It was a couple years back now. But my first trip to San Francisco was very memorable. I traveled down with a couple friends and my now wife. I was still quite new with my camera at the time, alas I was very eager snap some shots of places I had only heard about.
We had a fantastic time visiting some of the more famous sites. Driving down to Monterrey Bay Aquarium and then Pebble Beach for a glorious sunset was also something I had wanted to do for years.
Almost looked like a mushroom cloud. Sunset at Pebble Beach
It was Fleet Week at this time of year in San Francisco. A week when the Pacific fleet of military forces are honoured. Basically... Big ships ships and Jets. More specifically the Blue Angels! We were lucky enough that they were soaring only hundreds of feet above us as we drifted to Alcatraz. It sounded as if they were ripping a hole in the sky above.
4 flew over the Cuckoo's nest
It was a such a spectacular sight to see. I've always cherished these photos. The history, the old and the new. I've always been pretty keen on history. Alcatraz has just that.
The now silent halls of Alcatraz
I was fortunate that day because we were the last trip across to see the now ghost prison. I found myself at the back of the pack waiting for the stragglers to slip through doors and out of sight. I was hoping to catch Alcatraz as empty as it was. The quite dark. It was an intimidating place. The 1,576 residents back then only had a few inches of hope in each of their cells.
A room with a View. This window couldn't have been more than 6 inches across
Hearing the stories of what happened in certain cells and whom were the inmates. The most notorious names America's criminal past were held here. Al Capone, George "Machine-Gun" Kelly and Arthur "Doc" Barker to name a few. One could only imagine the stories that weren't being told that day.
No laundry duties today
Alcatraz was an incredible place to visit. I do hope I get to go back again one day. Its a place that feels more fiction than fact. Among it's deranged beauty, it still has some shinning moments. The view off the back to the most famous bridge in North America sure wasn't bad.
There is still tons more to see, hopefully I can make it back again soon to capture more of the incredible city that is San Francisco.
Please check out the rest of my photos I promise there is a shark. Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts or if you've been there yourselves.
-Broda
