Fisherman's wharf Pier 39 in my opinion is one of San Francisco's best tourist attractions. The locals hate the place. It can get very crowded so visit early in the day. It is designed for the tourist and the pier is full of shops selling tacky tourist souvenirs like 'I Got Crabs at Fisherman's Wharf' T-Shirts. There are seafood restaurants, cafes and a marina. Check the menu first before sitting down as the food can be expensive because the pier is a tourist trap.

It is one of the few places in the world that sell shrimp cocktails to take away and eat as you explore the sights. The fried shrimp and the crab sandwiches are also a fairly good deal. (For better cheaper seafood meals check out Crustacean on California Street.) Take some stale bread in a bag for throwing to the seagulls off the pier and watch them perform mid air acrobatics.

What is very special and worth the visit re the wild sea lions that live at the end of the pier. They have taken over the pontoons originally designed to dock boats up against. The sea lions have made them their home. Spend time watching them and take a camera with a long lens. The smell is quiet strong so eat afterwards. I had to be dragged away from watching them. They are so funny.

The competition for sunbathing space on these pontoons is strong. They keep bumping each other off and back into the water so they can steal the best location. They bark at each other continually. You have to keep reminding yourself that these are not tame animals in an enclosure. They are wild animals living in harmony with man. The first sea lions started coming to the wharf in 1989 and are continuously monitored by the Marine Mammal Center.

One of the special foods of San Francisco is sold in the cafes along the sea front near Pier 39. It is a clam chowder soup served in a hollowed out large round sourdough bowl bread with the top cut off. If you do not fancy that San Francisco's China Town is one of the best China Towns in America. Look for restaurants where the local American-Chinese eat rather than the empty tourist restaurants. Do not be taken in by the salesmen peddling expensive guided city tours. Do not be fooled by their offers of discounts and coupons. You can see San Francisco on your own and do not need to waste your money on these trips.

Walk west from Fisherman's wharf Pier 39 and you'll run into the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park 2905 Hyde Street. Run by the National Park Service. Go past Pier 41 and walk along Jefferson Street It is pier to the left of Fisherman's wharf with all the old ships, tugs, junks, and ferry boats tied up along it. There is a small entrance fee to the complex. This allows you free entry to all the ships

Be wary of the street performers that do their acts on the pavement outside Fisherman's wharf. They expect money from you if you stayed and watched their show or took photographs. You must board the ferry to Alcatraz from this area. There is a good view of Alcatraz from the end of Fisherman's Wharf

Just beyond Fisherman's wharf is 'The Cannery' a shopping mall. This red brick building really was a cannery. It used to be the largest peach cannery in the world. It has now been converted to shops and restaurants. If you are lucky your visit may be on a day when there is live entertainment in the courtyard. There is another small shopping development in Ghirardelli Square.

It was a former chocolate factory that has been renovated to an open-air shopping center filled with specialty shops, international restaurants, an ice cream parlor and displays of the original chocolate making machines. You can treat yourself to an ice cream concoction at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop and still buy bars of chocolate to take home.

The 'Musee Mecanique' is free. It is full of interesting old 'peep show' and other mechanical games from the early 20th century. Most of them still work, so get a couple dollars in quarters and check them out. They are a weird thing to collect Electrical equipment very cheap.

Opposite Pier 39 are shops that sell electrical equipment very cheap. If you want a new i-Pad or camera this is the place to buy it. Find out how much they cost in at home and then go to these shops with CASH to get the best price. I got a new Digital SLR camera 1/3rd of the normal price back home. You have to haggle. Stand up for yourself as the salesmen are very pushy. If they will not come down to your price. Say thank you and walk away and try the shop next door. Tell them the lowest price the previous shop had offered and see if this one will beat its

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