A couple months I read a book about Alcatraz, and I decided that I really wanted to go see it in person. I didn’t know if you could actually still visit it. I asked my parents and they said that you can! Little did I know that my parents immediately started looking for cheap airfare… About a month later, my parents found a good deal and we booked it over MLK weekend!

When we got to the pier to leave, it started raining. We almost bought some over-priced ponchos but decided against it. I generally don’t like boat rides, so I just read a book on the way. When we got close, there was a large sign that warned you not to try to free prisoners. When we arrived to shore, we listened to an introduction from the park ranger and then we were on our way.

We had to walk up a long, winding road to get to the top of the hill where the main prison was. Once you arrived, you received equipment for an audio tour. We learned a lot while walking through the building. I didn’t know it was a military prison before a prison for citizen criminals. When it was a military prison, there were different staircases, different bars on the cells, and all of the doors opened at once. It also held 600 people then, compared to 336 later. When it became a citizen prison, the doors were changed, they abandoned Cell Block A, which we got lucky to see because it was only open on Sundays.

I learned a lot on this trip, and I’m so happy we were able to go!