San Francisco Waterfront: Working Piers Then, Walking Piers Now
The downtown San Francisco waterfront once bustled with the arrivals and departures of ships and the longshoremen who unloaded them and filled the waterfront bars at quitting time. The bustle hasn’t left, but it’s changed. Now it’s office workers and tourists who fill the bars and the ships are the commuter ferries, party boats and cruise ships who transport them.
Since the 1991 demolition of the hideous Embarcadero Freeway, the waterfront has been transformed from a place of dilapidated piers to a world-class promenade and tourist mecca. Every day, walkers and runners by the thousands enjoy unobstructed views of the bay along The Embarcadero’s walking path. The piers that remain have become pedestrian and fishing piers, restaurants, bars and offices.
Most walks begin from the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street. If you wish to head north to Fisherman’s Wharf, follow The Embarcadero on the bay side of the street. Piers 1 ½, 3 and 5 are on the National Register of Historic Places, with paths that wrap around behind them and historic exhibits inside the Port of San Francisco headquarters on Pier 1. If you have the time, walk out on Pier 7, the longest of several walking piers that take you out on the bay for a magnificent view of the Bay Bridge.
Many restaurants line the waterfront, most with windows on the bay and outdoor seating areas with heat lamps. The Waterfront (seafood) and La Mar (Peruvian) are the largest and Lafitte is the newest on this walk to Fisherman’s Wharf. You can also dine off shore; Hornblower Cruises boats depart behind Pier 3 for brunch, lunch and dinner excursions. Continuing north, you’ll walk past more restaurants, a new chocolate tasting room (TCHO), a close-up view of Coit Tower, and Teatro ZinZanni (a dinner theater with a circus twist) before reaching the attractions of Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Walking south from the Ferry Building instead offers the advantage of more bay views, as the path is right next to the bay most of the way, with fewer piers and restaurants to block the view. Going this direction, piers are even-numbered. Pier 14 is a lovely pedestrian pier, then you’ll walk past a huge bow-and-arrow sculpture and directly beneath the Bay Bridge. Along this stretch you’ll encounter an eclectic mix of restaurants—so typical of San Francisco—from the new and high-end Epic Roasthouse and Waterbar to the funky and no-nonsense Hidive and Red’s Java House (burger or hot dog for $3.42).
Soon the finest stadium in America comes into view: AT&T Park, so close to the bay that right-field home-run balls are fished out by kayakers. You can rent a kayak for that purpose, or just to paddle on the bay, at City Kayak on Pier 40, where bikes can also be rented at the Bike Hut. Circle the stadium on the path that wraps around it on a yacht harbor, then walk back to the Ferry Building.
The waterfront path on The Embarcadero is a treat for almost anyone. There’s never a street to cross and it’s pancake-flat, so it’s a great five-mile run. Or if you’re not up for even walking that far, you can walk one way in either direction and catch a streetcar back. The F-line historic trolleys run often between the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf, and the new T-Balboa Park light-rail cars connect the Ferry Building to the ballpark. The fare is $2.
Posted on Feb 13, 2011 by Bob Cooper
