Alcatraz and the Prisoners

Today we left early (which in San Fran means 8:45 a.m.!) to catch the trolley and buses to Fishermans Wharf and the ship to the infamous island. We had such an interesting experience with the MUNI system here yesterday, not being able to catch one when we wanted it, that we added in lots of time to make sure we didn't miss our reservations. Needless to say we were at the wharf before 9:30 and had time to enjoy delicious and not inexpensive pastries at the wharf snack shop.
We then lined up to board the Islander - the ferry we would take to Alcatraz -for our 10:30 departure. What none of us knew was that while in line, they take a cute picture of your group. You then get to see this shot on your return, and have the option to purchase it for $22. But wait, there is more! You get not only one, but TWO 5" X 7" copies for that price! We did not come home with any of those shots.
The ferry ride was beautiful, if foggy. The weather here is holding steady at 60 degrees, cloudy and breezy. I hear it is much hotter at home, and some of us were right in making sure we wore pants and sweatshirts/windbreakers. However, Jean and I again neglected to bring sunglasses which we needed in the later afternoon.
Alcatraz was awesome! I did not know much of the history of the island, and found out that it was first a military base to help guard the Bay against potential attack. It was later that the Department of Defense shifted to housing prisoners, and when the money ran out, it changed hands again to become a maximum security prison. As one sign said "If you don't follow the rules, you go to prison. If you don't follow prison rules, you go to Alcatraz."
We went throught the entire walking audio tour, which is exceptionally well done. All of us were impressed at the ease of the information presentation, the pace of the audio tour and the great details they included. The narrators included former guards, former prisoners, and former children who lived on the island. That might have been the most surprising fact I learned today. The guards and their families often lived on the island, the kids taking a boat to school each day.
All four kids were very well behaved, if not hungry. You are not allowed to eat or drink anywhere after the dock and a couple kids were ready to have a snack within minutes of starting. But, once they got the headset they were all fine until the ride back.
By 2:30 we were ready to hit the waves and head back to the wharf for lunch. We went to the Eagle Nest for what we thought would be a quick bite. good food, but neither quick nor cheap. Ian said the San Fransisco White Clam Chowder was delicious, and Jean really liked her lobster bisque in a bread bowl. I skipped the seafood, didn't feel like going into anaphalyctic shock today.
We were pretty lucky in catching a ride back on the various busses and were home by 4:00. Now, I see Dave and Ian playing cribbage, Nick is checking out lego's online, Connor, Tressa and Carissa are playing cops and robbers, Jean is asleep on the couch and I sit here mentally chilling with a plan to make dinner.
Tomorrow is another day, another adventure! Oh, and we all came home from the prison, so obviously we were all behaved!