Welcome to the tourist mecca of San Francisco [1]! Just don’t go looking for an actual wharf or single pier when you come to visit Fisherman’s Wharf. In fact, the Fisherman’s Wharf (Beach St. from Powell St. to Van Ness, backs onto Bay St., reachable by Muni F line, www.fishermanswharf.org [2]) area sprawls along the waterfront and inland several blocks, creating a large tourist neighborhood.
The Wharf—as it’s called by locals, who avoid the area at all costs—features all crowds, all the time. Be prepared to push through a sea of humanity to see sights, buy souvenirs, and eat seafood.
Fisherman’s Wharf includes many of the sights that tourists come to San Francisco to see: Pier 39 [3], Ghirardelli Square [4], and of course The Wax Museum of Fisherman’s Wharf (145 Jefferson St., 800/653-9592, www.waxmuseum.com [5], adults $12.95, juniors $9.95, children $6.95), the presence of which tells most serious travelers all they need to know about the Wharf.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/california/san-francisco-and-the-bay-area
[2] http://www.fishermanswharf.org
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/california/san-francisco-and-the-bay-area/sights/north-beach-and-fisherman-s-wharf/pier-39
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/california/san-francisco-and-the-bay-area/sights/north-beach-and-fisherman-s-wharf/ghirardelli-square
[5] http://www.waxmuseum.com