Neighborhood Guide: Fisherman’s Wharf
My first adult visit to Fisherman’s Wharf circa 2008. I still own that jean jacket.
A bit more than Pier 39.
Fisherman’s Wharf is the ultimate family destination and great for people looking for affordable hotels. It’s hands down the most touristy area of the city with a few interesting gems thrown in for good measure.
You collect magnets from places you’ve visited? The Wharf is the absolute jackpot of magnet shopping. You like to people-watch magnet shoppers? Pull up a bar stool. You’re really close to Pier 39 which is the part of the wharf with the sea lions, activities like arcades, and food everyone will find non-controversial. Pier 39 food is not good food or bad food, just at the level of “if you eat here, you will no longer be hungry.”
There are a couple of convenient nearby transit lines to some places very much worth visiting. The 28 bus takes you to the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park and has some of the best views you can get for $2.75. The F Streetcar line is just cool to ride and will take you all the way to the Castro with the Ferry Building along the way. It’s the slowest way to travel four miles without walking, but the perfect way to rest your feet.
The gems, though, are pretty dazzling.
Everyone who likes a cocktail should go to The Buena Vista near Ghirardelli Square for an Irish Coffee. They claim they invented the modern version, and I wasn’t alive to verify whether it happened or not. But it’s an SF thing, and a good one. Sit at the bar and grab one while you watch people stand in line for the Hyde Street Cable Car.
Eat some Boudin sourdough bread – maybe in the shape of a turtle –because it’s delicious, or just smell it if gluten isn’t your thing. They really do pump the smell out to the sidewalk, and I love it whenever I pass by on a run.
The Musée Mécanique has a ton of strange, vintage arcade games. You can play some of them while also questioning what was going on in society at the time they were created. If you’re grabbing some Boudin bread, pop in here for 30 minutes before passing the steel drum guy on your way to The Buena Vista. Explore Ghirardelli Square while you’re there.
Someone is destined to tell you that you should visit the Wharf at least once, and I’m not sure that’s true. If you’ve only got a weekend and you want to see San Francisco, the Wharf is not really San Francisco. If you want an affordable home base, it certainly serves that purpose. But if shopping for magnets is totally your thing, I love that for you. Go for it.