Fodo_9780876371640_p02

On the Waterfront

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents

Updated by Denise M. Leto

San Francisco’s waterfront neighborhoods have fabulous views and utterly different personalities. Kitschy, overpriced Fisherman’s Wharf struggles to maintain the last shreds of its existence as a working wharf, while Pier 39 is a full-fledged consumer circus. The Ferry Building draws well-heeled locals with its culinary pleasures, firmly reconnecting the Embarcadero to downtown. Between the Ferry Building and Pier 39 a former maritime no-man’s-land is filling in with the new Exploratorium, Alcatraz Landing, fashionable waterfront restaurants, and restored pedestrian-friendly piers.

On the Waterfront

Previous Map | Next Map | San Francisco Maps

Today’s shoreline was once Yerba Buena Cove, filled in during the latter half of the 19th century, when San Francisco was a brawling, extravagant gold-rush town. Jackson Square, now a genteel and upscale corner of the inland Financial District, was the heart of the Barbary Coast, bordering some of the roughest wharves in the world. Below Montgomery Street (in today’s Financial District), between California Street and Broadway, lies a remnant of these wild days: more than 100 ships abandoned by frantic crews and passengers caught up in gold fever lie under the foundations of buildings here.

Top 5 Reasons to Go

Ferry Building: Join locals eyeing luscious produce and foods prepared by some of the city’s best chefs at San Francisco’s premier farmers’ market on Saturday morning.

Hyde Street Pier: Sing sea chanteys and raise the sails aboard the gorgeously restored 19th-century square-rigged ship Balclutha, then hit Buena Vista for an Irish coffee.

Alcatraz: Go from a scenic bay tour to “the hole”—solitary confinement in absolute darkness—while inmates and guards tell you stories about what life was really like on the Rock.

F-line: Grab a polished wooden seat aboard one of the city’s lovingly restored vintage streetcars and clatter down the tracks toward the Ferry Building’s spire.

Musée Mécanique: Take a pocketful of quarters and enter this arcade of vintage machines.

Quick Bites

The Ferry Building is everyone’s favorite spot for a bite on the Embarcadero.

Out the Door.
Grab something to go from the beloved Vietnamese restaurant Slanted Door’s takeout counter. | Ferry Building, 1 Ferry Plaza, Embarcadero | 94111 | 415/321–3740.

Miette.
If you need a sweet treat, head to pink Miette, where the cakes and pastries are absolute organic perfection. | 1 Ferry Plaza, Embarcadero | 94115 | 415/837–0300.

Getting There

The Powell–Hyde and Powell–Mason cable-car lines both end near Fisherman’s Wharf. The walk from downtown through North Beach to the northern waterfront is lovely, and if you stick to Columbus Avenue, the incline is relatively gentle. F-line trolleys, often packed to capacity, run all the way down Market to the Embarcadero, then north to the Wharf.

Making the Most of Your Time

If you’re planning to go to Alcatraz, be sure to buy your tickets in advance, as tours frequently sell out. Alcatraz ferries leave from Pier 33—so there isn’t a single good reason to suffer Pier 39’s tacky, overpriced attractions. If you’re a sailor at heart, though, definitely spend an hour with the historic ships of the Hyde Street Pier.

Ferries

The bay is a huge part of San Francisco’s charm, and getting out on the water gives you an attractive and unique (though windy) perspective on the city. Keep in mind that a ride on a commuter ferry is cheaper than a cruise, and just as lovely.

Red and White Fleet.
The Red and White Fleet has the widest range of tour options, including sunset cruises from April to October. | Pier 43½, Fisherman’s Wharf | 94124 | 415/673–2900 | www.redandwhite.com.

Blue & Gold Fleet.
The Blue & Gold Fleet offers bay cruises and, in summer, high-speed RocketBoat rides, as well as ferry service to Oakland, Alameda, Tiburon, Sausalito, Vallejo, and Angel Island. | Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf | 94133 | 415/705–5555 | www.blueandgoldfleet.com.

