Alcatraz Island – aka “The Rock”
Sandwiched between rainy days, the high bidder at last year’s Angel Island Conservancy’s 5th annual Angel Lights Countdown Benefit auction, got lucky once again on the selection of her day for the special tour to explore Alcatraz. It was a glorious day of sunshine and stunning views!
Angel Island Conservancy’s generous Alcatraz tour auction winner shared the experience with “friends of Angel Island” and all were delighted by the “behind the scenes” tour and stories that only someone as knowledgeable and charming as the former Alcatraz National Park Service Site Supervisor (and now happily Angel Island State Park’s Superintendent) Amy Brees could provide.
A pre-tour feast of pastries by Taste Catering energized everyone to climb behind the cage where the guards watched over prisoners, explore the hospital, laundry, and other parts of the prison the public doesn’t get to see. And later, on the boat ride back to San Francisco, the group and ships captain enjoyed scrumptious cookies also by Taste Catering.
Co-hosts and former AIC board members, Guy Lampard & Suzanne Badenhoop, had as much fun as anyone – and they thank Amy Brees, the National Park Service, Alcatraz Docent Corny Foster, Taste Catering, and Alcatraz Cruises for making the day possible.
You, too, can experience an adventure like this and others – all you have to do is attend AIC’s 6th Annual Angel Lights Countdown Benefit (save the date – December 1st) where attendees will have the rare opportunity to bid on experiences like this one.
Click on the below images to view their full-size. Photos by Suzanne Badenhoop.
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- Alcatraz – “The Rock”
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- Amy Brees, former Alcatraz Site Supervisor, and now current Angel Island State Park Superintendent
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- Auction winner and her guests with Amy Brees, Angel Island State Park Superintendent
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- The happy tour guests and their hosts
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- The dock at Alcatraz
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- The Alcatraz Guard Tower
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- Volunteer Docent, Corny Foster, joins the group the garden portion of the tour
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- Corny Foster sharing the story of the gardens with the group
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- Amy Bress shows the group where the attempted escape from Alcatraz occured
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- Alcatraz prison cells
About Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island offers a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US built fort on the West Coast, the infamous federal penitentiary long off-limits to the public, and the 18 month occupation by Indians of All Tribes which saved the tribes. Rich in history, there is also a natural side to the Rock – gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and bay views beyond compare.
