ALCATRAZ- "Do it" or "Skip it"???
 

My husband & I will be in San Francisco for the first time next week & were thinking of doing the night tour, but it seems to take a big chunk out of one of our 3 nights there. Is it really all that? I'm from NYC & a little jaded when it comes to tourist traps. Locals- please advise.

Jacquee,<BR><BR>You would be better off skipping Alcatraz. It is the ultimate tourist trap. Unfortunately now, SF has quite a few of them. Could you convice your former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to come here to SF to clean up our city like he did in NYC? I was so impressed with how he turned The City around. SF seems much like NYC was before the days of Mayor Giuliani.

I've never been on the night tour, but I've been to Alcatraz several times. I have enjoyed it every time. The island has a lot of history, the guides are very knowledgable - they are all state park rangers if I remember correctly - and the views of the city and the bridge are great. I imagine that with the night tour, you will get some great views of the city lights.

DO IT! We didn't and I've been sorry ever since. Every one that I know that did it said it was well worth it.

Tom - what's your definition of a tourist trap?

Jacquee, I may be wrong but I believe it would be too late to get tickets for a night tour...oh, I'm sure you could get them for a marked-up price, but I tried to get some for next Friday 2 months ago and the official website was sold out.<BR><BR>Does anyone else know how/where to get tickets?

J Correa,<BR><BR>Fisherman's Wharf is another place that I would refer to as a tourist trap. There are also many tourist trap shops in the Union Square area as well.

Definitely would skip it. We found it to be a waste of time. Wish we had explored more of SF's unique neighborhoods or other points of interest outside of SF.

Tom - that was an example, not a definition. What is it specifically about Alcatraz that makes it a tourist trap? <BR><BR>I'm just trying to get an idea of your perspective.

J Correa,<BR><BR>I think that everyone on this board knows the definition of a tourist trap. There is no need to explain it. If you do not know it, I suggest you look it up in a dictionary.

Yes, recruit Rudy...we sure could use his help us here. Sorry, I don't know about the night trip to Alcatraz. I've been in the daytime and enjoyed it. Ken

Main Entry: tourist trap<BR>Function: noun<BR>Date: 1939<BR>: a place that attracts and exploits tourists

We enjoyed our tour of Alcatraz. I'm from Chicago (originally NYC) and don't like tourist traps either. We did visit Alcatraz, but didn't spend any time at the restaurants or things at the wharf (the tourist trap part of the area IMHO).<BR><BR>Alcatraz has alot of history and the audio handset walks you through some of it. That being said, I wouldn't do a night tour for the exact reason you specified. Why not take a couple hours during the day and save the nights for dinner and drinks on the town.

Geez Tom, lighten up. <BR><BR>As I said, I was just trying to get an idea of where you are coming from. I enjoy Alcatraz, you said it was the ultimate tourist trap. I was just wondering what is it about Alcatraz, in your opinion, that makes it such a tourist trap. <BR><BR>Does it qualify simply because it attracts a lot of tourists? In that case, the whole city would be catagorized as a tourist trap. In fact, if that is the criteria, then the entire state would have to catagorized as a tourist trap. <BR><BR>In my opinion, a tourist trap is a place that attracts a lot of tourists AND has no local cultural or historical value. <BR><BR>Alcatraz definitely has local historical and cultural value.

Another vote for a visit to Alcatraz. It was very memorable. I won't spoil it for you, but assuming they're still doing the tour the way they did it several years back, there was one segment that still sticks in my mind!

Thanks for the definintion Suzy.<BR><BR>Alcatraz definitely attracts tourists. Does it exploit them? I don't think so.

Another vote to do Alcatraz. I live in Manhattan and thought it would be boring, but it was fun and interesting---and anything that gets you on a boat in the Bay is a big plus.<BR><BR>Do also check out the funky neighborhoods, but a few hours at Alcatraz is worthwhile if the topic interests you.

I did not find Alcatraz to be very impressive at all. It is not worth your time.<BR>

J Correa/J/CF/xxx,<BR><BR>Please, enough already. It is obvious you are posting under different names just to convince Jacquee to go to Alcatraz. How odd i it that all of a sudden there are all these people posting who are from Manhattan or origianlly from NYC? Are you getting a financial incentive for getting people to waste their time and money at Alcatraz?<BR><BR>Jacquee,<BR><BR>Sorry that you have to be exposed to people such as J Correa. Whenever someone disagrees with them they always need to have the last word. Run, don't walk from J Correa's advice. She works for the SF Vistor's Bureau.

