Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
172
Fun Facts
The Pinnipeds Who Came for Dinner
The attrac tion that dra ws the lar gest cr owds at PIER 39 is also the attrac tion
that fails t o pa y r ent, smells up the neighborhood , and r efuses t o mind its
manners. That's right—it's those darned sea lions! H ighly social and int elligent,
sea lions have long lived in the wat ers around San Francisco. Traditionally, they
“hauled,” or hung out, if y ou will , on S eal Rock , which is in the P acific Oc ean
below the Cliff House on the w estern edge of the cit y. The first sea lions sc out-
ing around for a more hospitable hauling spot dr opped by PIER 39 in 1989, not
long af ter K dock had been r enovated but bef ore boats had r eturned t o this
part of the marina. Herring was plentiful , the docks much mor e c omfortable
for sleeping than rocks, and the waters were safe—great white sharks and orcas,
both sea lion pr edators, don't hunt f or dinner in the ba y.
By Januar y 1990, 150 sea lions w ere c ounted ar ound K dock , with mor e
coming as the months passed . I n the ensuing battle bet ween the sea lions
and the boat owners who'd returned to their previous moorings, the pinnipeds
won handily. ( Question: What do y ou g ive an 800-pound sea lion? Answ er:
Whatever he wants .) The boats w ere relocated to another par t of the marina,
and when K dock was ev entually destr oyed b y the w eight of all those laz y
mammals, new floating docks w ere br ought in t o keep the bo ys happ y. A t
last c ount (in S ept 2001), 1,139 sea lions w ere hauling out beside PIER
39—apparently they like it her e. Volunteers from the M arine Mammal Center
are available to answer all y our questions about sea lions at their c enter on
the second floor of PIER 39.
6
Fortune-tellers, an intricate model of a fairground with working parts, an amazing base-
ball game, and the famous Laughing S al, whose laugh r eally is infectious, ar e among
dozens of machines fr om around the world in pristine condition. The museum space
itself has no charm, and the cr owds ar e ceaseless, but kids will be highly enter
tained
here—so bring a roll of quarters with you.
Pier 45 S et A (at Taylor St.).
&
415/346-2000.
w ww.museemecanique.org. Free admission. M on-Fri
10am-7pm; Sat 10am-8pm.
PIER 39
All ages.
A two-lev el Venetian car ousel beckons near the back of this ev er-
crowded wooden pier, its music competing with the footfalls of a her d of out-of-to wners
and the deafening noise of the video ar cade hall on the left. On either side stretching back
to the entryway are T-shirt shops, fried food counters, souv enirs vendors, candy stores . . .
the commercialism goes on and on. G olden views of Alcatraz ar e clearly visible fr om the
end of the pier, and huge sea lions loaf ar ound on K dock to the w est (follow the barking)
from September through June. The ferries for Alcatraz and bay cr uises leave from Pier 41
next door, but the B lue & G old F leet ticket office is par t of this complex. R estaurants
galore, including the
Hard Rock Cafe
(
&
415/956-2014;
www.hardrock.com), fill in the
cracks. If you arrive by car, park at a meter on adjacent str eets or acr oss from the whar f
between Taylor and Jones streets. But be advised, the parking garage there is exorbitant. It's
cheaper—and more fun—to take the F-Market streetcar down the Embarcadero.
