Well, I walked all the ODD numbered piers from 1 to 51 at least. This quest all started thanks to Anthony Bordain and a recent “No Reservations” episode. He was stopping through San Francisco on a long layover and turned the city upside down in search of foodie paradise. He found it, and discovered three great observations about SF I’ll never forget.
“Each pier has its own vibe and distinct landmark; each is a day’s adventure in itself. Each pier gives way to different views of the Bay; all are magnificent and photo-worthy. There’s no actual fisherman or fishing to speak of. Any fishing is long gone, replaced by tourists fishing for their wallets instead.”
Intrigued and living only 0.8 miles away from Fisherman’s Wharf, I decided to go this morning and see about these piers myself. What I found, five hours, 51 piers and no reservations later, was a similar salty, sweet reception Bordain got and maybe a little more.
I found no fisherman or fishing, only fishy concoctions from yesterday’s catch.
I found each pier was distinct and beautiful, worth stopping to look at.
Above all, I found Fisherman’s Wharf to still be quite endearing, despite everything.
PIER 1 to 51
Little known fact about the piers of San Francisco: the ODD piers start at the Ferry Building Pier 1 and go westward toward the Golden Gate Bridge; where the EVEN piers start on the other side of the Ferry Building (side closer to the Bay Bridge) and go eastward toward South Bay.
