Thursday's What Street is That Pier Again?

Hidden amongst the snow-globe vendors and driftwood-themed art galleries rests the Hyde Street Pier at the western end of Fisherman's Wharf. Once an auxiliary ferry terminal, it is today part of the National Park System and includes living museums in the form of a real clipper ship and a real submarine, amongst its many attractions.

The Hyde Street Pier

Before the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridges were built, San Francisco's Ferry Terminal saw more foot traffic than New York City's Grand Central Station. Ferry back-ups were frequent, so to relive the overload, a small ferry landing was constructed at the foot of Hyde Street in 1922, and then another one in 1927.

Once the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened in 1936, and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, ferry service dwindled rapidly and the ferry landing at Hyde Street saw its last departure less than a year later in 1938.

To this day, Fisherman's Wharf has always been a working fisherman's harbor. You can still see them bring in their catch, but by the 1950s tourism began to ascend and facilities catering to the new visitors were becoming more paramount.

By September 1957, the San Francisco Maritime State Historical Monument was created, and plans were established to include historic ships.

By 1963, the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, an independent unit of the National Park Service included the nearby Maritime Museum as well. Eventfully in 1988 the whole complex joined the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and officially became part of the National Park Service.

When I was a hotel concierge, I learned from my guests that the two most popular attractions at the Hyde Street Pier were the WWII-era submarine USS Pampanito, and the Balclutha, a three-masted square-rigged ship built in 1886.

For a nominal fee visitors can descend into the bowels of these historic ships and feel first-hand the claustrophobic environs of a real submarine, or the sounds and smells of an authentic Melville-era sailing vessel.

Add a trip to the San Francisco Maritime Museum (also part of the GGNRA), just across Aquatic Park from the Hyde Street Pier, for a fully immersive maritime experience. 

Too many parents have shared with me over my concierge desk, how they want to expose their kids to more historical and educational experiences, but not drag them through an institution of stuffy exhibits they’ll most likely soon forget once they take out their video games.

The Hyde Street Pier, and time permitting the San Francisco Maritime Museum, are excellent examples of a family-friendly activity anyone ages eight to 80 can enjoy.

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