Fisherman's Wharf Neighborhood
for locals
Even for locals visiting the Fisherman's wharf neighborhood can be a fun thing to do every now and then. We know having lived only a few blocks away. See our tips below.
You just need to pick and choose where to go, preferably off season but any time will work. The ambiance and many of the best attractions are free. Eating spots are often decent and fairly priced too. Tourist traps and chain stores are usually fairly obvious so just walk on by.
By the way, if you are a first-time tourist then Fisherman's Wharf is a good place to start seeing SF's most famous tourist attractions.
ATTRACTIONS
Here are some of the best attractions locals can greatly enjoy. Many are FREE.
Sausalito Ferry, Pier 41, Fisherman's Wharf, SF
In my book this regular commuter ferry service ($8.25 each way)
to Sausalito is the very best attraction at Fisherman's
Wharf. The Society of American Travel Writers agree voting it
#2 of the world's top 10 ferry rides.
What a great way to enjoy the beautiful San Francisco Bay. Just the 30 minute ride one-way, a quick visit to Sausalito, then back makes for a fabulous afternoon by itself. If more convenient you may want to cross the Golden Gate Bridge first and start at the Sausalito end to visit Fisherman's Wharf.
By the way, on late summer afternoons get to the Sausalito Pier early to avoid being bumped from the boat by the crowds of bicycle riders coming back from their ride across Golden Gate Bridge.
Hyde Street Pier National Park, 499 Jefferson St, SF
Before the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges existed, Hyde Street
Pier was the main automobile ferry port for crossing north to
Sausalito and east to Berkeley. Now it is a national park featuring
many historical vessels. Among them are three rare survivors
of SF History -- the Baclutha, a square-rigged sailing
ship built in 1886 which took 17 trips around Cape Horn and
appeared in the film Mutiny on the Bounty, and the C.A.Thayer,
a triple masted sailing schooner & fishing ship built in 1895,
and the Eureka steam paddlewheel ferryboat built in 1890. The
Hyde Street Pier is FREE and a boarding pass to the historic
vessels is $5.
See map, directions, hours, & admissions to the Maritime Historical Park including the USS Pampanito Submarine.
USS Pampanito Submarine (SS-383), Pier 45 at the north
end of Taylor St, SF
This submarine memorial and museum is one of the most popular
historical vessels in the U.S. (110,000 visitors yearly). Its
history, starting 1943, includes sinking six Japanese ships
during World War II and starring in the 1996 movie Down Periscope
with Kelsey Grammer. The sub is parked on Pier 45 and is open
for tours seven days/week. Standing next to it on the Pier and
just looking is FREE.
SS Jeremiah O'Brien, Pier 45 beyond the Pampanito,
at north end of Taylor St, SF
This national historical landmark is one of two operational
Liberty cargo ships left, of the 2,710 built to support our
armed forces during World War II. This ship was built in 56
days, launched June 19, 1943, made seven WWII voyages, and did
eleven crossings of the English Channel to Normandy to support
the D-Day invasion. It still makes a few SF Bay area cruises
each year.
Museum Mechanique, Pier 45 at north end of Taylor St,
Fisherman's Wharf
This antique penny arcade has one of the world's largest
private collections (over 200) of working coin-operated arcade
machines and mechanical musical instruments. Admission is FREE
but you or your kids can play most of these old machines for
a few coins.
Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, SF
Pier 39 is the third most popular tourist attraction in the
U.S., after the two Disneylands, so it is definitely both popular
and tourist oriented. On the up side, it is FREE and has a lot
of buzz so why not walk through and people watch. Many of the
restaurants have a superb view too and make a convenient place
to stop for lunch.
We usually just quickly walk straight through the middle of Pier 39 on past the crowds to the end where there is a beautiful Bay & Alcatraz view. Then we turn west towards Golden Gate bridge and walk along the Pier's northern edge to see the many sea lions which, for some strange reason, have decided that this little harbor is one of the best places in the Bay to relax. You will rarely so many sea lions, up this close & personal anywhere else including remote areas.
We also enjoy visiting the Aquarium of the Bay non-profit marine nature center at Pier 39. It is not as big as the aquarium in Monterey but is a much, much shorter drive. :) The 200 foot long plastic tube you walk through (under 700,000 gallons of water and 20,000 aquatic animals) gives impressive views of marine life such as sting rays, sharks, and large schools of smaller fish. Discount tickets are easy to find on the Internet or at free newspaper stands.
