New York ( CNN ) -- One hour of recreation a day . Veal patties and noodles for dinner . New York 's well-known Rikers Island jail complex has been featured in films , television shows and documentaries , but life on the other side of the bars appears less than glamorous . A number of well-known or infamous inmates have been at least briefly incarcerated there , from the late Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious to , more recently , former NFL receiver Plaxico Burress and rapper Lil ' Wayne . However , many celebrities find the facilities in the Rikers Island complex a far cry from the surroundings they may be used to . International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is the latest well-known inmate at Rikers Island . He was transferred there on Monday after a Manhattan Criminal Court judge refused to grant him bail . Strauss-Kahn faces multiple charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault of a housekeeping employee at New York 's Sofitel hotel . Rikers Island , actually a complex of 10 different units located in the New York borough of Queens , dates to the 1930s , when the first facility -- the James A. Thomas Center , formerly known as the Rikers Island Penitentiary -- opened , according to the New York Department of Correction . Once a 90-acre site , Rikers Island was enlarged to more than 400 acres using sanitary landfill , according to the department 's website . It is an actual island , accessible only by a bridge from Queens , and its jails have a combined capacity of nearly 17,000 inmates . However , Strauss-Kahn is in protective custody , meaning he is kept away from the general population because of his status as a high-profile inmate , said a department spokesman who asked not to be named . He is in Rikers Island 's West Facility , part of which is used to house inmates with contagious diseases , but other parts are used for inmates in protective custody , the spokesman said . Strauss-Kahn is awakened at 6 a.m. each day in his 11-by-13-foot cell , the spokesman said . He will not have interaction or contact with other inmates , and `` his cell is the only one occupied on that side of the unit . '' When he is taken out of his cell for his daily hour of recreation or taken to the visiting area to receive visitors , he will be accompanied by a corrections officer and a captain , the spokesman said . Inmates travel outside their cells one at a time , meaning he will have no opportunity to encounter other inmates . The spokesman said Monday that Strauss-Kahn will be allowed to leave his cell periodically and walk around his housing area corridor , where he can watch television -- but he still wo n't come into contact with anyone else . Tuesday 's menu for inmates included an apple , banana , cereal , toast , milk and coffee or tea for breakfast ; vegetable chili , rice , green beans , carrot and celery salad and wheat bread for lunch ; and veal patties , noodles , steamed cabbage , whole wheat bread , a piece of fruit and tea or a fruit drink for dinner . Inmates and others can deposit money into their commissary accounts , which can be used to purchase toiletries , snacks and haircuts , as well as buy daily phone calls , all of which are monitored and recorded , according to the department . Strauss-Kahn will be allowed three visits a week , not counting his attorney or outside doctor , if he has one , the spokesman said . CNN 's Jesse Solomon contributed to this report .
Dominique Strauss-Kahn is in protective custody in Rikers Island . The site actually has 10 different units . Strauss-Kahn is in an 11-by-13-foot cell . He must use his commissary account to buy phone calls and snacks .