Fisherman's Wharf In San Francisco

Now that summer is officially here, a lot of visitors will be coming to San Francisco. Many will be repeat visitors because San Francisco is one of the most beautiful, widely visited, and wildly popular cities in America.

Whether you are a first-time visitor or coming back for another look, I urge you all to visit the Fisherman’s Wharf area. It is one of the most well-known sites in San Francisco and people from every corner of the world as well as Americans from every state mix and mingle freely taking in the many sights and attractions.

I have lived in San Francisco for most of my life, and whenever relatives or friends come to town I always bring them up to Fisherman’s Wharf. I never get tired of showing them around and seeing the Wharf through their fresh eyes.

And why not? There is so much to see and do there. We usually start out just by walking around and taking in the sights. It is the greatest place in the city to just people watch, but there is so much more to do. The famous crab stands offer fresh crab to visitors and if you love seafood, this is a great place to start.

There is a large concentration of open-air sidewalk crab stands that stretch out for a block. The sometimes nearly invisible vendors are often hidden by a cloud of steam while they busily chop up and prepare freshly caught crab meals to serve to the always hungry visitors.

You can nosh on steamed crabs and keep on walking, just like you can with the clam chowder served on the famous only in San Francisco sourdough bread. No plates are needed, the bread is the plate! Or dine inside nearby restaurants featuring a variety of seafood like crab, lobster, or shrimp dishes.

The nearby admission-free Musee Mecanique is a 20th-century penny arcade that has hundreds of mechanical machines you can play for a quarter or two. It is like you are visiting a video arcade that our grandparents may have enjoyed. What a blast from the past!

It has one of those booths where you can sit and get your picture taken, alone or jammed in with friends, which used to be a feature in every dime store in America.

You can have your fortune told by an automatronic fortune teller. Or check out Laughing Sal, transported from the old Playland at the Beach Amusement Park, and listen to her maniacal laugh, a trip in itself.

You can have a penny engraved with only in SF views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, or the iconic cable cars. You can shoot hoops, go bowling, play skee ball, or Pac-Man and Donkey Kong too.

After the museum, you can stroll through the crowded streets jam-packed with happy tourists and their families and visit the world-renowned Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

This museum features a can’t-miss mix of celebrities, politicians, and rock stars, all unerringly portrayed and you can freely pose for pics with all these familiar faces and see how you measure up to them in size.

Or you can visit the famous Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, The Aquarium of the Bay, or see and hear the sea lions barking and lounging outside the magnificent Pier 39 multi-leveled shopping mall.

Pier 39 is a trip in itself. There are at least 50 shops to browse in, restaurants or snack stands, and a very conveniently located Hard Rock Cafe. Admission is always free if you just want to stroll and people-watch, but it is easier said than done to keep your wallet in your pocket.

And speaking of trips you can for a very nominal fee take a cruise on the Bay itself on either the Red & White or the Blue & Gold fleets. You will see San Francisco from a very unique viewpoint and get a mini-ocean cruise right on the Bay.

You can sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, and get a close-up view of Alcatraz Island. It is unforgettable to be out on the ocean water in a safe sturdy boat that accommodates hundreds of people. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but bundle up! It’s cold out there.

Fisherman’s Wharf is open every day of the year. It’s waiting for you to experience right now. If you plan on visiting San Francisco this summer, be sure to include a trip to Fisherman’s Wharf on your itinerary.

You won't regret it!