Top Attractions

Alcatraz.
Thousands of visitors come every day to walk in the footsteps of Alcatraz’s notorious criminals. The stories of life and death on “the Rock” may sometimes be exaggerated, but it’s almost impossible to resist the chance to wander the cellblock that tamed the country’s toughest gangsters and saw daring escape attempts of tremendous desperation. Fewer than 2,000 inmates ever did time on the Rock, and though they weren’t the worst criminals, they were definitely the worst prisoners, include Al “Scarface” Capone, Robert “The Birdman” Stroud, and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

Some tips for escaping to Alcatraz: 1) Buy your ticket in advance. Visit the website for Alcatraz Cruises (www.alcatrazcruises.com) to scout out available departure times for the ferry. Prepay by credit card and keep a receipt record; the ticket price covers the boat ride and the audio tour. Pick up your ticket at the “will call” window at Pier 33 up to an hour before sailing. 2) Dress smart. Bring a jacket to ward off the chill from the boat ride and wear comfortable shoes. 3) Go for the evening tour. You’ll get even more out of your Alcatraz experience at night. The evening tour has programs not offered during the day, the bridge-to-bridge view of the city twinkles at night, and your “prison experience” will be amplified as darkness falls. 4) Be mindful of scheduled and limited-capacity talks. Some programs are only given once a day (the schedule is posted in the cell house). Certain talks have limited-capacity seating, so keep an eye out for a cell-house staffer handing out passes shortly before the start time.

The boat ride to the island is brief (15 minutes), but affords beautiful views of the city, Marin County, and the East Bay. The audio tour, highly recommended, includes observations by guards and prisoners about life in one of America’s most notorious penal colonies. Plan your schedule to allow at least three hours for the visit and boat rides combined. | Pier 33, Embarcadero | 94133 | 415/981–7625 | www.nps.gov/alca | $28, including audio tour; $35 evening tour, including audio | Ferry departs every 30–45 mins Sept.–late May, daily 9:30–2:15, 4:20 for evening tour Thurs.–Mon. only; late May–Aug., daily 9:30–4:15, 6:30 and 7:30 for evening tour.

Exploratorium.
Walking into this fascinating “museum of science, art, and human perception” is like visiting a mad scientist’s laboratory. Most of the exhibits are supersize, and you can play with everything. After moving into its new, larger digs on the Embarcadero in April 2013, the Exploratorium will have even more space for its signature experiential exhibits, including a new Tinkering Studio and a brand-new glass Bay Observatory building, where exhibits inside will help visitors better understand what they see outside. Look for surprises outside the building, too. Quintessential Exploratorium exhibits remain: Get an Alice in Wonderland feeling in the distortion room, where you seem to shrink and grow as you walk across the slanted, checkered floor. In the shadow room, a powerful flash freezes an image of your shadow on the wall; jumping is a favorite pose. “Pushover” demonstrates cow-tipping, but for people: stand on one foot and try to keep your balance while a friend swings a striped panel in front of you (trust us, you’re going to fall).

More than 650 other exhibits focus on sea and insect life, computers, electricity, patterns and light, language, the weather, and much more. “Explainers”—usually high-school students on their days off—demonstrate cool scientific tools and procedures, like DNA sample-collection and cow-eye dissection. One surefire hit is the pitch-black, touchy-feely Tactile Dome, newly built in the Embarcadero space. In this geodesic dome strewn with textured objects, you crawl through a course of ladders, slides, and tunnels, relying solely on your sense of touch. Not surprisingly, lovey-dovey couples sometimes linger in the “grope dome,” but be forewarned: the staff will turn on the lights if they have to. TIP Reservations are required for the Tactile Dome, and will get you 75 minutes of access. You have to be at least seven years old to go through the dome, and the space is not for the claustrophobic. The Exploratorium plans to remain open in its Marina home through January 2013. Call ahead to confirm which location is open when you visit and the hours it’s open. | Piers 15–17, Embarcadero | 94111 | 415/561–0360 general information, 415/561–0362 Tactile Dome reservations | www.exploratorium.edu | $15, free 1st Wed. of month; Tactile Dome $5 extra | Tues.–Sun. 10–5.

Fodor’s Choice | Ferry Building.
The jewel of the Embarcadero, erected in 1896, is topped by a 230-foot clock tower modeled after the campanile of the cathedral in Seville, Spain. On the morning of April 18, 1906, the tower’s four clock faces, powered by the swinging of a 14-foot pendulum, stopped at 5:17—the moment the great earthquake struck—and stayed still for 12 months.

