Wharf News

Part II of this 9 part series, "I Am Fisherman's Wharf," features Rodney Fong of the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf.

Part I of this 9 part series, "I Am Fisherman's Wharf," features Blazing Saddles.

http://www.travelchannel.com/video/fishermans-wharf-betrayal

Few realize that Fisherman's Wharf is the result of an embezzlement scheme. Click here to watch this video from the Travel Channel's Monumental Mysteries. 

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2013/07/22/port-history-the-franciscan/

Even 20 years ago, the Franciscan was described in the paper as “one of the Wharf’s grande dame restaurants.” While most of the other massive Fisherman’s Wharf restaurants take on more traditional facades, it’s hard to miss the giant, non-ironic boat-shaped behemoth parked on the edge of the bay.

It’s also this week’s subject of the Chronicle’s ongoing series exploring the restaurants that occupy land on the Port of San Francisco.

Fisherman’s Wharf is well on its way to meeting its ambitious goal of achieving zero-waste by 2017

Read the full article by Bill Picture of Bay Crossings, here: http://www.baycrossings.com/dispnews.php?id=2956

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/new-fishermans-wharf-sign-a-near-replica-off-old-crab-wheel/Content?oid=2514285

Tourists from around the world snap pictures of the crab wheel sign at Fisherman's Wharf all the time, and a discreet new replacement has been installed to help ensure the iconic symbol will appear in scrapbooks for years to come.

The original sign, installed in 1968 at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor streets, was constructed of sheet metal, plywood and plastic, according to Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District CEO Troy Campbell. But the sign's close proximity to the waterfront meant it was subjected to the elements, especially corrosive saltwater.

By Beth Spotswood
SFGate

http://blog.sfgate.com/culture/2013/07/08/tourist-trapped-musee-mecanique/

 By Paolo Lucchesi

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2013/07/08/port-history-aliotos-restaurant-on-fishermans-wharf/

By Stacy Finz
S.F Chronicle

http://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/S-F-waterfront-dining-blends-the-old-and-new-4649299.php?t=ff059c89bd8cb1714c

by Willie Brown in Voices via SFGate

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2013/07/10/checking-out-bistro-boudin-and-other-wharf-side-restaurants/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/07/07/san-francisco-cioppino-seafood-stew/2492935/

What makes San Francisco's setting so unique is water: the endless Pacific to the west and the glistening San Francisco Bay lapping the shores to the north and east. So it makes sense that the iconic, must-eat dish of the City by the Bay is a steaming bowl of cioppino, a seafood stew chock full of the ocean's bounty.

When you eat a bowl of cioppino, you're eating history. Many believe this dish was introduced to the Bay Area by Italian fishermen during the Gold Rush years, when a massive influx of people brought a business opportunity. They'd cook for hungry gold miners using whatever they had just hauled in, from mussels, clams, and crab, to halibut, sea bass or whatever happened to be biting.

July 3, 2013, San Francisco, CA — The Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District has completed the latest project in their series of neighborhood improvements and beautification — a restoration of the district’s most iconic symbol, the crab wheel, located at Jefferson Street and Taylor Street. A sturdier replica of this San Francisco icon, made from more resilient materials and equipped with environmentally-friendly LED lighting was unveiled today. The completion of this project comes just in time for the Fisherman’s Wharf July 4 celebration, the beginning of tourist season, and America’s Cup summer festivities. 

The original crab wheel sign, which was erected in 1968, had fallen victim to years of salt water and rust. In order to replace the sign, the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District, the Port of San Francisco, and the Fisherman’s Wharf Merchants Association raised the funds to manufacture and install the new sign, costing a total of $115,000.

“We are very excited to see the new sign crowning our historic waterfront district,” said Troy Campbell, Executive Director of the Fisherman’s Wharf CBD. “The restored crab wheel is one of the highlights of the Fisherman’s Wharf CBD’s many projects focusing on sustainable and environmentally-friendly beautification of our iconic neighborhood.”

San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is expected to be a lot more crowded for the upcoming holiday weekend.  According to priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN), Fisherman’s Wharf ranks #4 on the list of the Top 50 Destinations for July 4th.  The Union Square East neighborhood also made the list at #25.  New Orleans’ French Quarter is the most popular destination this year, followed by Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue at #2 and New York City’s Midtown West at #3.  For the first time, Paris neighborhoods took four spots on the July 4th Top 50 list.

Priceline.com’s Top 50 Destinations list is based on over 30,000 hotel room booking requests made by customers using priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® hotel reservation service.  The 2013 list is based off of credit card-backed booking requests on priceline.com, revealing actual consumer travel intent for the upcoming holiday. 

