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The Kitchen Table

Escape from Alcatraz

14 years ago

With all the publicity about the 50 year anniversary of two men escaping from Alcatraz, I have a story for you.

In 1962 I was living in San Francisco and my mom came to visit me. I took her to one of the tourist attractions called Top of The Mark, which is a bar at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel. It has a beautiful view of the Bay and all the city lights at night. As we were having a drink, my mom asked me about the little island in the Bay and I explained that was Alcatraz Prison and no one had ever escaped from there. The very next morning we saw the headlines of the San Francisco paper about two men escaping from Alcatraz the night before!

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Comments (4)

juellie1962
14 years ago
how funny! I've been there twice and have tried to imagine what it must've been like. It still seems errie there....couldn't imagine being the warden's family that lived on that island; i'd always be looking over my shoulder! lol
trixietx
14 years ago
The first time we went to San Francisco my DH wanted to do the Alcatraz tour, I didn't want to, but did and loved it. I think I bought every book that an inmate ever wrote, Whitey Thompson, comes to mind! Very, very interesting! I really can't imagine anyone swimming to shore, the water is so cold. We took an evening cruise and went by Alcatraz and I nearly froze, didn't even get wet. Thank goodness they had blankets onboard. We have gone to San Francisco twice after that and didn't do the tour again, but talked about it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
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My parents had an apartment in San Franciso for awhile when we were first married and the view out of their front window was the bay and Alcatraz. It was so beautiful from that vantage point and yet horrific from the inside looking out.
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Alcatraz AND Sacramento Cemetery AND San Jose Heritage AND Empire Mines AND Filoli AND Gregg Lowery's Sebastopol at beginning of May -- hope I won't be rosed out by the time I leave California. (not likely!) But since bloom time looks to be early this year, my personal Tour des Roses de la Californie du Nord (pardon the bad French) may start early (April 8 or 13 arrival) and extend to May 2. This may mean I miss the big celebration days and instead visit the big gardens on weekdays. Alcatraz will be my first stop. Lowery's may be my last stop. 2 weeks in between, to see a lot of roses and - why not? - wildflowers (I use Carol Leigh's wildflower reports on her website, http://calphoto.com/wflower.htm). What a feast! If I go to the Sacramento Cemetery on a day other than their special open garden day, am I missing anything besides the crowds and the unneeded (to me) rose plant sale? Carol
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Hi, loslunas. I love to stumble upon giant fig trees loaded with fruit in season; it even makes it better when it happens quite unexpectedly, as it did at Alcatraz. Must be a well-kept secret, as I never heard it mentioned previously (or maybe there are just too many OTHER giant fig trees in California).
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Michael Clarke Duncan starred in "The Green Mile" with Tom Hanks. I really enjoyed that movie.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
Boy, weren't YOU creeped out!!
linda_in_iowa
Original Author
14 years ago
Yes, Rhino, we were really creeped out. That is probably why I remember it so vividly. In the '80s my young son and I toured Alcatraz with friends. That was spooky also.

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