Alcatraz with Greg and Suzanne, San Francisco, CA

Today, we met up with a long-time friend, Greg, and spent the day going into San Francisco to take a tour of Alcatraz. Greg and I go waaaayyy back - we first met in 1986 when we were both stationed at Travis AFB in the same unit, the 1901 Communications Squadron. The last time I saw Greg was in 1991, when he came to visit me in Germany.

It was great to meet Greg's wife, Suzanne, and the four of us had a lovely day together. Greg drove (thankfully) and we easily found a place to park. We enjoyed a nice brunch at the Butterfly Restaurant on the Embarcadero and then boarded the ferry to Alcatraz.

The first time I visited Alcatraz was in 1987, when my mother came to visit me from Barbados. I took her into the City and we were doing touristy things when she noticed a sign for tours out to Alcatraz. She really wanted to go, and so we bought tickets on the spot and went out to the island. It was all very impromptu and we had such a good time! Things have changed a bit since then: it's considerably more crowded, you have to buy tickets in advance because they sell out, and things are just a bit more "processed" than before. But we still had a good time.

Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles offshore from San Francisco. The small island was originally developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification to guard the bay, and a military prison. It was re-purposed in 1933 as a federal prison. During the 29 years it was in use as a penitentiary, Alcatraz held some of the most notorious criminals in American history, including Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz), George "Machine Gun" Kelly, James "Whitey" Bulger, and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate).

What many people may not know is that, beginning in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of  Native Americans from San Francisco who were part of a wave of Native activism across the nation with public protests through the 1970s.

See below for a few photos.

Arriving at the Alcatraz Dock

Post Exchange / Officers Club

Military Chapel

Cellhouse

A Hallway of Cells Inside the Cellhouse

Greg and Suzanne (wearing caps)

Leaving the Dock

San Francisco Skyline from Alcatraz