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Friday, April 24, 2009

What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -5

There are a lot of things that could be written about Alcatraz. But, seeing is believing. So, let me upload some pictures I took in the trip and explain each of them one by one.

First picture to your left is dining space. It is not so easy to see, but there is cooking facilities inside of the bars.

Right side picture is a black board seen in the higher part of the Dining Cell picture above. It is the menu placed on the top of the entrance overhead. The board was showing breakfast of the day. "Assorted Dry Cereals", "Stewed Whole Wheat", " 1 Scrambled EG", "2 Milk", "Stewed Fruit", "Toast", etc...

On the top can read "21 March 1963"

Their breakfast on March 21, 1963 does not look so bad.

Last picture below is the corner of Jail Cell. There is a window looks like a window of submarine or battle ship. There are some kind of story behind the picture.

Related posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-4.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-3.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -4

All they have inside of island is Jail Building. White hospital like looking building is the building for jail facility. Other than that, there are some small houses for wardens and wardens' family live. Stepping into the jail building, you will be guided first to shower place. It may be the first place where the prisoners were taken when sent to Alcatraz. In here, you can rent narration unit explaining histories of Alcatraz as you walk through the island. There are translation narration unit is available for Japanese, Chinese, etc... My wife chose Chinese unit and she told me that their Chinese is natural.

Now let's walk into the center of cell area. Please take a look at the picture left above. Both side of not so wide hallway there are small cells which were individual cells for prisoners. They are incredibly small. Cells were lined up side by side and three stories. The ceiling of each cell is low. Wall to wall distance feel like you stretch both arms and both hands can touch right and left wall. I would say animals living environment in zoo looks much better than this.

Right side picture is taken from outside. It would not take more than 3 days to make me totally crazy if I continue to live in the place like this.

The last picture left below was taken from inside of the cell to look out position. How dreadful!

Related Posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-3.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -3

Travel time in Alcatraz Island Ferry to Alcatraz is incredibly short. It does not take more than 15 minutes to reach the island. Even there is no enough time to enjoy views of San Francisco city area or Golden Gate Bridge, despite the fact that there are great view over them, since location of this island is in the best location to view over San Francisco city, Marine County, and East Bay.

We can freely visit Alcatraz now since the jail was closed and it is now a part of Golden Gate National Park. For the criminals sent to Alcatraz, it meant "Death Sentence" for them. In the Ferry Boarding Area, just next to Al Capone picture, a picture of wall graffiti of unknown prisoner says "You will sent to jail if you break the law. If you break a rule in jail, you will be sent to Alcatraz". Do you feel hearing a prisoner sobbing in his jail cell? When I posted an article in Japanese, my blog friend commented. "It is great to take a look into infamous jail island without committing a crime". I replied back to him. "Simple crime is not enough to be sent to Alcatraz. You need to commit a crime of Al Capone level to be sent there."

As mentioned above, it is a part of Golden Gate National Park, so the rule of thumb is "Don't carry in anything, don't carry out anything, other than you throw away garbage and you buy souvenirs." As soon as arriving at the front gate of the jail, you will be given 10 minutes explanation about the history of Alcatraz and visiting rules.

Are you ready for walking into the jail chamber?

Related Posts:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-2.html
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

Monday, April 20, 2009

What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -2

Alcatraz Island (map) is located on the northern part of San Francisco Bay, between Fisherman's Wharf and Marine County. As I mentioned, it is so close to Fisherman's Wharf that almost everybody wonder if it is really the infamous jail island which was called inescapable. If you are well prepared to the temperature of the water using diving suits and protected by emergency rescue boat or co swimmer, a good swimmer will be able to swim the distance. It was couple of years ago, 6 years old boy could swim from Alcatraz to Fisherman's Wharf this way.

Alcatraz Ferry Boarding Area

Then, why is this jail island is inescapable? Talking with some people, you will get several different answers. Water is too cold to keep swimming the distance without body temperature protection. San Francisco Bay looks serene in the surface. But there are violent tide deep in the ocean. And it changes directions so often. No swimmer can be out of influence of this violent tide. Swimming at night is almost killing yourself. Man-eating sharks are active especially at night. I assume all of these are true. These all factors are working together to prevent prisoners to escape from Alcatraz.

