Fisherman's Wharf

I wanted to stay in a neighborhood that is walkable day and night and close to all the attractions. With our Alcatraz Cruise at 9AM, I picked the Radisson Hotels at the Fisherman's Wharf that was walking distance to the piers and public transportation. One must buy for the trip is the City Pass. For $59 you get 5 admission to 5 attractions vs buying regular price at every location. Not only you save money, you can skip the long lines, its a great deal.
City Pass

Fisherman's Wharf
A touristy waterfront neighborhood which encompasses Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, and the ferry launch to Alcatraz Island, as well as a plethora of seafood restaurants and souvenir stores. Fisherman's Wharf is San Francisco's most popular destination among travelers, with circa 12 million visitors flocking here each year. Fishermans Wharf gets its name and neighborhood characteristics from the city's early days during the Gold Rush where Italian emigre fishermen settled in the area and fished for the Dungeness Crab. From then until present day it remained the home base of San Francisco's fishing fleet. Despite its redevelopment into a tourist attraction during the 1970s and 1980s, the area is still home to many active fishermen and their fleets.



Pier 39, A 45-acre pier-complex featuring over 100 stores and restaurant, the most popular pier. Fortunately we stayed at a nearby hotel that is walking distance, we were able to visit during the day and night.


Boudin Museum and Bakery. Established in 1849 by Isidore Boudin, son of a family of master bakers from Burgundy, France. The demonstration bakery has a 30-foot window where you can see how they bake the famous breads using a portion of the original mother doug. Upstairs is a small free museum to learn the history of Boudin. Downstairs is a cafe to enjoy fresh made bread.



Blue & Gold Fleet Included in the City Pass was an hour sightsee cruise on the Blue & Gold Fleet, a relaxing way to see the San Fran historic waterfront, you get to see the city, Gold Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.


Aquarium of the Bay is a 65,000 square foot facility features 300 feet of crystal clear acrylic tunnels holding over 700,000 gallons of filtered Bay water that is home to over 20,000 aquatic animals. Located at Embarcadero and Beach Street, at the edge of Pier 39. The Aquarium is focused on locals - local aquatic animals, from the San Francisco Bay and neighboring waters. The aquarium's largest exhibit - 300 feet (91 m) of crystal clear tunnels featuring thousands of aquatic animals and other sea creatures. The exhibit is a recreation of the San Francisco Bay.





Jelly fishes are so fascinating but also creepy to me at the same time. Here you see the Sea Nettle Jellyfish. The name sea nettle may also refer to the Pacific sea nettle or West Coast sea nettle. It is a common coastal species found along the west coast of North America from California to Alaska. he nettle's sting is rated from "moderate" to "severe" and can be pernicious to smaller prey; it is not, however, potent enough to cause human death, except by allergic reaction. The Pacific sea nettle Chrysaora fuscescens was successfully cultured first on a large scale by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, where it remains a popular exhibit.




Various sea creature displays...






Musee Mecanique a small free museum showcasing an interesting collection of about 300 coin-operated musical instruments and antique arcade machines, that date from the turn of the century.