Today San Franciscans flock to the street-level marketplace, stocking up on supplies from local favorites such as Acme Bread, Scharffen Berger Chocolate, Cowgirl Creamery, and Blue Bottle Coffee. Lucky diners claim a coveted table at Slanted Door, the city’s beloved high-end Vietnamese restaurant. The seafood bars at Hog Island Oyster Company and Ferry Plaza Seafood have fantastic city panoramas—or you can take your purchases around to the building’s bay side, where benches face views of the Bay Bridge. On Saturday mornings the plazas outside the building buzz with an upscale farmers’ market where you can buy exotic sandwiches and other munchables. Extending from the piers on the north side of the building south to the Bay Bridge, the waterfront promenade is a favorite among joggers and picnickers, with a front-row view of the sailboats slipping by. The Ferry Building also serves actual ferries: from behind the building they sail to Sausalito, Larkspur, Tiburon, and the East Bay. | Embarcadero at foot of Market St., Embarcadero | 94111 | 415/983–8030 | www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com.

Quick Bites: Buena Vista Café. Even locals love this café, which claims to be the first place in the United States to have served Irish coffee. The café opens at 9 am weekdays (8 am weekends) and dishes up a great breakfast. The bartenders serve about 2,000 Irish coffees a day, so it’s always crowded; try for a table overlooking Victorian Park and its cable-car turntable. | 2765 Hyde St., Fisherman’s Wharf | 94109 | 415/474–5044.

Fisherman’s Wharf.
It may be one of the city’s best-known attractions, but the Wharf is a no-go zone for most locals, who shy away from the difficult parking, overpriced food, and cheesy shops at third-rate shopping centers like the Cannery at Del Monte Square. If you can’t resist a visit here, come early to avoid the crowds and get a sense of the Wharf’s functional role—it’s not just an amusement park replica.

Most of the entertainment at the Wharf is schlocky and overpriced, with one notable exception: the splendid Musée Mécanique (415/346–2000 | Weekdays 10–7, weekends 10–8), a time-warped arcade with antique mechanical contrivances, including peep shows and nickelodeons. Some favorites are the giant and rather creepy “Laffing Sal,” an arm-wrestling machine, the world’s only steam-powered motorcycle, and mechanical fortune-telling figures that speak from their curtained boxes. Note the depictions of race that betray the prejudices of the time: stoned Chinese figures in the “Opium-Den” and clown-faced African-Americans eating watermelon in the “Mechanical Farm.” Admission is free, but you’ll need quarters to bring the machines to life.

Just outside, the USS Pampanito (Pier 45 | 415/775–1943 | www.maritime.org/pamphome.htm | Oct.–Memorial Day, Sun.–Thurs. 9–6, Fri. and Sat. 9–8; Memorial Day–Sept., Thurs.–Tues. 9–8, Wed. 9–6) provides an intriguing if mildly claustrophobic glimpse into life on a submarine during World War II. The sub sank six Japanese warships and damaged four others. Admission is $10; the family pass is a great deal at $20 for two adults and up to four kids.

Among the two floors of exhibits at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum (175 Jefferson St. | 415/771–6188 | www.ripleysf.com | $19.99 | Late June–Labor Day, Sun.–Thurs. 9 am–11 pm, Fri. and Sat. 9 am–midnight; Labor Day–early June, Sun.–Thurs. 10–10, Fri. and Sat. 10 am–midnight) is a tribute to San Francisco—an 8-foot-long scale model of a cable car, made entirely of matchsticks.

Notables from local boy Robin Williams to King Tut await at the Wax Museum (145 Jefferson St. | 415/202–0400 or 800/439–4305 | www.waxmuseum.com), open daily 10–9. Admission is $14. | Jefferson St. between Leavenworth St. and Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf.

Hyde Street Pier.
Cotton candy and souvenirs are all well and good, but if you want to get to the heart of the Wharf—boats—there’s no better place to do it than at this pier, one of the Wharf area’s best bargains. Depending on the time of day, you might see boatbuilders at work or children pretending to man an early-1900s ship.

Don’t pass up the centerpiece collection of historic vessels, part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, almost all of which can be boarded. The Balclutha, an 1886 full-rigged three-masted sailing vessel that’s more than 250 feet long, sailed around Cape Horn 17 times; kids especially love the Eureka, a side-wheel passenger and car ferry, for her onboard collection of vintage cars; the Hercules is a steam-powered tugboat. The C.A. Thayer, a three-masted schooner, recently underwent a painstaking restoration.