I will talk about it later in my article, but officially, there was no one who escaped from Alcatraz alive during its history served as a jail island.

Ferries to Alcatraz depart from pier 33. If you stay in San Francisco and hope to visit to Alcatraz, I would suggest to select weekday and make reservation 3-5 days before your scheduled visit. Weekends' tickets are sometimes sold out for next 2-3 weeks. In the ferry boarding area, there are exhibitions of infamous criminals jailed in Alcatraz, including Al Capone in the picture below.

Related Post:
http://zheninternational.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-jail-island-alcatraz-1.html

Most infamous prisoner in Alcatraz is Al Capone
Display in Alcatraz Ferry Borading Area

Saturday, April 18, 2009

What is Jail Island, Alcatraz? -1

You drive in San Francisco city. You drive from Union Square area heading north toward Fisherman's Wharf, taking Leavenworth Street. Around the place where Leavenworth comes across Lombard Street on the top of the hill, the road starts to be downhill. In front of your wind shield, lower part of your eye sight, you are now viewing northern part of San Francisco Bay. You will recognize there is an island, shaped really like a huge battleship, with sharp steep edge standing rectangular from ocean surface.

You are watching Alcatraz Island known as "Jail Island" in San Francisco Bay.

I have known the name "Alcatraz" from movies and stories even before I came to San Francisco. It is world famous (or infamous). It was 1985 when I saw it from Fisherman's Wharf. I talked to myself. "Is it the island which is famous "Infamous?" as inescapable island jail?" The island had a unusual shape as I mentioned. The both edges of the island was not slope, they were sharp steep cliff as I mentioned above. It also looked like a huge ship. It gave me an impression immediately that it is a big "Battleship", not usual ship. But, other than that, with shiny California sun shine, it did not look like a jail at all.

In addition, the island looked too close to the Fisherman's Wharf to be "an inescapable island jail". I am a swimmer. I can swim 2-3 miles with no problem. I know the danger of making mistake on measuring and estimating the distance to my goal point for long distance swimming in ocean. It can kill me. Roughly measuring only the distance from Wharf's coast to Alcatraz, I was confident the distance is short enough that I can swim to the island.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Trip to Death Valley -4

Where has the name "Death Valley" came from? Such a simple but dreadful name. Many people may wonder as I did. In the Gold Rush period starting 1984, this valley was seemed short cut to Gold Mine area for everybody go to West. Due to the harsh nature, the people who once went into the valley, had never came out. The record shows that it was only one cart came out of the valley. One of the people came out of the valley said "Good Bye, Death Valley". Then people started to call this place Death Valley.

This desert extends over 2 states, California and Nevada. The area became "National Park" in 1994 under Bill Clinton administration. It is now under Federal Management.

The desert is so desolate. But it keeps some beauty. The beauty is almost noble. Maybe this impression of mine came from the nature who does not allow compromises to people. I was amazed by the scenery which was breath taking, stood there wordless. Still, when our tour guide called and bus started to move, I felt relieved.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Trip to Death Valley -3

Lives in the valley or near valley, where is more or less desert, are not so many. There are a small fish living in the water stream wherever it is. There are a rat kind of animal who can survive without drinking water for about 2 years ... Amazing!...

Human Trace. There are some mural discovered in one of the caves in the area. It was determined that the mural was painted in Ice Age. So, it might be painted before the lake is dried and formed Death Valley.

As long as I saw. There was no trace of living creature at all as the left picture shows. Death Valley has some unique records. It is the lowest altitude desert in the world. It located at an altitude of -282 ft sea level. It has smallest precipitation in North America. It is 20mm a year. Also it marked highest temperature in North America, 120 degree F. The day I visited was late November, but we felt it was well over 85.

