Alcatraz Souvenirs

In addition to the Alcatraz postcards I picked up, I managed to leave the Rock with a decent collection of prison related memorabilia.  I have to give credit to the folks in the gift shop because I found it very easy to spend money there.

During our visit in September 2010, the Save the Rock preservation project was already well underway.  What I hadn't realized ahead of time, was that pieces of Alcatraz concrete were actually being sold as souvenirs.  I thought it was a clever way for them to raise extra money for the project, and I was more than willing to get a one of kind piece of memorabilia to remember the trip (even if it was just a piece of concrete).  I thought it was kind of like buying a piece of the Berlin Wall.  

I also picked up a giant Alcatraz prison key with a Golden Gate National Parks stamped tag.  It hangs on one of my inspiration boards now. I just thought it looked cool.

Magnets are nothing new in my collection (see here) but I really liked these ones.  The branding of Alcatraz is really well done throughout all of their merchandise and marketing, and I really liked all of the replicas they made available.  These magnets of the lighthouse and of one of the signs in the prison are good examples of their attention to style and detail.

Another cool replica I bought was this tin cup. They actually had all of the cafeteria utensils, including sectioned plates, available to buy.  As expected all of this stuff was overpriced, but in fairness, they're also really high quality souvenirs that all have a really nice weight to them.  I didn't buy more souvenirs at any single location than I did at Alcatraz on our 2010 road trip across the Western USA.