 1776 and given the name La Isla de los Alcatraces or Island of the Pelicans. Eventually, a lighthouse was built on the island to help guide ships through the bay. During the civil war, the island served as a fortress, arsenal, and in 1861 it began to house Civil War prisoners. In 1933, the prison was deactivated as a military prison and turned over to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary claimed no prisoners had ever successfully escaped. 36 Prisoners were involved in 14 attempts, two men trying twice; 23 were caught, six were shot and killed during their escape, and three were lost at sea and never found. Many famous criminals, such as Al Capone, were housed there and many movies have been filmed there, including some about the island itself. After the prison was shut down under President Kennedy in 1963, the Native Americans took over the island and tried to make it their own. This didn't last very long, and eventually, The Rock was turned into a National Park and is toured by hundreds daily...you're welcome America for all that interesting info about Alcatraz!

Anyway, getting tickets to tour this crazy place is kinda ridiculous! They sell out about 2-3 weeks in advance, so you really have to make a plan to go here. We bought our tickets online early so we knew we had a seat on the ferry over to The Rock. Coincidentally, the weekend we were planning on going was also Navy Fleet Week in San Francisco which mean extra traffic. We left our house early to make sure we made it in time for our 10:30 ferry. Luckily, we made it to Alcatraz Landing with plenty of time to spare, got on the ferry and embarked on our journey. Let me first tell you, I would not want to be in this prison...it's close enough to San Francisco that the prisoners were able to smell the food sometimes, hear the people laughing and partying, and even see the lights and fireworks if there was a party. Not to mention, the idea of escaping was ludicrous. The currents are crazy strong, the water is freezing and...infested with sharks. Basically this is a great place for a prison, but the cost of maintaining it is just too much! Once we got to Alcatraz, we got our little headsets, and started our self-guided tour of the prison. It was so interesting and neat to think about all of the crazy stuff that went on here! The cells were so small that Brian could touch from wall to wall by putting his arms out by his side. Can you imagine living in one of those?!

At the very end of out tour, we were sitting in what once was the cafeteria when we heard a fighter jet fly overhead. Brian immediately made a bee-line for the door to the old recreation area where we had a perfect view of the Navy's Fleet Week Air Show. We seriously lucked out and got to see the air show from probably the best view in the bay! We got to see the Blue Angles flying right over our heads as well as some other fun planes. After the air show was over, we got in line to get on the ferry back to San Francisco and walked to Piccinos, an Italian restaurant in the wharf area! It was a long day but we had a great time:)