To xxx:<BR><BR>Yup. It's all a big conspiracy to get jacquee4 to go to Alcatraz. Damn, you found us out. There goes the big payola we were getting.<BR><BR>Geez, do you also think the little men in white are coming to take you away? Then again, maybe they should. Time to up the dosage on those meds.

xxx - I don't know what your motivation is to slam other people on this board, but I wish you would stop. This is a travel forum for people who wish to get advice about travel destinations from people who have been to those destinations. That's all.<BR><BR>Just for the record, I always post under J Correa, I am a California native, never been to Manhattan nor have I ever said I am from there. I do not work for the SF Vistor's Bureau or in any travel-related industry.

yyy/J Correa,<BR><BR>We all should really feel sorry for you that you have nothing better to do than to be posting under mutiple alias just to have the last word. Hopefully you can find some help.

J Correa,<BR><BR>I have also been to Alcatraz and I am giving Jacquee my honest opinion that it is a waste of time. You have the right to disagree. Instead, you are the one who is bashing people who do not share your opinion.

Here's a vote FOR Alcatraz IF you are interested in crime history. Many famous criminals spent their years here -- Machine Gun Kelly, Al Capone, Alvin Karpis, Robert Stroud -- and I found it fascinating to walk in the places where they walked. I also found it interesting to find out why this was the most feared prison in America, why nobody made a successful escape, and why it was finally abandoned.<BR><BR>If you have no interest in criminal history, it will be boring. If you do, I recommend it. It's personal taste, not a matter of right or wrong.

Tourist Trap = Wharf<BR>Touristy = Alcatraz<BR><BR>I enjoyed Alcatraz. You get to take a boat out on the water for a bit. You get to see a view of SF from the rock. The history is interesting. Plus, they lock you in a dark cell for a minute.

Grace, you gave away the surprise I mentioned! I didn't know about being locked in the cell beforehand, and I remember it was very dark, and I started to feel claustrophobic. I also had gone alone on the tour, as my husband was in SF on business. I remember having a panicky thought that maybe I hadn't mentioned where I was going, and they'd never find me!

I think Alcatraz is a great place to see but I'm not sure why you want to do the night tour. I'd do a day trip since the ride out and back is one of the highlights. The view of the city from the bay is great. <BR><BR>Did you know that next week is the Parade of Tall Ships? It should be a great time to be on the bay. They arrive on the 28th and will be there until the 3rd. I will be out sailing on the weekend and am really looking forward to it.<BR><BR>If you are looking for an awesome dinner theater experience, check out Teatro ZinZanni.

We did the night tour in June and it was great. The tour was well done and educational. Doing the night tour allows you to do other things during the day and you get a beautiful illuminated view of SF from the water on the way back. I am glad we didn't miss it. We watched Escape From Alcatraz prior to heading to SF and found that added alot to the tour. Go and have fun!

In case you're interested, here's a website for the Tall Ships Event<BR><BR>http://www.sailsanfrancisco.org/

I did not want to go last spring; but was out-voted by the rest of the family. We watched "Escape from Alcatraz" before leaving home and I really enjoyed the tour. Go during the day and save the nighttime for something else.

DO NOT MISS IT. SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE BOAT OVER AND DO THE TOUR. YOU MAY HAVE TO BOOK THIS RIGHT WHEN YOU GET THERE.

Who the heck is this xxx, man oh man LOL! Jacquee4 what are you doing other than Alcatraz while you are there? Are you going to Golden Gate? Are you going to Chinatown?, Coit Tower?, Fishermans Wharf?, Lombard St.?, Ghiradelli Square?, Are you on VACATION? (as in TOURIST). Or is this because you have no choice? Its really simple. If you are there on vacation and you WANTED to go to San Francisco then by all means GO! Call it what ever you want but it is a great place to see and experience in my opinion. (and several billion other people) And if you are on vacation you just might enjoy it. It always amazes me that people say they are "jaded" when it comes to vacation destinations or points of interest. Why would you even go on vacation to begin with when you are wearied or worn-out from tourist "traps"? Makes no sense to me! Why is it that most every vacation spot or place that ALOT of people visit becomes a "tourist trap"? No disrespect jacquee4 but with this mindset maybe you shouldn't go, to you it probably won't be all that. As jpm said the night tours are probably sold out by now. And by the way I'm from Atlanta if this is important to you naysayers.

After hearing and seeing so many stories and movies about Alcatraz,it was pretty disappointing. Yes, it does have history and it is interesting.The building/island itself however is not what you think it is. I would do it if you have more time but if you are hesitant then don't waste your time and explore other things.

It sounds like there is an even amounts of skip it or do it. Do you think you will ever get back to San Francisco? If so, maybe you should skip it this time. If you only have three days, this may be better to do when you are there for a longer time. On the other hand, if you've never been to SF before and don't know when you'll be back, I would do it. It is definately worth it. Great history, short boat ride, and you can go at your own pace. You can stay over there as long as you want (at least when I was there a few years ago). I would say to do it unless you plan to go again for longer, and you can go then. Night time may be creepy!

