Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Alcatraz Island: San Francisco, California

Welcome to Travel Tuesday, a weekly link-up for all things travel-related! Last week, Carly posted about her visit to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, which inspired me to dig through some old photos and share my experience, as well. Warning: This trip was taken during my pre-blogger life, when I didn't understand the importance of taking 27 photos of one detail in order to find the perfect shot, so pickings were slim!



I grew up in central California, about a two-hour drive from San Francisco, but though I visited the city often, I was never able to see Alcatraz until a few years ago. Travel Tip: Book in advance! Same-day tickets at the pier are almost always sold out, as well as all ferry times for the next day or two. During my junior year of college, I brought a friend home with me to California for spring break and finally planned ahead enough to book ferry tickets to Alcatraz Island! I highly recommend visiting Alcatraz to anyone visiting the area. The audio tour is awesome and narrated by actual former prisoners of the island.



Unfortunately, I only have one photo of the interior of the prison. (Actually, I have a few more of the cells, but my friend and I felt awkward smiling in the photos, so the result was a facial expression I don't particularly feel like posting on the Internet haha.)



I was amazed at the beautiful landscaping on the island. For being such a history buff, I have more photos of the flowers than anything else!





And, of course, there's a gorgeous view of the city from the back of the prison. (Except for that water—yech! Does it always look like that??)



Have you ever been to Alcatraz? What are your favorite San Francisco destinations?

Link up with your travel stories and/or tips below! Feel free to grab the button, too.





Next week's suggested topic: Do you buy souvenirs or collect anything when you travel? Tell me about it! And as always, don't feel obligated to follow the suggested prompt; all travel posts are always welcome!

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