Description: Pier 39 is one of the most popular tourist spots in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco. Many a guidebook looks down its nose at the area in general because it is quite brash and in your face, but I really enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the pier and the holiday feel that it gives you when you are there. There is plenty to do here and, unusually, not all of it costs an arm and a leg. The pier is a fun place to spend a couple of hours in the sun and most importantly it offers fabulous views of the surrounding bay.
The pier is free to enter and most of its shops and attractions are open from 10am until 9pm during the week and from 10am until 10pm at the weekends. At the entrance is the aquarium, which draws in thousands of visitors each year. You can buy discounted tickets for the aquarium at the kiosks near the pier entrance. Beyond the aquarium is the pier itself. Old fashioned in style, the design is obviously meant to make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to a fairground type experience. The pier is wooden and pleasing on the eye. We enjoyed walking up and down, popping in the occasionally souvenir shop and grabbing a bag of pick and mix sweets (note to self, avoid the salt water taffy in future, sweets just shouldn’t have salt in them). To complete the holiday atmosphere there is a carousel in the middle and a stage where you can often catch buskers performing shows that are suitable for all the family and a lot of fun to watch.
The best thing about the pier though in my opinion is the group of sea lions that have set up camp on the docks at the side. It’s not completely clear why the sea lions moved to the docks here almost thirty years ago, but they have since made it their home and the numbers have steadily increased over the years. There is a viewing area on the bottom level of the pier where you can watch the sea lions and learn a bit about them from the interesting displays along the side. This area gets very busy though throughout the day and we much preferred to get a quieter, bird’s eye view from the upper level. In all honesty, the sea lions don’t do that much, but they are very noisy and fascinating to watch none the less, especially when one rolls over in his sleep, fall off the dock and scares the others in the process, which is what happed one day when we were there!
The other great thing about Pier 39 is that you can get some fabulous views of Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge if you walk right down to the end. The pier is pretty much the nearest point to the old prison without being on a ferry and it makes for particularly eerie viewing when the famous mist is hanging over it. There are benches down here too so you can spend a happy afternoon people watching and enjoying the sun.
If you are looking for something to eat, you’ll find it in abundance on Pier 39. There are various options depending on whether you want a light snack to walk and eat, or a full meal. There’s a nice chilled out restaurant / bar called Wipeout near the entrance of the pier that does huge portions for a reasonable price or you can try Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Shack at the other end for a Forrest Gump themed meal complete with great views over the bay.
Pier 39 is far from being a San Francisco cultural highlight, in fact it is in stark contrast to the rest of the famously hip city, but you can have fun by the bucket load here and you really should pay a visit.
Pier 39 is far from being a San Francisco cultural highlight, in fact it is in stark contrast to the rest of the famously hip city, but you can have fun by the bucket load here and you really should pay a visit.
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