Pictures Below

I didn't have time the other day to put any captions on the pictures. First, the one below of the two guys (hippies) on the street only has a chance at being hilarious if you click on the picture so you can actually read his sign.

As for the pictures of Alcatraz, from top to bottom:
1. I took that inside of one of the solitary confinement cells (i.e. where they put the real psychos) It's a normal sized cell, except that is has that door on the outside that closes off all light. On the audio tour, which was narrated by actual prisoners and prison guards, one of the prisoners who spent time in there said he would occupy time by taking a button off of his uniform and toss it up in the air, let it land and then crawl around on his hands and knees until he found it. Then he would repeat the process over and over for thousands of times.

2. I took that picture of me with what the call 'Broadway' in the background. The main cellhouse has 3 long corridors, each 3 stories tall. This is the middle corridor.

3. This is the original sign posted on what used to be some military barracks/prison guard apartments down by the boat dock. It was the first thing seen to approaching boats. I was shocked to learn that Alcatraz was basically a small town, and most of the prison guards and their families actually lived on the island. Could you imagine being a child and living on an island a couples miles off shore with some of the world's most dangerous criminals? Talk about sleeping with one eye open.

4. This one is of the recreational yard. It is on the wes side of the island and is always ridiculously windy out there. One of the main reasons behind the closure of Alcatraz back in 1963 was due to the deterioration of the buildings by the seawater and winds that constantly beat on them. You can notice that the grassy section in the back is in the shape of a diamond. The prisoners played handball here, rolled craps etc.

5. This is just a picture of the visitation booth, which by the sounds of it, was not used all too often. Surprisingly though, the average length of stay on the island was only 4-5 years. In nearly 30 years of operation, the prison handles a little over 1500 prisoners. Some of the most famous being Al Capone, and 'the Birdman'.

6. Fairly self-explanatory. This is the front of the main cellhouse containing the warden's office and main control house. This is where the prison guards reported to work everyday. Outside of this is the lighthouse, which I believe was the first one built on the pacific, and the warden's mansion.

7. Picture looking back at San Francisco.

8. Golden Gate too the west, taken from outside in the prison recreation yard.

9. A cell at Alcatraz was 5 feet wide, 7 feet tall, and 9 feet long. They were all single person cells.

10. Side entrance to the main cellhouse on the top of the island. It actually sits the equivalent of 30 stories above the water.