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All San Franciscans love to
hate Fisherman's Wharf.
Content never to visit the
area, they complain of the
tacky shops selling cheap
souvenirs, the "novelty"
museums whose novelty has
long worn off and busloads
of tourists blocking the
view to Alcatraz. Baclutha
But secretly, everyone likes
it a little, and having
guests from out of town is
the perfect excuse for
otherwise cynical old-timers
to "force" themselves to go.
And it is possible to have a
cheap, good time. Just avoid
the wax museums and the "I'm
With Stupid" T-shirt stands,
and what's left are some of
the best views in the city,
fresh Dungeness crab and the
ever-amusing sea lions.
Last year, almost 12 million
people made their way to the
Wharf. In international
surveys, it ranks as the No.
1 destination for SF-bound
visitors, right ahead of
Chinatown and the Golden
Gate Bridge. Oddly, this
favorite spot, as they see
it today, is only 30 years
old. Most of the major
attractions -- the Cannery,
Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39
-- were built in the late
1960s.
Of course, there is one
attraction -- drawing more
than 1 million visitors sea
lions per year -- that
remains an authentic
experience. Alcatraz, the
home away from home for some
infamous characters (Al
Capone and Robert "the
Birdman" Stroud among them),
has been a lot of things
since its inception in 1853,
including a U.S. Army fort,
a military prison and a
high-security penitentiary.
The tour (call ahead for
tickets, as it often sells
out) focuses on the cell
blocks, which were designed
to be inescapable -- and
they were. Of the 14 inmates
who attempted top escape,
none were successful. Those
caught trying were punished
with endless hours in
solitary confinement. Today,
it's the visitors waiting to
get in who spend endless
hours on the Rock.
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