Alcatraz, Spanish for ‘pelican', is perhaps the biggest landmark in San Francisco Bay. First used as a military fort in the 19th century, it was opened in 1934 as a federal prison and held some of the world's most feared criminals of the time. Amongst these was the Chicago mobster Al Capone, as well as various other dangerous individuals who were separated from society by Alcatraz's walls and the freezing, shark-infested waters. Nowadays, San Francisco tour operators aim to offer an insight into Alcatraz's chilling past by offering night-time tours around the huge and daunting prison. Read more at:http://www.tourism-review.com/top_weekly_full.php?id=309.
TF: World Heritage 
