Car Rental San Francisco

While you are enjoying your car rental in San Francisco, an intriguing destination to visit is Alcatraz Island. Commonly referred to as "the Rock," Alcatraz Island is run by the National Park Service and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It continues to be one of San Francisco's most visited landmarks where thousands of tourists flock each year to take a look into the cells that once housed such famed prisoners as Al Capone, Arthur "Doc" Barker, and Alvin Karpis (who was the first "Public Enemy #1). Alcatraz Island gained such notoriety because of its strict treatment of prisoners. Inmates were guaranteed only four rights: food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Any other privileges could be given or restricted at any time.

As hard as it is to believe in this day and age, prisoners actually had to earn the right to exercise, visit with family members, and read a book. You can't truly understand the horror associated with Alcatraz Island until you step inside its doors. Visiting Alcatraz Island during your vacation is quite simple; just find your way to the pier with your car rental in San Francisco and then get out and enjoy the ride!

For official information about visiting Alcatraz Island, including details regarding your visit, organized tours, the island's penitentiary, nature highlights, and more, be sure to visit the official web page of Alcatraz Island, http://www.nps.gov/alcatraz/. This page offers a limited selection of information on Alcatraz Island, but is very up-to-date and reliable. It is a great resource for a first look at "the Rock!"

The unique history of Alcatraz Island is perhaps this destination's most fascinating aspect. You can learn more about the history of Alcatraz by visiting a web site entirely devoted to the changing history of the island, www.sftravel.com/Alcatraz1950on.html.

Get up close and personal with quotes from some of the last prisoners to call Alcatraz "home," and learn everything you ever wanted to know about Alcatraz with well-organized and detailed information bullets with important highlighted facts. For example, did you know that it cost $23.50 per day to house an inmate on Alcatraz Island compared with $9.27 per day in a mainland prison? With this amazing numbers, it is no wonder the prison was forced to close after only twenty-years of business!

If you are interested in visiting Alcatraz Island after you get your car rental in San Francisco, there are many tour companies waiting to make the trip an enjoyable one for you. Blue and Gold Fleet, located at Pier 41 in the Marine Terminal, offers reputable guided trips over to Alcatraz Island that include all-inclusive rates and personal tours. All you have to do is park your car rental in San Francisco and hop on the relaxing tour boat where you'll get to feel the warm ocean air and the mist of San Francisco Bay. Tours are relatively affordable and can be purchased right on the web, www.blueandgoldfleet.com.

Escape from Alcatraz!
While you are planning a trip to Alcatraz Island after you get your car rental in San Francisco, there were many other people in the island's history who were not so anxious to visit. Throughout 1934 and 1963, the years that the Federal prison operated off of Alcatraz Island, there were fourteen different escape attempts made by thirty-six different men. Out of these escapees, twenty-three were caught while six were shot and consequently killed during their escape and two drowned while trying to swim to shore. You can only imagine how happy some of these men would have been to have a car rental in San Francisco!