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A Working Waterfront
Fisherman's Wharf started as a real working harbor. In the late 1800s, Italian immigrants — mostly from Genoa and Sicily — built a fishing fleet that made this the largest deep-sea fishing port in the state. Their catch, especially the Dungeness crab, went straight into the sidewalk stalls that still operate today. The historic fishing fleet still docks here, and at 5 a.m. you can watch the boats head out. The wharf is now the city's busiest tourist district, but the crab stands and seafood shacks are the real deal — try the clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl, a San Francisco invention.
The Sea Lions of Pier 39
In September 1989 a handful of sea lions hauled out onto the docks of Pier 39. Nobody invited them, but the fishing, the sun and the shelter suited them so well that within weeks there were hundreds. The record count is about 1,700, set one Thanksgiving week. They are not fed and nobody manages them; the marina simply gave up the berths. Biologists count them daily, most of the males head south to breed in early summer, and the docks fill again in winter. It's the closest you'll get to wild Alaskan sea lions without leaving the city.
From the Wharf, You Can See…
From here you've got the postcard view: Alcatraz Island straight across the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge to the west, and the skyline of downtown to the south. Alcatraz — 'the Rock' — held America's most infamous prisoners from 1934 to 1963, including Al Capone. It's now a national park and one of the most popular ferry trips in the country. Grab a ferry from Pier 33, or just stand at the railing here and watch the sea lions while the fog rolls in.