Alcatraz

April 15, 2015 | San Francisco

By Kimberly Maroon

Anyone who has known me since I lived in New Jersey, knows I have a thing for old buildings. I spent many years walking through the abandoned buildings on the Asbury Park Boardwalk, listening to wind scream through glass and concrete. There’s something special about being alone in places that have lived through so much time, like an old relative telling you stories of their life.

Alcatraz has so much to take in. It carries a heavy weight of history, stories, secrets, and horrific memories. There is an oppressive energy from the second you step inside the halls. All I wanted was to be alone and walk through it in complete silence. Instead, I was surrounded by large groups of people, and the only escape I had was the man on my audio tour telling me which way to go and what to look at.

The most disturbing part about Alcatraz—it’s a tourist attraction.

Mischief on the Tour

How can I capture Alcatraz without the hoards of tourists? Hijack the audio tour. Simultaneously learn about the prison and occasionally pause or stray off the path for photos. I would have made a bad prisoner because I never completely follow directions and I like mischief. It turns out that it’s much harder to capture photos without people than with them. I had to do a bit of sneaking and slinking around, and of course I got myself lost in the prison by doing this.

….not my first time getting lost on an audio guided tour.

Barracks, Building 64

Once used as military barracks, Building 64 was converted into apartments for workers and their families.

Write your story here. (Optional)

THE CELL BLOCKS

The cells stood 3-stories high and spanned the length of the main cell house. The blocks were named A-D and also alternatively after well-known streets in Manhattan— Broadway, Park, etc. I noticed large rectangular-mirrors at either ends. Keys kept appearing throughout my tour, but especially in the mirrors.