Pier , San Francisco

Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf: What’s Worth Your Time and What Isn’t

Pier 39 is the most visited tourist destination in San Francisco, which tells you everything and nothing. The pier itself is a two-storey shopping mall on stilts over the bay, opened in 1978. Most of its shops are interchangeable souvenir outlets. This is not where you should spend your afternoon. But the area has three things that justify the visit, and you should know which three they are before you walk in.

The sea lions

In January 1990, shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake, California sea lions began hauling out on the floating docks at K-Dock, on the south side of the pier. The Marine Mammal Center monitors them but nobody feeds or manages them - they come because the dock is warm, sheltered, and near good fishing in the bay. On a good day there are 300-400 animals; in summer numbers drop as males migrate north to breed.

You watch from the upper deck railing above the docks. The noise, the smell, and the constant jockeying for position are genuinely entertaining. The California Academy of Sciences runs an interpretive display explaining the biology and behaviour. This is free and takes twenty minutes.

Musee Mecanique

At the entrance to the pier, Musee Mecanique houses around 200 antique coin-operated machines - most still working, all maintained by the family that has collected them since 1933. A fortune teller cabinet from 1900, a mechanical execution tableau from around the same period, a full-size player piano, dozens of early arcade games. Admission is free; machines cost USD 0.25 to USD 1 to operate. Budget an hour and bring a roll of quarters.

Alcatraz

The ferry to Alcatraz departs from Pier 33, which is a ten-minute walk southwest from Pier 39. Alcatraz Cruises (the only licensed operator) charges USD 47.30 for adults including the audio tour, which covers the 1962 escape attempt in detail using interviews with former prisoners and guards. Book at least two weeks ahead in summer; the island often sells out. The return ferry runs every thirty to forty-five minutes and the full visit takes about three hours.

Where to eat

The restaurants on Pier 39 itself are overpriced for what they are. Two alternatives worth knowing: Boudin Bakery at 160 Jefferson Street makes the clam chowder bread bowl that everyone photographs - it is legitimately good, the sourdough starter has been running since 1849, and the USD 15 bread bowl is better value than anything on the pier. The Ferry Building Marketplace, a twenty-five-minute walk or ten-minute streetcar ride along the Embarcadero, has a farmers market on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings and a permanent indoor food hall with Cowgirl Creamery, Hog Island Oyster, and a dozen other serious food producers. It is the better option for lunch by some margin.

Getting there and around

MUNI F-line historic streetcars run along the Embarcadero from the Caltrain terminal and Market Street to Fisherman’s Wharf. The ride from Market Street is about fifteen minutes and costs USD 3. Driving and parking in this area is slow and expensive - the waterfront garages charge USD 30-45 per day. The streetcar is straightforward.

Where to stay

The Argonaut Hotel in Ghirardelli Square, two blocks west of Pier 39, is the area’s best lodging option - it occupies the 1907 Haslett Warehouse, has nautical fittings throughout, and rooms from around USD 250 per night depending on season. Ghirardelli Square itself has a free chocolate tasting at the original shop, which is worth the two-minute detour.

Fisherman’s Wharf is loud and commercially aggressive, but the sea lions and Musee Mecanique are the real thing. The mistake is thinking the pier is the destination - it is the frame around those two things.