Below is another picture taken from the bottom to the slope which might have been side of the lake used to be. White dots in the center shows "Sea Level". It is vast desolate place. But, I felt some beauty in it.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Trip to Death Valley -2

I have not seen desert in Egypt or Mid-east. My friends who do business with Mid-east say that It is more like dry soil not sand. Instead people who knows Sahara desert tells me it is really sand which can come down between your fingers when you scoop up the sand. It seemed to me the desert of this Death Valley is different from both of above observations, though I expected I was seeing one of the above.

The picture left shows the lowest point of Death Valley, "Bad Water Basin". Basically Death Valley is dried sea water lake. Deep down in the ground there still be a water and it sometimes come out to surface. Cowboys who found this water source trying to drink it and found it is "Bad". This is why this point is called "Bad Water Basin". How do you see this scenery? All the white part is salt. My impression was it is "Sea of Salt".

Below picture shows closed up surface of the desert. It does not look like view in this world.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Trip to Death Valley -1

Although I travelled all over the world before settling down in San Francisco, there are several impressive sights I do not forget. China, Beijing, An-Shan trip in my previous article is one of them. When I visited to Milan, Italy, the South Alps seen from northern Milan was also something. South Alps stood like huge wall in front of me, forming big shades. It was breath taking.

In the US, too, there are many places I have visited and impressed. New York City is on the top of my list. Despite the fact that I was born and grown up in Tokyo, it was different from Tokyo. It was different from any other cities I visited.

Japan is a country with abundant water. Japanese never worry about water since it is there whenever they need it. As a Japanese, it was quite an impression to see and stand in desert. Death Valley is one of the places I do not forget, among I visited in the US.

2004 was the year for my wife and me to change and started working ourselves. It was busy year reforming our company, working our tails off. It was November of that year, we wanted to visit some place and relax a little bit to reflect our year. We took a tour to Death Valley. I was quite impressed by the views and sights we visited. I took a lot of pictures and wrote an article in Japanese. I am glad that I can share most of the pictures and articles since they were released from the site I wrote that article.

Since I knew California to be only with beautiful beaches along Pacific Ocean coast side from San Francisco to Los Angeles, to San Diego, I was quite surprised that scenery in front of my eyes change from Green to Brown, from Brown to almost Gray as highway took us. The picture left above was the one taken in Rest Area and I was already shocked by the desert impression. I did not know California has this much of desert.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Another way of Enjoying Crab in San Francisco

This weekend was Easter. Though my wife and I did not have a custom to celebrate Easter, quite honestly, but this weekend we wanted to have something special partially because it was Easter Weekend. As weekend routine, we went to exercise in the morning. We took a Group-X in 24 hours fitness, Shadow Boxing for one hour, sweat a lot. Took shower, came home, relaxed a little while, call the restaurant and made reservation.

This restaurant is "Tanh Long", in Sunset Area, San Francisco. We have know this restaurant famous for "Garlic Roast Crab". Since we both felt like eating a crab, we decided to try that restaurant again. This is different type of crab cooking from what I talked in my previous post "Delicacies in Fisherman's Wharf". Instead most of crabs were simply boiled in sea water in Fisherman's Wharf restaurants, this restaurant roast whole crab with lots of garlics and oils.

I am not sure if it is healthy, but it tastes great. That's why people keep coming despite a high end pricing on the menu. This restaurant is located on the corner between Judah and 47th street, downtown San Francisco. Outside does not look like expensive restaurant, but inside is not so bad. I know this was original restaurant of 2 successful restaurants in San Francisco, opened by a Vietnamese Gentleman. I could not taste anything similar in Vietnam. Maybe, it is Vietnamese food made in San Francisco. Benihana style is not exactly made in Japan, anyways. So, it may be the same kind of story.

We ordered the "Roast Crab", "Tiger Prawn", and "Garlic Noodle". Eating this crab, you cannot do anything other than keep eating and finish the crab, since your hands will be full of garlic, oil, crab meats, crab shells. You cannot even pick up silvers or glasses. We spend there like 2 and half hours. Long dinner, not so much conversation, but we enjoyed our crab a lot. In Japanese sales, people say if you need to dine with a difficult customer, you should take him to a crab restaurant. He could be quiet because he was busy eating the crab. I think it is true.

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