 | San Francisco Pier 39 Reviews | 1 - 10 of 42 |  |
Other VTers have listed Pier 39 as a Tourist Trap, and they are absolutely right! Pier 39 is crowded and touristy, has tacky shops and mediocre restaurants.
In a city that has a very interesting history and wonderful ethnic and diverse neighborhoods, I can never understand why people want to visit a pier that wasn't even developed until 1978. This is not real San Francisco!
Before 1978, this pier was a dumping ground for old TVs and refrigerators. I would much rather see old rusted and wrecked appliances, than the gawdy trinkets on display at the stores now. Leave a Comment
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Pier 39 is, depending on your point of view, tourist heaven or tourist hell. Locals avoid this tourist holding pen like the plague, and for good reason.
What can you expect to see? Tourists - of all shapes and sizes - loud colors and even louder voices - Abercrombie & Fitch and Tommy Hilfiger as far as the eye can see. You can grab a $12 plate of shrimp or a $5 scoop of ice cream, sit on a bench and pretend you're back at your hometown mall. Many of the same stores will be there.
The cool ocean breeze and vague, nautical theme are the only things that suggest you're in San Francisco. You could very easily be in Monterey, or San Diego, or Penn's Landing, or anywhere. Pier 39 is San Francisco -thoroughly cleansed of San Francisco-ness. If Disneyland had a place called "Friscoland," it would look exactly like Pier 39. Call it "Branson by the Bay!"
The only locals you will see here are those dragged here (kicking and screaming) by out of town guests. The expensive restaurants are just OK, and the cheaper places are just lousy. The stores range from interesting but overpriced (Magnet shop) to just plain stupid.
If shopping at tacky malls for overpriced, ugly souveniers surrounded by loud, pushy tourists is you're idea of fun... then by all means go. But this isn't San Francisco by any means. It's a mall - plain & simple - designed for people who want to be in San Francisco but, at the same time, want everything to be exactly like it is at home.
If you take the Alcatraz tour, you may be tempted to stroll over to Pier 39. Sucker! At least go and see the sea lions - you can walk along the western outer walk, see the sea lions, and not step foot in Pier 39! The sea lions are most plentiful outside of summer; during the summer the docks may be deserted.
Oh yeah... if you want to take the Alcatraz tour - MAKE RESERVATIONS! And if you have reservations, allow LOTS of time to get to the dock. If you can't get on the Alcatraz tour, take the Bay Cruise or Angel Island boat - anything to get on the water - and away from Pier 39! Even Fisherman's Wharf - tacky tourist trap that it is - has at least SOMETHING to do with San Francisco. Pier 39 is every single bit as lame as you've heard. And, if you go, you'll find that, if anything, these criticisms aren't harsh enough! Leave a Comment
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Pier 39 could have been an interesting tourist shopping area but it turned out to be a tacky ugly place, overcrowded and except for the view at the end of the pier, there is very little of interest at Pier 39.
Take photos at the end of the Pier. You have a beautiful view of Alcatraz in the background. If you are interested in sea lions, you can watch them off the pier.
Walk along the embarcadero, visit the Ferry Building with the new shops and restaurants, roller blade on the embarcadero as far as the he Bay Bridge. Leave a Comment
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This may draw the fine line between exploitation and outrage but... the sign this person is holding reads, "Why lies... It's for beer!"
It may seem amusing but when I photogaphed this, someone told me a few blocks back they saw someone holding a sing that read, "It's for pot." Leave a Comment
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You'll spend lots of money and wind up with touristy items that don't show you the true San Francisco.
Avoid the aquarium, it's too pricey and not so impressive.
If it's a MUST, see it the first day then get settled in to the REAL San Francisco!
Take the time to watch the street vendors...musicians, life as art, magicians etc. populate the area. Leave a Comment
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Pier 39. Well it's kind cool to see the seals and it's kind of cool to hang around there, but it's still kind of a tourist trap.
I highly recommend that you go to pier 23 instead. It's a groovy spot, there are seals, it's a little bit less crowded and a little farther away from the crowd of tourists. Even some locals go to pier 23 which you can not say of pier 39.
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Pier 39 - Fisherman's Warf
Okay, here you go. Now you’ve seen the sea lions. Now you don’t have to go to Fisherman’s Warf!!!
However this is also where you get on a boat for Alcatraz. Damn, they suckered you in! Well, at least DON'T eat in the restaurant here, especially the one on the end. But you can pick up your refrigerator magnets and SF Snowball thing a bobbers while you are here. Leave a Comment
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Pier 39 - otherwise known as Fisherman's Wharf is just a collection of over-priced shops full of 'tut'.
The sea lions around the back are interesting to watch and far more entertaining than anything on the pier.
Walk fast!
Take a stroll further along Embarcadero towards the bridge and you come to some green spaces with some great views. Leave a Comment
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One of the most commonly taken photos in San Francisco, is oddly enough these Pier 39 squatters. The sealions are noisy, lazy and are occupying some mighty pricey real estate. But in the end, they bring so many visitors to Pier 39 (which can arguably called a tourist trap as well) that they are now welcome.
Beware, they are not in residence year 'round. In the winter months they swim off to warmer climes. Then you may see only one or two of the lazy beasts have stuck around. There is even a webcam for those who wish to see them after they've gone home! Leave a Comment
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Pier 39, billed as San Francisco's Number One attraction, was just a collection of souvenir and tourist shops and some kid-friendly attractions. We didn't spend much time there.
Have some chowder in a sourdough breadbowl at Boudin Bakery (Boudin created the original San Francisco sourdough bread), located near the entrance of the pier. Walk down along the waterfront on the left side of the Pier, behind the stores, to K Dock to see the sea lions. The sea lions are free to come and go as they please, but choose to be gawked at by us tourists. Very thoughtful. Leave a Comment
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Destinations near San Francisco- Alcatraz Island, 5.74 km / 3.57 miles
- Daly City, 8.55 km / 5.31 miles
- Angel Island State Park, 9.96 km / 6.19 miles
- Brisbane, 10.61 km / 6.59 miles
- Sausalito, 10.99 km / 6.83 miles
- Tiburon, 11.43 km / 7.11 miles
- Colma, 11.46 km / 7.12 miles
- Emeryville, 13.34 km / 8.29 miles
- South San Francisco, 13.41 km / 8.33 miles
- Oakland, 13.45 km / 8.36 miles
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