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Published: September 6th 2023
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I remember the days when Fisherman's Wharf was perhaps the biggest attraction in San Francisco, along with the Golden Gate Bridge. As kids, we got to stop here for dinner, on the way home from a Giants game on a day trip from the Valley. As high school honor students, we enjoyed a three day weekend in San Francisco, with a Wharf visit always on the rather loose itinerary. But today, this is the story from the Chron:
The view east from Al Scoma Way distills the allure and afflictions of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf into one vivid tableau.
Directly in front of you is the wharf’s inner lagoon, where small fishing boats sway in the water. Behind them are stocky buildings that, for generations, housed such multilevel family-owned restaurants as Alioto’s and Tarantino’s — both of which sit vacant.
This juxtaposition captures the present-day realities of a place known around the world, yet dismissed by many locals with a shrug or outright scorn. Now, as with much of San Francisco, people with a stake in this historic area are trying to figure out what should come next.
Yes, we ate at the little stands out front. And we
ate inside at Alioto's, Tarantino's, and Dimaggio's. We even went to a nightclub, with chaperones of course. And we bought souvenirs along the storefronts. My friend Bob, who sported a heavy beard in high school, bought a big novelty cigar, and Playboy magazines. In recent years, we ate at Scoma's, often with out-of-town guests who insisted on dining down at the Wharf. More from the Chron:
Italian fishermen made this their base not long after the Gold Rush, and by 1902 author Charles Keeler had dubbed the array of colorful boats nestled near Telegraph Hill “the most picturesque spot on the waterfront.” That exotic scene in turn attracted visitors, and the enclave became an attraction.
“Twentieth-century commercialism and Old-World tradition go hand in hand at Fisherman’s Wharf,” noted a 1940 guide from the federal Works Projects Administration. It described “neon-lit shops” as well as the nets hanging above the docks after hundreds of boats returned from their day’s work.
Those hundreds now number around 80, according to the Port of San Francisco, from largish commercial vessels to small boats that juggle their own fishing with sightseeing excursions, or charter expeditions where up to six people head out to catch
what they can.
“At least we’ve got the water and the fishing,” said Meghan Wallace, the port’s economic recovery manager. Her hope: “That people are looking out at the bay and ignoring the tacky tourist attractions.”
However messy the combination might be, there’s no denying the economic importance of Fisherman’s Wharf to San Francisco. In 2019, port tenants at the wharf generated $132 million in sales plus $11.3 million in rent. This doesn’t include revenue from Pier 39 or Ghirardelli Square, which rises from Aquatic Park and serves as the western anchor to the tourist zone.
Revenue plunged when COVID hit, no surprise, and three years later that’s still the case. On port-owned property, sales are down 30% and rents 20% from that 2019 peak. For Fisherman’s Wharf as a whole — the area roughly bordered by Bay Street, the Embarcadero and Polk Street — sales tax revenue indicates a drop of about the same amount.
What would the City be without the Wharf, nearby North Beach, and Chinatown? It would be Los Angeles, or any other American city.
I was at the Wharf in April, while on my way to the Alcatraz ferry. Even in bad weather, tourists seem to gather in the area between Pier 39 and the Wharf. Yes, it is messy, tacky, filled with homeless, and ridiculous parking fees. But it is also an area that best defines the City as I once knew it as a kid. It needs to stay in some form, for future generations to grab a crab cocktail and sourdough bread.Perhaps you should try for one more visit, as changes appear on the horizon. Look at what is going on downtown with SF Centre, Nordstrom, and the big hotels. Gone!
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