Bus man of Alcatraz
But it takes the Americans to do it properly, we visited Boston in 2006 and as all tourists do we had a few beers in the Cheers Bar and used the metro and trolleybus to travel to a typical American Diner for breakfast, we’d come across it the day before whilst out and about and thought it a good idea to return for breakfast, no problems there, I took photos of the trolleybuses in service and even managed a few photos over the depot wall still no problem. What was a problem was trying to photograph the modern, not even nice looking, dual mode silver trolleybuses on the express service whilst under wires. I can’t quite remember how it worked but I think in the center they ran underground using the overhead and then once over ground they continued trolleys down in diesel mode, permits were required to photograph in the underground subway bit and I didn’t have a permit, not something normal Uk tourists carry, although I admit I did know you needed them. I didn’t want a photograph in diesel mode so the only option was on this short stretch as they emerged from underground into the de poling area. I took a couple of photos at this spot receiving some very aggressive looks from the drivers in the process, I then walked towards the underground section to see if I could take one emerging from the bowels of the earth. I didn’t pass the prison like security gates and I was on the pathway side of the wall, i.e. not on the roadway as it looks in the photo, but I had ventured a few steps along the open walkway. A trolleybus was entering the section on the other side of the road I raised my camera and took this photo, the bus stopped the driver opened his window and yelled “Why are you taking photos, you are trespassing” I politely answered him but he was having none and even though I hadn’t passed the gates or ventured far into this classified military zone, it’s just a bus subway for Gods sake, he continued with his trespassing and have you got a permit thing. I hadn’t got a permit so I pleasantly left resisting the temptation to tell the obnoxious driver to go and ** himself, but I sensed something not quite right and hurried her ladyship onto the first available bus waiting just across the road. We sat down just as a police car screeched to a halt at the subway, we were on the move so I’ll never know if the car was for me or not but boarding the plane for San Francisco the next day it did cross my mind that my photo could be plastered all over the airport security walls and I would be apprehended like a major criminal. When as normal tourists we walked around the old Alcatraz prison a few days later I did wonder which cell would have been mine had I not made quick my escape, in years to come I would be part of the guided tour and my faded picture would be by the cell door, next to Al Capone and other famous gangsters, I would be the most famous of all, known forever as The Bus man of Alcatraz.
Bus man of Alcatraz
But it takes the Americans to do it properly, we visited Boston in 2006 and as all tourists do we had a few beers in the Cheers Bar and used the metro and trolleybus to travel to a typical American Diner for breakfast, we’d come across it the day before whilst out and about and thought it a good idea to return for breakfast, no problems there, I took photos of the trolleybuses in service and even managed a few photos over the depot wall still no problem. What was a problem was trying to photograph the modern, not even nice looking, dual mode silver trolleybuses on the express service whilst under wires. I can’t quite remember how it worked but I think in the center they ran underground using the overhead and then once over ground they continued trolleys down in diesel mode, permits were required to photograph in the underground subway bit and I didn’t have a permit, not something normal Uk tourists carry, although I admit I did know you needed them. I didn’t want a photograph in diesel mode so the only option was on this short stretch as they emerged from underground into the de poling area. I took a couple of photos at this spot receiving some very aggressive looks from the drivers in the process, I then walked towards the underground section to see if I could take one emerging from the bowels of the earth. I didn’t pass the prison like security gates and I was on the pathway side of the wall, i.e. not on the roadway as it looks in the photo, but I had ventured a few steps along the open walkway. A trolleybus was entering the section on the other side of the road I raised my camera and took this photo, the bus stopped the driver opened his window and yelled “Why are you taking photos, you are trespassing” I politely answered him but he was having none and even though I hadn’t passed the gates or ventured far into this classified military zone, it’s just a bus subway for Gods sake, he continued with his trespassing and have you got a permit thing. I hadn’t got a permit so I pleasantly left resisting the temptation to tell the obnoxious driver to go and ** himself, but I sensed something not quite right and hurried her ladyship onto the first available bus waiting just across the road. We sat down just as a police car screeched to a halt at the subway, we were on the move so I’ll never know if the car was for me or not but boarding the plane for San Francisco the next day it did cross my mind that my photo could be plastered all over the airport security walls and I would be apprehended like a major criminal. When as normal tourists we walked around the old Alcatraz prison a few days later I did wonder which cell would have been mine had I not made quick my escape, in years to come I would be part of the guided tour and my faded picture would be by the cell door, next to Al Capone and other famous gangsters, I would be the most famous of all, known forever as The Bus man of Alcatraz.