San Francisco Fun: Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39!

Yes I know I went to San Francisco back in June. But I still have so many posts about it! So bear with me as I posts these randomly! ;-)

One day we went to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39! This was the day we rode the BART into the city from my friend Stephanie's town. It was quite the experience for sure! There are some weirdos that ride the BART lol! We made sure to keep the kiddos at hands reach!

We also rode the cable cars from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf on this day. If you missed my post about the cable cars you can read it HERE!

Once we got off the cable car it was a short walk to Fisherman's Wharf. And it was freezing! I will always remember how cold we were! We only packed light jackets with us but no pants. Andy bought the boys some pants while we were waiting for the cable cars in Union Square. He also bought some for me but they were way too big so we ended up taking them back later that day. I ended up buying a super expensive pair of skinny jeans in one of the souvenir shops! I didn't care though...I was soooo cold!

There were all kinds of things to see on the walk to Fisherman's Wharf! There are tons of shops down there as well as tons of yummy restaurants! You could smell fresh bread and clam chowder everywhere it seemed!

And there's the famous sign!!!

There were views of the water everywhere! And there are different numbered piers everywhere too! It was just a really cool atmosphere all around! But you had to watch out for those seagulls! They were everywhere and wanted your food if you had any! They were not shy about coming right up to you!

View of Alcatraz in the distance. Unfortunately we couldn't visit Alcatraz because tickets had been sold out for about a month!

After a lunch picnic on one of the piers we headed towards our tourist attraction for the day. We were going on a Duck Tour of San Francisco. But that deserves a post all on its own so I will tell you about it another day! :-) After the Duck Tour we starting walking around some more. And we headed towards Pier 39 to see the sea lions!

The views of the city from the pier were amazing! I just couldn't get enough!

And we saw Alcatraz from different angles too! It was just gorgeous!

Our first view of Pier 39!

You could hear the sea lions barking way before you could see them! It was a really cool sound! The kids were so excited! There weren't a ton of sea lions there though. Supposedly we weren't there in the peak time. Stephanie and her family came in the spring and she said every dock was filled with them! But at least we got to see some of them. And they were pretty awesome animals! It was fun watching them move and play! And it was crazy how they just piled on top of each other!

More spectacular views of the city including Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and The Golden Gate Bridge!!!

The kids all loved playing on this monument of the sea lions! 

After seeing the sea lions we stopped for a snack break. Then we visited some of the souvenir shops so the boys could spend some of their money that the grandparents had given them. Then we headed towards Ghirardelli Square.  

I'll continue with Ghirardelli Square next time!

QOTD: Have you ever visited Fisherman's Wharf or Pier 39 in San Francisco?

San Francisco Cable Cars!

One of the things we wanted to do when we were in San Francisco was to ride the famous cable cars! I knew my boys would love them! So on one of our days in the city we utilized the cable cars as our transportation for the day.

We caught the cable car at Powell and Market Street. This was in Union Square so we got to see all the shops! My hubby even went shopping at The Gap for some warmer clothes for us all while we stood in line for the cable car! Yes...it was FREEZING in San Francisco that day and we had only packed summer clothes! Luckily we packed a lightweight jacket but our legs were so cold! Union Square saved us!!!

We stood in line for about 30 minutes or so waiting to get on the cable car. So we had lots to look at while we waited! There was a guy standing by the line singing and playing a guitar for donations. Seeing the tall buildings was also fun. We don't see those where we live!

We also got to see how the cable cars worked. Once they reach the end of the line they go on a turntable that turns them around so they can head back in the other direction. The workers would push the cable car around using the turn table. It was really neat! The cable car system was invented in 1873 in San Francisco to deal with the fearsome hills of the city. So they've been around a long time!

After what felt like forever it was our turn to load! We weren't lucky enough to get a seat on the outside so we went inside. Andy and I ended up standing while the kids sat.

It was really neat inside the cable car! But man did it get crowded! The cable car stopped several times and kept picking up more people. We were crammed in there like sardines lol! We did get to see several things while riding. It was hard taking pictures but I got a few. And I admit that there were several times I wasn't sure the cable car would make it up the hills. But it did!

Crazy hills that look so small in my pictures lol!

Coit Tower and the Bay Bridge in the background!

The famous Lombard Street!

See the Golden Gate Bridge way in the backgound?!

The Goddess of Victory statue atop the Dewey Monument!

We rode the cable car as far as it would go to Fisherman's Wharf.

Since I'm just talking about the cable cars in this post I will tell you about Fisherman's Wharf another day. But after our long day there it was time to catch the cable car to take us back to Union Square. By that time we were all so tired and freezing! And my poor Hayden was starting to not feel good (he starting running a fever the next day). We get to the cable car turntable where we are supposed to get back on and the line is HUGE!!! We waited an hour and a half to catch a cable car. It was INSANE! It seemed like they were running so much slower than they were that morning. Luckily there were a few entertainers there (it's amazing how these people will entertain in the street for money).

Me and Stephanie! Love her and love this picture of us!!!

While standing in line we had an awesome view of the Golden Gate Bridge...although it was far off!

FINALLY we made it on a cable car! And this time we got the outside seats!

The ride back was just as fun but we were all just ready to be home. We were tired and done for the day especially the kids! 

I am glad we rode the cable cars so I can say that I did it. But will I do it again? No! The lines were just way too long. We spent a good 2.5 hours in just waiting in line and riding the cable cars that day. I am glad we all got to experience it though. But it's a one time deal for me!

QOTD: Have you ever rode the cable cars in San Francisco? Would you do it again?