If there is anything that the local San Franciscan avoids like his own crucifixion, it’s anything for which San Francisco is well known by those who don’t live here. Let’s start with the Fishermen’s Wharf. Even though it’s about the most popular dumping ground for all the San Francisco tours that I can think of, there is probably no place in the city where you’ll find fewer locals than there.
But there is news from an insider who has stared the beast in its eyes and come away pleasantly surprised. The local perception is that it’s nothing but $11 bowls of chowder, useless gift shop crap, cheap tourist sweatshirts, and street performers who paint themselves in monochrome and stand still – oh, get CAA on the horn stat; we’ve got some talent down here. The brave amongst us who ventured in was pleasantly surprised by the views of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and back to the city, specifically Russian Hill, the neighborhood from which he came.
The views set the stage and opened his mind, and then the mirth and merriment to be shared by watching the seals bask, bark, play and fight like extended family at an annual picnic, brought him to feel like maybe, just maybe, the tourists were not entirely clueless in arriving here as if it were San Francisco’s Mecca. What sealed the deal was the Aquarium. While the assumption was that this was certainly some aquatic tourist trap meant to lure in only those who could be taken once and then likely never be seen again, the Aquarium on the Bay is actually quite representative of the marine life that exists in the bay. It just brings it up and highlights it with easy access for the general public, so it’s quite authentic, educational, and fun – especially the fish tunnels which allow the creatures to engulf you as you pass through their natural habitats via clear viewing tubes.
While the seal watching might be the best free show in town, another example of simple pleasures to be found at Fishermen’s Wharf is the Musee Mechanique, showcasing arcade games and peep show machines from a bygone era. And if you like seafood, I hear that in fact you can venture down there and find it, fresh, delicious, with water views, and without the cheesy wharf themed overtones and covered in deep fried batter. So I’ve heard. Someday I might gain the courage to go without waiting for my third step cousin on my half sister-in-law’s side to show up in town and drag me there.
