Pier 39 is admittedly a crowded and commercial place. Adults may prefer to take it in small doses, interspersing time at the Pier with time at one of the many fine restaurants along the Bay. Still, it can be fun to let loose and eat like a kid again. Cotton candy, chocolates, ice cream, hot dogs, and every other good-tasting, bad-for-you food can be had here. Especially worth the wait is a freshly made waffle cone filled with Dreyers ice cream (known as Edy's in the Midwest and East). On a recent trip to the Pier, I ate more cone than ice cream. They're that good. Also available for your shopping 'needs' are stores selling Irish and Scottish items, Russian lacquerware, puppets, SF souvenirs, and more. Along with Chinatown, Pier 39 is a prime place to collect trinkets. The one thing you mustn't miss is the sea lions. Sunning themselves on the docks, they'll occassionally bark and put on a show. Best of all, it's free and away from the commercialism of the rest of the Pier. But remember, the sea lions migrate to the Channel Islands to breed during June and July. It's a cruel irony that they disappear at the height of the tourist season. It almost makes you wonder if they don't know something the tourists don't, namely that SF is a much better time (and warmer) in the spring and fall.

This is about the Pier 39 and Fishermans Wharf area of San Francisco. The Fishermans Wharf area is filled with many people bustling around trying to find such goods as freshly baked sourdough bread from Boudins Bakery, fresh clam chowder from the sidewalk restaurants, or trips out to the famous island prison, Alcatraz. Stop here a while and checkout the street performers. Look for the "Bush Man" while you traverse this area. He might just get you if you don't keep your eyes peeled.

From here you can access Pier 39, which is home to such sights as Forbes Island, and also see the Sea Lions that have adopted a part of the docks for their own place to sun themselves. You can also find many stores on Pier 39 and it pays to take your time walking around. You will not only use your sense of sight, but also your sense of smell as you walk down the pier. You can smell the salty air mixed with the smells of coffee, fresh bread, pretzels, cotton candy, etc. The pier is usually really busy, so unless you are a fan of crowds I wouldn't recommend this to you. If you are looking for a trinket from San Francisco, this is the place to shop.

For dinner I recommend going to Forbes Island. It is a small man-made island that is used as a restaurant. It is cozy and pretty romantic. Afterwards, you can watch the sea lions vying for places to sleep on the floating platforms nearby. For more information, check out www.pier39.com.

We didn't spend a lot of time at Pier 39, but we did take the time to see the sea lions who now call Pier 39 their home. It is very entertaining to watch them and see them interacting among themselves, and it’s fun to call friends and family on your cell phone and let them listen to the sea lions in the background. They do smell somewhat. The pier has several tourist shops, camera shops, T-shirt shops...they were fun to walk through, but we thought there were more interesting things to see, and didn't spend a lot of time in this area. Children would most likely enjoy time on the pier, riding the carousel, etc. It is also convenient to book other tours from the pier, such as bicycle rides to the Golden Gate Bridge, cable car tours, and trips to Alcatraz.

There was a lot of shopping areas, lots of dining, art galleries, jewlery stores and sea lions. There is a beautiful two tier venetian carousel that is a must. On the Crystal Geyer front stage there are many local performers. Everything from juggling to comedians.

Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, and Ghirardelli Square are all located on the San Francisco Bay and are in walking distance of each other. Fisherman’s Wharf is dotted with restaurants, electronic stores, and T-shirt shops—your usual tourist trap, but you will still visit it anyway.

I was very disappointed in the restaurants. They are over priced and, coming from the East Coast, I do not like the West Coast seafood. They are famous for their Dungeness crabs. Compared to good old Maryland crabs, Dungeness have no flavor. The Bay Area is known for its famous chowder in a sourdough bowl. I stopped at a street vendor thinking it would be cheaper than eating it in the restaurant, but I was wrong. A bowl of chowder ran $9; it was comparable to Boston’s chowder but way over priced. Prices in restaurants for lunch and dinner are no different. The restaurants really do not have a lunch menu. Plan on spending between $50 and $90 for lunch or dinner for two.

If you want to shop, I thought this was a great place to by souvenirs. T-shirt shops everywhere and all for a great price. Like electronics, this is the place. I purchased a lens for my camera for the same price or better than on the Internet.

Pier 39 is one of the most visited places in the country; it is up there with Disney. Why, I am not sure. Walking from the main part of the wharf down to Pier 39, the street is filled with street artists and performers. This part is quite entertaining. Pier 39 is not much more than the piers on the boardwalk in South Jersey—your usual shops with restaurants. The best and only thing about visiting the pier is the sea lions. For some reason they hang out by the hundreds. Bleachers are available if you plan on watching them for a period of time.

Gharardelli Square and the Cannery once were working factories. Gharardelli Chocolate Factory was converted into shops, condos, and restaurants. In November 1964, Ghirardelli Square opened and is considered the first successful adaptive reuse project in the country. Ghirardelli Square was granted National Historic Register status in 1982. The Cannery was once a Del Monte factory. This historic building, dating back to 1907 and located on the waterfront, was since converted to restaurants, shops, and condos. Unlike the main part of Fisherman’s Wharf, this area offers unique shops and boutiques. From here, walk across to the Aquatic Park. You will get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. But this area is known for better things. In the frigid cold waters of the bay, you will see swimmers. I was here in January and I could not believe the amount of people swimming in these waters just like a warm summer day.

Getting here: Depending on what part of the city you are staying, both cable car turn arounds are located here. The trolleys run in the area.