We'll admit: we've been to Alcatraz enough that we pretty much never want to go there again (third time's the charm). But it looks like NPR's All Things Considered has the goods on some interesting new exhibits, as well as some findings that were uncovered after a recent renovation.
Indeed, the million-and-a-half yearly visitors to the former prison will now be able to see the shower area. Yes, a shower. And, if that wasn't enough, they found a shelf. A metal one. With a shiv. (Okay, we'll stop the sarcasm; foot-long shivs from 50-odd years ago might be pretty cool).
Um, yeah, maybe we are willing to go back again in light of the above -- especially since we just remembered the ferry over sells booze--so we'll have 12 minutes to prepare.
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does this mean we'll see a lot more tourists with alcatraz swim team shirts? how original.
My favorite Alcatraz tourist t-shirt is the one that has the stamp on it that says "Rejected from Alcatraz -- TOO CUTE!"
When I'm emperor, my first act will be to tear that prison down. How twisted is that we have a decrepit old prison sitting on one of the most stunning pieces of real estate in the country? And how weird is it that a million people a year go out there to look at it? Maybe it makes some kind of sense considering that California has the worst prison system in the country.
We should tear it down and make it into a big public space. How cool would it be to have festivals and concerts on Alcatraz? Let the prison fetishists go to San Quentin for a tour.
Does anyone know anything about the Global Peace Foundation? www.globalpeacefoundation.org
They talk about putting a referendum on the ballot this November, but they seem about as politically savvy as Dennis Kucinich.
Let the prison fetishists go to San Quentin for a tour.
I'd like to, but there's only one way to get to San Quentin.
Jeremy:
A. it's already public land, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
B. History is important, even if you don't like it.
C. People interested in Alcatraz are not "prison fetishists", because there is a whole lot more to it than just the prison.
You should go take the tour - it'll open your eyes, and hopefully, your brain. Both seem pretty closed at the moment.
Hey Jason -- wait a minute! I didn't say any of that . . .
OH, you mean the OTHER Jeremy.
It's so confusing . . . I need to get a pen name.
Yeah, namesake, I must agree with the spirit of Jason's sentiments, if not his vitriol. History is important, even if it's boring after you've done it a few times. The first couple it's very interesting and informative though . . . I promise.
Sorry, I didn't mean to besmirch your good name, SFist_Jeremy. I'll work on an alias for myself.
Maybe I'm a little extra bitter after listening to KQED's Forum show today about the current clusterfuck in California's prisons, so excuse this rant: We live in a country with the highest incarceration rate in the world, and in a state with the worst recidivism rate in the country.
I'm all for preserving history, but seeing tourists line up for hours to ewww and ahhh at the Birdman's cell and wonder if the escapee survived smacks of romanticizing this country's failed incarceration system. Maybe I should go check it out for myself one of these days, but do I really need to see the shower room or Capone's crapper to appreciate the history?
Jason: You're right, there's more to it than the prison. I didn't mean to imply we should raze everything on the island. But there's got to be a way to preserve the history while shifting the focus away from the prison. Make it into a cultural and ecological center like the Indian occupiers wanted.
My pipe dream would be to tear down just the prison parts of Alcatraz as a symbolic gesture whenever we finally shut down the California Youth Authority.
www.ellabakercenter.org/bnb/
Hey, Buddy -- no worries! I didn't see it as besmirchment anyway -- we welcome differing opinions 'round these parts, particularly if folks are civil in their disagreements.
I'm with the commenter formerly known as Jeremy. Zoos, prisons and hospitals are all creepy in their own ways, and though as I get older I'm having to spend more time in the latter, I voluntarily stay away from the bad energy of a prison or a zoo. Historical or not, they are awful places.
Trust me Alcatraz's cells are more roomy than the ones at SQ.That will be the tour one needs to take.Not as a resident though.SQ did at one time have public tours of a sort.