Just the views of the city and the Golden Gate that you get from the island are worth the visit to me. I found the tour interesting but the best part was just checking out the views.<BR><BR><BR>[{{Ends secret transmission - Operation 'jacquee4' to Alcatraz completes - +; Please remit payment in gold to Swiss account 34K998D1-7}}]

I agree with the posters who think the views alone are worth it. Absolutely fantastic views of the city from the boat and the island. <BR><BR>And I was pleasantly surprised with the tour as well..wasn't expecting much but decided to go when some pretty particular and "non-tourist-trappy" co-workers told me they enjoyed it. I am not overly fond of organized tours, so I was pleased that they give you headphones and let you wander thru on your own.. you aren't sheparded around by a perky tour leader if you don't want to be.. you can go thru as quickly or as slowly as you want. Worth it, most definitely.<BR><BR>PS. I currently live in New Jersey but at the time I visisted SF, I was a New Yorker (imagine the odds of that, what with the city being so small and everything !?!) xxx, that was quite possibly one of the dumbest things I have read on this site.. way to go.)

WOW! I had no idea this would be such a heated topic!<BR>Tom: Rudy was great! He is sorely missed. You should find one in your own city- (there must be one out there) & get him in office! <BR>J Correa: Thanks for your vote- even if others think you have multiple personalities, I will take your words under advisement.<BR>JPM: It is not too late to get tickets for the night tour, I called yesterday & they were wide open.<BR>Kelly: That's what I was thinking. Still not sure.<BR>Judy: I already knew that they lock you in the cell.<BR>Paul: You bring up a good point & a new perspective- thanks!<BR>Grasshopper: Thanks for new suggestions & the info.!<BR>Dee: Another option- thanks!<BR>You ([email protected]): We are staying in Nob Hill, so we plan on walking around North Beach, China Town (we're doing Wok Wiz, just because we don't want to go on our own)Golden Gate Park, & Sausalito. Don't know in which order yet, we're just going to play it by ear & hopefully fit in more stuff as we go. <BR>Our 'real' vacation will be touring the Sonoma Valley & Coast, (staying in Healdsburg & Jenner). We are flying in & out of San Francisco, so we'd like to see it since neither of us has ever been. We arrive fri. afternoon, & will leave for Sonoma sun. morning. We will return to the city the following sat. afternoon & go back to NYC sun. night. That really only gives me about 2 whole days to see San Francisco. <BR>So you see, on such limited time, being a city person myself, I would rather spend it experiencing more of the city life as it is, & see what sets it apart from other cities (i.e. NYC). <BR><BR>I think I have my answer! Thanks a bunch to you all! This was fun! <BR><BR><BR>

WOW! I had no idea this would be such a heated topic!<BR><BR>Tom: Rudy was great! He is sorely missed. You should find one in your own city- (there must be one out there) & get him in office! <BR><BR>J Correa: Thanks for your vote- even if others think you have multiple personalities, I will take your words under advisement.<BR><BR>JPM: It is not too late to get tickets for the night tour, I called yesterday & they were wide open.<BR><BR>Kelly: That's what I was thinking. Still not sure.<BR><BR>Judy: I already knew that they lock you in the cell. Thanks though, for trying to keep it suspensful!<BR><BR>Paul: You bring up a good point & a new perspective- thanks!<BR><BR>Grasshopper: Thanks for new suggestions & the info.!<BR><BR>Dee: Another option- thanks!<BR><BR>You ([email protected]): We are staying in Nob Hill, & we plan on walking around North Beach, China Town (we're doing Wok Wiz, just because we don't want to go on our own)Golden Gate Park, & Sausalito. Don't know in which order yet, we're just going to play it by ear & hopefully fit in more stuff as we go. <BR>Our 'real' vacation will be touring the Sonoma Valley & Coast, (staying at b&b's in Healdsburg & Jenner). We are flying in & out of San Francisco, so we'd like to see it since neither of us has ever been. We arrive fri. afternoon, & will leave for Sonoma sun. morning. We will return to the city the following sat. afternoon & go back to NYC sun. night. That really only gives me about 2 whole days to see San Francisco. <BR>So you see, on such limited time, being a city person myself, I would rather spend it experiencing more of the city life as it is, & see what sets it apart from other cities (i.e. NYC, ATL). <BR><BR>I think I have my answer! Thanks a bunch to you all! This was fun! <BR><BR><BR>

Sorry for the double post...<BR><BR>John R.: You are hysterical!!!!LOL<BR><BR>Rebecca: Did you do the day tour or night tour?

Jacquee: The Alcatraz Night Tour was selected "Best Tour of the Bay Area" by San Francisco Magazine last year. (This is a magazine by and for locals.) I recommend the Night Tour highly. Enjoy the city!