Across the street from the pier and almost a museum in itself is the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park’s Visitor Center (499 Jefferson St. | 415/447–5000 | June–Aug., daily 9:30–5:30; Sept.–May, daily 9:30–5) is happily free of mind-numbing, text-heavy displays. Instead, fun large-scale exhibits, such as a huge First Order Fresnel lighthouse lens and a shipwrecked boat, make this an engaging and relatively quick stop.

Escape from Alcatraz

Federal prison officials liked to claim that it was impossible to escape Alcatraz, and for the most part, that assertion was true. For seasoned swimmers, though, the trip has never posed a problem—in fact, it’s been downright popular.

In the 1930s, in an attempt to dissuade the feds from converting Alcatraz into a prison, a handful of schoolgirls made the swim to the city. At age sixty, native son Jack LaLanne did it (for the second time) while shackled and towing a 1,000-pound rowboat. Every year a couple of thousand participants take the plunge during the annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Heck, a dog made the crossing in 2005 and finished well ahead of most of the (human) pack. And in 2006, seven-year-old Braxton Bilbrey became the youngest “escapee” on record. Incidentally, those reports of shark-infested waters are true—but the sharks aren’t a dangerous species.

Off the Beaten Path: S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien. A participant in the D-Day landing in Normandy during World War II, this Liberty Ship freighter is one of two such vessels (out of 2,500 built) still in working order. To keep the 1943 ship in sailing shape, the steam engine—which appears in the film Titanic—is operated dockside seven times a year on special “steaming weekends.” Cruises take place several times a year between May and October, and the vessel is open to visitors daily. | Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf | 94133 | 415/544–0100 | www.ssjeremiahobrien.org | $10 | Daily 9–4.

Pier 39.
The city’s most popular waterfront attraction draws millions of visitors each year who come to browse through its shops and concessions hawking every conceivable form of souvenir. The pier can be quite crowded, and the numerous street performers may leave you feeling more harassed than entertained. Arriving early in the morning ensures you a front-row view of the sea lions, but if you’re here to shop—and make no mistake about it, Pier 39 wants your money—be aware that most stores don’t open until 9:30 or 10 (later in winter).

Pick up a buckwheat hull–filled otter neck wrap or a plush sea lion to snuggle at the Marine Mammal Center Store (415/289–7373), whose proceeds benefit Sausalito’s respected wild-animal hospital, the Marine Mammal Center.

Sales of the excellent books, maps, and collectibles at National Park Store (415/433–7221)—including a series of gorgeous, distinctive art-deco posters for Alcatraz, the Presidio, Fort Point, and the other members of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area—at the National Park Store help to support the National Park Service.

Brilliant colors enliven the double-decker San Francisco Carousel ($3 per ride), decorated with images of such city landmarks as the Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard Street.

Follow the sound of barking to the northwest side of the pier to view the sea lions that flop about the floating docks.

At Aquarium of the Bay (415/623–5300 or 888/732–3483 | www.aquariumofthebay.org | $16.95 | June–Sept., daily 9–8; Mar.–May and Oct., Mon.–Thurs. 10–7, Fri.–Sun. 10–8; Nov.–Feb., daily 10–7) moving walkways transport you through a space surrounded on three sides by water filled with indigenous San Francisco Bay marine life, from fish and plankton to sharks. Many find the aquarium overpriced; if you can, take advantage of the family rate ($46 for two adults and two kids under 12).

The California Welcome Center (415/981–1280 | www.visitcwc.com | Daily 10–6), on Pier 39’s second level, can help you reserve tours and plan your time in the city.

Parking (free with validation from a Pier 39 restaurant) is at the Pier 39 Garage, off Powell Street at the Embarcadero. | Beach St. at Embarcadero, Fisherman’s Wharf | 94133 | www.pier39.com.

Worth Noting

Angel Island.
For an outdoorsy adventure, consider a day at this island northwest of Alcatraz. Discovered by Spaniards in 1775 and declared a U.S. military reserve 75 years later, the island was used as a screening ground for Asian, mostly Chinese, immigrants—who were often held for months, even years, before being granted entry—from 1910 until 1940. You can visit the restored Immigration Station, from the dock where detainees landed to the barracks where you can see the poems in Chinese script they etched onto the walls. In 1963 the government designated Angel Island a state park. Today people come for picnics, hikes along the scenic 5-mile path that winds around the island’s perimeter, and tram tours that explain the park’s history; venture inland and you’ll likely see evidence of the 2008 fire that burned away more than a third of the island’s 740 acres. Twenty-five bicycles are permitted on the ferry on a first-come, first-served basis, and you can rent mountain bikes for $10 an hour or $35 a day at the landing (daily April through October; call during other times). There are also a dozen primitive campsites. Blue & Gold Fleet is the only Angel Island ferry service with departures from San Francisco. Boats leave from Pier 41 and the Ferry Building. | Pier 41, Fisherman’s Wharf | 94133 | 415/435–1915 park information and ferry schedules, 415/705–5555, 800/426–8687 tickets | www.parks.ca.gov, www.angelisland.com | $17 | Daily 8 am–sunset.

