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Article: LIFE ON THE ROCK The former prison on Alcatraz may appear benign from afar, says Tim Jepson, but in the flesh it is a chilling memorial to darker times
- Article from:
- The Sunday Telegraph London
- Article date:
- October 18, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Sunday Telegraph London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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San Francisco is a tremendous city, and largely free of tacky
tourist attractions, but I was certain one of its big draws -
Alcatraz - would be unable to resist going down the Disney route,
peddling a sanitised, Hollywood version of both prison and prison
life.
The more so, as the island is reached from San Francisco's
redeveloped waterfront, the Embarcadero, a long string of numbered
piers, many still gritty, working wharves, others - such as Pier 39 -
one of the city's few tourist ghettos: all souvenirs and fast-food
outlets. But I was wrong. A visit to Alcatraz is a revelation.
Things start predictably enough. You board a gaudy boat full of
chattering, camera-wielding companions, and chug ...