04/24/07

Great Views!

by sarbear1982

This was one of the first places my boyfriend and I went to visit in SF. Before our trip I researched places on the internet and came across the website pier39. com and they have live webcam overlooking the sealions. I thought that was awesome and that is the first thing I looked for. I called up my parents to have them go on the internet so my daughter can see me while she was talking on the phone with me. That was a special moment I had since I was so far from home so that is why the webcam was my favorite feature. Also you can see everything from the bridges to Alcatraz.

• Pros: great views, webcam
• Cons: none

08/02/06

Good for locals too

by lovesfun

Ok, I know what all San Franciscans think: PIER 39 is nothing but a tourist trap. That's why I never really visited when I was growing up. Yeah I'll admit, that's what this native thought too... until now. When a few out-of-town friends visited me this summer, of course they wanted to see this big attraction. Well, I've got to tell you how different this place is from my expectations! First of all, I never noticed it had two levels. I love those adorable sea lions, the food tastes great and you just can't beat those views. If you stand on the bridge that links the parking garage to the second level, you get a great 360 view of the City skyline, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge. The brochure touts more than 110 shops, and boy, do I believe it. There are so many cute things, from silver charm bracelets, to crazy hats, to a pet gift shop! Plus, you gotta love how accessible this place is on public transportation. Even though I'm not a fan of MUNI buses, the historic trolleys make it a pretty charming ride.

• Pros: Awesome views, cute sea lions, easy access on public transportation
• Cons: Touristy, but locals can have a good time too

07/02/06

Nice views, cool sea lions

by ironeagle48162

My hubby and I recently visited San Fran from Arizona. It was nice to see some water for once! We decided to stop by Pier 39 while in town to check it out. We arrived at around 9 AM, and it was quiet and relatively uncrowded. We checked out the sea lions and they were fun. Then we left to go ride the cable cars, go to Coit Tower, and take our Alcatraz trip. We came back later in the afternoon to get a couple of hats since we were getting sunburned, and the Pier was packed! We hate crowds, so it wasn't our cup of tea later on in the day. Plus we don't like kids and there were tons of those tearing around. We did go have lunch at the Sea Lion Cafe, which wasn't that great. Our waitress couldn't even speak English (which happened a lot in San Fran!).

A word on the parking: We had never been to San Fran before, so we parked in the Pier 39 parking garage. Big mistake. We could've parked over on Beach Street for about half the price. The parking garage had these machines that you are supposed to pay at with your parking ticket they give you when you first park. Ours had been in my back pocket all day and got crinkled, so none of the machines would take it. Of course, there was no attendant anywhere to be found. We kept trying different machines, and then one of them ate our ticket. Luckily there was an attendant at the exit so we could get out, but we ended up really frustrated and we were put almost an hour behind schedule.

• Pros: Shopping, clean restrooms, nice views
• Cons: Parking difficult, crowded at times