Souvenir Sunday at SFO Airport: gifts from Alcatraz

Happy Souvenir Sunday!

If you’re stuck at the airport you can snooze, snack, eavesdrop and, of course, shop for souvenirs.  So each Sunday here at StuckatTheAirport.com we feature fun, local, offbeat,  items you can find at airports for under $10.

This week’s souvenir comes to us (again!!) from Ken Rogers.  He sent along this photo from San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

The jail bird is no doubt a reference to Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz” Stroud , an infamous inmate who bred canaries (at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas, not at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary ) and who was portrayed in the movie The Birdman of Alcatraz, by Burt Lancaster.

Today, Alcatraz Island is part of the National Park Service. In addition to prison facilities, the island has historic gardens, bird colonies, a rich history, and an on-line museum that includes a virtual tour of the prison, audio clips, and photos of all sorts of Alcatraz-related items, including John Anglin’s Fake Head

According to the Alcatraz Island web site:

The Anglin Brothers, Frank Morris and Allen Clayton West made fake heads of cotton, soap and human hair. They placed the painted heads in their beds to cover their escape in 1962.

Did you find a great souvenir last time you were stuck at the airport?

If it’s under $10, “of” the city or region and, ideally, a bit offbeat, then please snap a photo and send it along.

Your souvenir may be featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday.

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