Don't expect to run into too many locals at the most touristy attraction in San Francisco. They tend to avoid the strip of tacky souvenir shops and price-gouging restaurants. Commercial as Fisherman's Wharf is, it can make for a fun time anyway. We recommend seeing it when you explore Pier 39 and the rest of the waterfront area or on your way to the ferry to Alcatraz. Fortify yourself with clam chowder in a warm sourdough-bread bowl from a food stand: It's a decidedly less expensive (and more authentic) way to fill up along the waterfront. Two fun ways to get there are to take the Powell-Mason cable car over the hills from Market and Powell or to take a vintage streetcar along the Embarcadero on the F Line. Centered at Jefferson Street at the Embarcadero, San Francisco. Phone 415-674-7503. http://www.fishermanswharf.org.