FOOD & DRINKS
Who said locals don't go to Fisherman's Wharf. In fact, some of SF's favorite restaurants and bars are located here. Since both locals and tourists like these particular restaurants they are often crowded.
Gary Dankos, 800 North Point/Hyde, SF
Local foodies generally regard this as one of the best, if not
the best, restaurants in San Francisco. As for crowds, no problem.
It typically takes over a month to get a reservation anyway
so go any time of year. :) Gary Dankos has over 2000 highly
rated reviews on Yelp, the most of any restaurant according
to our waiter.
The Buena Vista Cafe, 2765 Hyde St/Bay St, SF
On a quiet rainy morning this is definitely the place to drink
an exceptionally tasty Irish Coffee or Ramos Gin Fizz. They
serve up to 2,000 cups of their world-famous Irish Coffees every
day. Later in the day on nice days the bar will often be too
packed to sit down so we just look in when walking by to see
if a seat can be found.
Scomas, Pier 47, Al Scoma Way, Fisherman's Wharf
We haven't been here for decades because of the crowds and
difficult access (they do have complimentary valet parking which
helps). However, Scoma's is certainly the destination sea
food restaurant of choice for many SF Bay area residents who
don't get into the City often.
Cheaper Eats
As for other less fancy places for a bite to eat you might try
a bowl of chowder from one of the street stands on Taylor
St just north of Jefferson St. The adjacent sit-down restaurants
are reasonable as well and usually not as crowded as you would
expect. In our experience both the chowder and fresh bread have
always been good.
Lori's Diner, at Ghiradelli Square, is an inexpensive 50's style local SF hamburger chain store with a great Bay view and OK shakes & burgers.
LOCAL HAUNTS
Tourists usually congregate between Ghiradelli Square and Pier 39, which has a tourist oriented ambiance all of its own. Here are some other nearby areas, you can walk to, that are frequented mainly by locals.
Aquatic Park, Beach St/Hyde St, Fisherman's Wharf
Some consider this the best swimming beach in San Francisco
because of the close in location, sandy beach and protected
harbor. Any time of year, you will usually see swimmers from
the Dolphin and South Bay Clubs practicing their open water
swimming in the cold, cold waters. For places to hang out there
are several pleasant grassy knolls behind the Cable Car turnaround
and, on the beach, a big cement ampitheater with steps to sit
on while listening to the local drummers who often play for
hours.
Fort Mason, 1 Fort Mason, Bay St/Franklin St, SF
Starting near the beach, at the end of Van Ness Ave and a long
block west of Ghiradelli Square, there is a nice paved walkway
(McDowell Ave SW) going west along the low hill underneath Fort
Mason. Up above the walkway and below the Fort Mason Youth Hostel,
are some small dirt walkways and nice quiet places to sit.
Walking a little further west into the Marina neighborhood you get to the pleasant grassy knolls of Fort Mason Park (northeast corner at Bay St/Laguna St). This is a favorite local spot for just sitting on the grass or walking your dog. Nearby, to the east of the park grass, you can also discover the nifty Fort Mason Community Garden. It has a 5+ year waiting list of local gardeners who want a small 5'x25' plot there. The small flower & vegetable gardens are hidden, funky, beautiful and peaceful; it's nice of them to usually leave the gates unlocked for public viewing.
Fort Mason Center, Marina Blvd/Buchanan St, SF
Located just north of the park on the water is a large old military
port with its many piers & warehouses. Now this port provides
unpolished facilities for a wide variety of resident non-profit
organizations including Greens Restaurant (a famous &
beautiful vegetarian restaurant), dance companies, theater groups,
ItaloAmericano & Mexican museums, environmental organizations,
and much more. In fact the Center has over 15,000 events/year
by about 2000 different organizations ... so there is usually
something funky going on. Historically, for over 100 years it
served as army post and was the Port of Demarcation for most
Pacific-bound military cargo during World War II.
Levi Plaza Park, 1270 Battery St, SF
This little oasis of a park is beautifully maintained by Levi
Strauss. It is located just off The Embarcadero about 4 blocks
southeast of Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf. See
The Embarcadero for some more details.
As you can see there are many ways locals enjoyably spend time in and around the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood. In fact most tourists will never even notice several of the spots mentioned above.
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