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SAN FRANCISCO'S FISHERMAN'S
WHARF
Best things
to do on the famous wharf by the Bay
“If
you're goin’ to
San Francisco” as the hippie sixties
song said, you’re going to The Wharf. There are lots of things
to do in the city by the bay, but the number one tourist destination
and symbol of the city’s identity is the Fisherman’s Wharf.
Lined on one side by tourist attractions like the Wax Museum and "Ripley’s
Believe It or Not" while on the other by steam pots of fresh crab cocktails,
fresh fish and nautical supply stores. The name brand seafood restaurants,
Alioto’s, Castangnola's, The Grotto, or just the No. 9, which
surround the docks of fishing boats bobbing in the tide. Scoma’s
is probably recognized as the best dining and The Franciscan probably
the best view
of the bay for sunsets and 4th of July fireworks (until the fog rolls
in just before they go off). Old sailing ships like the Balcutha square
rigger 
smelling of creosote you
can board
at
the
San Francisco
Maritime National Historic Park at the Hyde Street Pier to feel the life
of the
seamen who abandoned their clipper ships in the
bay during the gold rush to seek their fortunes, and a collection of
nautical history about the bay, ships and shipping can be found inside
the museum. For more recent naval history, tour the WWII era submarine
the USS Pampanito and the Liberty Ship the SS Jeremiah O’Brien
at Pier 45.
Ghiradelli
Square was the original
chocolate factory established in 1860 and the historic building now
house a mall
of international shops
and restaurants with a spectacular bay view and landscaped plazas for
eating, relaxing or watching chocolate still being made. If you want
to get out on the water, a variety of cruises are available. Get up early
enough to go out fishing on the brisk bay waters with the Wharf Sport
Fishing Fleet. Or take a bay cruise with Red and White Fleet under the
Golden Gate Bridge ( See also Guns
of the Golden Gate) or take the Blue
and Gold Fleet to Alcatraz and get locked in a cell which hell Al Capone
or
the “Birdman
of Alcatraz”,
or ferry to Sausalito or Oakland’s Jack London Square. Or take
a Hornblower dinner cruise if you really want to see the city lights
at night from the bay. Get a couple of loaves of the sourdough bread
made famous at Boudins Original Sourdough Bakery.
Start your morning at Pier
39 for one of the best breakfasts on the Wharf at
the Eagle Café and then go watch the barking seals basking
in the morning sun. The Aquarium of the Bay is a recent
addition at Pier 39, walk through 300 feet of clear tunnels to get close
up to the marine
animals who make the bay their aquatic home. Of course you’ll take
a cable car ride up from the Hyde Street and Powell Turntable and return
to end the day at the home of the original Irish Coffee at the Buena
Vista. © Bargain
Travel West
Find the best hotel deals in San
Francisco
Traveling with a pet
CHOICE
PET FRIENDLY LODGING
Web Info
Fisherman's Wharf.org
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See these other articles on Bargain Travel West:
BARKING
BY THE BAY: The Wharf Inn
MONTEREY
BAY AQUARIUM
Sea Life on Cannery Row
SIMONIAN
FARMS
Roadside Fruit Farm as Museum
PASO
ROBLES WINE FESTIVALS
Central Coast Wine Tasting
CALAVERAS
SIERRA WINE TASTING
Liquid Gold in California’s Gold Country
MAINZ
MUSEUMS
Gutenberg, Roman Galleons and Bubbly Wine
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