Ghirardelli Square.
Most of the redbrick buildings in this early-20th-century complex were once part of the Ghirardelli factory. Now tourists come here to pick up the famous chocolate, though you can purchase it all over town and save yourself a trip to what is essentially a mall. But this is the only place to watch the cool chocolate manufactory in action. (If you’re a chocoholic, this definitely beats the Cannery.) There are no fewer than three Ghirardelli stores here, as well as gift shops and a couple of restaurants—including Ana Mandara—that even locals love. Fairmont recently opened an upscale urban time-share directly on the square. Placards throughout the square describe the factory’s history. | 900 N. Point St., Fisherman’s Wharf | 94109 | 415/775–5500 | www.ghirardellisq.com.

Jackson Square.
This was the heart of the Barbary Coast of the Gay Nineties (the 1890s, that is). Although most of the red-light district was destroyed in the fire that followed the 1906 earthquake, old redbrick buildings and narrow alleys recall the romance and rowdiness of San Francisco’s early days. The days of brothels and bar fights are long gone—now Jackson Square is a genteel, quiet corner of the Financial District. It’s of interest to the historically inclined and antiques-shop browsers, but otherwise safely skipped.

Some of the city’s first business buildings, survivors of the 1906 quake, still stand between Montgomery and Sansome streets. After a few decades of neglect, these old-timers were adopted by preservation-minded interior designers and wholesale furniture dealers for use as showrooms. In 1972 the city officially designated the area—bordered by Columbus Avenue on the west, Broadway and Pacific Avenue on the north, Washington Street on the south, and Sansome Street on the east—San Francisco’s first historic district. When property values soared, many of the fabric and furniture outlets fled to Potrero Hill. Advertising agencies, attorneys, and antiques dealers now occupy the Jackson Square–area structures.

It takes a bit of conjuring to evoke the wild Barbary Coast days when checking out the now-gentrified gold rush–era buildings in the 700 block of Montgomery Street. But this was an especially colorful block. Author Mark Twain was a reporter for the spunky Golden Era newspaper, which occupied No. 732 (now part of the building at No. 744). From 1959 to 1996 the late ambulance-chaser extraordinaire, lawyer Melvin Belli, had his headquarters at Nos. 722 and 728–730. There was never a dull moment in Belli’s world; he represented clients from Mae West to Gloria Sykes (who in 1964 claimed that a cable-car accident turned her into a nymphomaniac) to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Whenever he won a case, he fired a cannon and raised the Jolly Roger. Belli was also known for receiving a letter from the never-caught Zodiac killer. It seems fitting that the building sat for years, deteriorating and moldering, while the late attorney’s sons fought wife number five (joined with Belli in holy matrimony just three months before his death). She eventually won, but today the dilapidated building is for sale.

Restored 19th-century brick buildings line Hotaling Place, which connects Washington and Jackson streets. The lane is named for the head of the A.P. Hotaling Company whiskey distillery (451 Jackson St., at Hotaling Pl.), which was the largest liquor repository on the West Coast in its day. (Hotaling whiskey is still made in the city, by the way; look for their single malts for a sip of truly local flavor.) | Jackson Sq. district, bordered by Broadway and Washington, Kearny, and Sansome Sts., Financial District.

