In the middle 1930s it was an irresistible subject and setting for Hollywood's crime movies and radio dramas. Even so, in a way that seems lost on youngsters today, Alcatraz was always there as the period and exclamation point to a life of crime. All of us knew that if one fell from the straight and narrow that the end of the line was The Rock, and that, once there, there was no escape. I had resisted visiting Alcatraz for years, because there are so many wonderful things to do and see in the Bay Area, but last spring while we were in San Francisco, we decided to make the trip. The first surprise is the number of people who are anxious to go.
Boats leave every half hour or so, all day long, and most appear to be filled.
There is a long line for tickets. It is a good thing to get there early if you have a particular time frame in mind for your visit. Any boat ride on the San Francisco Bay is worth taking. The air is crisp, and if you get a good day, the sun is bright and the surrounding hills are verdant and beckoning. I stood off to the side, as much as possible, and tried to put myself in the state of mind that a 1930s criminal might have had in approaching the island.