Market Street Buildings.
The street, which bisects the city at an angle, has consistently challenged San Francisco’s architects. One of the most intriguing responses to this challenge sits diagonally across Market Street from the Palace Hotel. The tower of the Hobart Building (No. 582) combines a flat facade and oval sides and is considered one of Willis Polk’s best works in the city. East on Market Street is Charles Havens’s triangular Flatiron Building (Nos. 540–548), another classic solution. At Bush Street, the Donahue Monument holds its own against the skyscrapers that tower over the intersection. This homage to waterfront mechanics, which survived the 1906 earthquake (a famous photograph shows Market Street in ruins around the sculpture), was designed by Douglas Tilden, a noted California sculptor. The plaque in the sidewalk next to the monument marks the spot as the location of the San Francisco Bay shoreline in 1848. Telltale nautical details such as anchors, ropes, and shells adorn the gracefully detailed Matson Building (No. 215), built in the 1920s for the shipping line Matson Navigation. | Between New Montgomery and Beale Sts., Financial District | 94111.

San Francisco National Maritime Museum.
You’ll feel as if you’re out to sea when you step aboard, er, inside this sturdy, round, ship-shape structure dubbed the Bathhouse. The museum, part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, is in the midst of a multiyear renovation. The first floor is finished and sparkling, and you can visit the veranda and the lobby, with its stunningly restored undersea dreamscape mural. When restoration is complete, you’ll be able to view the museum’s three floors of intricate ship models, beautifully restored figureheads, photographs of life at sea, and other artifacts chronicling the maritime history of San Francisco and the West Coast. The views from the top floor are stunning, as are those from the first-floor balcony, which overlooks the beach; also check out the lovely WPA-era tile designs on your way to the steamships exhibit. | Aquatic Park, foot of Polk St., Fisherman’s Wharf | 94109 | 415/447–5000 | www.nps.gov/safr | Donation suggested | Daily 10–4.

San Francisco Railway Museum.
A labor of love brought to you by the same vintage-transit enthusiasts responsible for the F-line’s revival, this one-room museum and store celebrates the city’s storied streetcars and cable cars with photographs, models, and artifacts. The permanent exhibit includes the replicated end of a streetcar with a working cab—complete with controls and a bell—for kids to explore; the cool, antique Wiley birdcage traffic signal; and models and display cases to view. Right on the F-line track, just across from the Ferry Building, this is a great quick stop. | 77 Steuart St., Embarcadero | 94105 | 415/974–1948 | www.streetcar.org | Free | Tues.–Sun. 10–6.

Transamerica Pyramid.
It’s neither owned by Transamerica nor is it a pyramid, but this 853-foot-tall obelisk is the most photographed of the city’s high-rises. Excoriated in the design stages as “the world’s largest architectural folly,” the icon was quickly hailed as a masterpiece when it opened in 1972. Today it’s probably the city’s most recognized structure after the Golden Gate Bridge. A fragrant redwood grove along the east side of the building, replete with benches and a cheerful fountain, is a placid patch in which to unwind. | 600 Montgomery St., Financial District | 94111 | www.transamerica.com.

Alcatraz as Native Land

In the 1960s Native Americans attempted to reclaim Alcatraz, citing an 1868 treaty that granted Native Americans any surplus federal land. Their activism crested in 1969, when several dozen Native Americans began a 19-month occupation, supported by public opinion and friendly media.

The group offered to buy the island from the government for $24 worth of beads and other goods—exactly what Native Americans had been paid for Manhattan in 1626. In their Proclamation to the Great White Father and His People, the group laid out the 10 reasons why Alcatraz would make an ideal Indian reservation, among them: “There is no industry and so unemployment is very great,” and “The soil is rocky and nonproductive, and the land does not support game.” The last holdouts were removed by federal agents in 1971, but today’s visitors are still greeted with the huge graffitied message: “Indians Welcome. Indian Land.”

Wells Fargo Bank History Museum.
There were no formal banks in San Francisco during the early years of the gold rush, and miners often entrusted their gold dust to saloon keepers. In 1852 Wells Fargo opened its first bank in the city, and the company soon established banking offices in mother-lode camps throughout California. Stagecoaches and pony-express riders connected points around the burgeoning state, where the population boomed from 15,000 to 200,000 between 1848 and 1852. The museum displays samples of nuggets and gold dust from mines, a mural-size map of the Mother Lode, mementos of the poet bandit Black Bart (who signed his poems “Po8”), and an old telegraph machine on which you can practice sending codes. The showpiece is a red Concord stagecoach, the likes of which carried passengers from St. Joseph, Missouri, to San Francisco in just three weeks during the 1850s. | 420 Montgomery St., Financial District | 94104 | 415/396–2619 | www.wellsfargohistory.com | Free | Weekdays 9–5.

Previous Chapter | Beginning of Chapter | Next Chapter | Table of Contents