“The industry is flooded with editorial opinion about the best travel destinations for this year, as well as a lot of consumer poll data that sheds light on where American travelers would like to spend their holiday, but we wanted to take a close look at actual booking intent to see where people are truly packing up for,” said Brett Keller, Chief Marketing Office of priceline.com. “We’re seeing some really unique trends this year, from the emergence of European destinations in the top ranks to the slow-down in beach-going travel.  One thing is for sure – the appetite for travel this holiday season is robust.”      

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Contact: Rachel Gordon, DPW 415-554-6045

New Streetscape Design and Upgrades Enhance Fisherman’s Wharf Corridor

Major facelift of popular Jefferson Street aims to improve visitor experience, boost business 

http://sfappeal.com/2013/06/sf-officials-celebrate-revamped-jefferson-street/

After six months of construction, San Francisco city officials today are celebrating the reopening of a street in Fisherman’s Wharf that has been made safer and more pedestrian-friendly.

A two-block stretch of Jefferson Street between Hyde and Jones streets now has twice as much sidewalk space as before, as well as a new two-way traffic configuration, new lighting and crosswalk bulb-outs to allow pedestrians to cross the street with ease.

By Evan Borders - KTVU.com

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — San Francisco city officials, the media, and curious tourists witnessed the ribbon cutting of the Jefferson Streetscape Improvement Project along the busy Fisherman’s Wharf.

Since 2006, the San Francisco Planning Department has been working with the Fisherman's Wharf CBD on improvements to the area of Jefferson St. between Hyde and Jones Streets. This public/private partnership has worked together with the community to redesign Fisherman's Wharf for how it is used today. 

The motivation to re-do the street was to address accessibility for the businesses, people and fishermen who work in the neighborhood. They also wanted to make modifications to create a better walking and biking environment for the nearly 40,000 - 75,000 people that visit per day. 

The plan for a redesigned Jefferson Street was split into two phases.  Phase one included the two blocks of Jefferson Street between Hyde and Jones Street.  It received funding from the city and DPW's contractor Bauman Landscaping began construction in January of 2012.  Phase Two will include the blocks from Jones to Powell Street and the FWCBD is currently seeking funding to complete this phase of the project.

http://www.travelchannel.com/daily-escape/fishermans-wharf

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Move over, Mack, you’re on my flipper … Hey, buddy, you’re crowding my corner of the dock …” What do the hundreds of sea lions say to each other while lounging about the marina of Pier 39, the commercial area of Fisherman’s Wharf that has become San Francisco’s tourism and entertainment (and apparently sea lion) epicenter? With street performers, bungee trampolines, a carousel, 3-D theaters and other high-energy human diversion here, it is uncertain why, exactly, a multitude of sea lions would decide to call Pier 39 home. And where they go every winter is even more of a mystery, but they are disinterested in our musings -- they’re just sitting on the dock of the bay, wasting time.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has released a guide for Transportation Services for the 2013 America's Cup in San Francisco. 

To view the guide click here. 

Visitors will find this brochure valuable for planning their trip and transit during America's Cup.

The City of San Francisco is making major improvements to Fisherman’s Wharf’s main street, Jefferson Street.  Please see: http://www.newjeffersonstreet.com/

As of June 18th, 2013, Jefferson Street has been converted from a one-way to a two-way street, with one lane in each direction, between Powell and Hyde streets.   Hyde Street between Jefferson and Beach Street has also been converted to two-way.  The changes also include widened sidewalks and a narrower roadway on Jefferson Street between Jones and Hyde streets in order to make the street more attractive for pedestrians.  Parking is no longer permitted on much of Jefferson Street.   On summer weekends, traffic on westbound Jefferson Street between Powell and Mason streets may be limited to streetcars and bicycles only at times to prevent traffic congestion on this street.  Alternate routes include westbound Beach, North Point and Bay streets.

While tour buses will still be allowed to operate on Jefferson Street at all other times, traffic will move more slowly and turns will be more difficult for large vehicles to execute to and from the two-way street.  The City of San Francisco and the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District request that tour bus operators and guides avoid using Jefferson Street as much as possible.  If buses must use Jefferson Street for local circulation, the SFMTA requests that they operate on Jefferson Street for no more than one block. 

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/05/applebees-finds-first-san-francisco.html

Renée Frojo, Reporter- San Francisco Business Times

Applebee’s king Greg Flynn has finally found a home for the chain in San Francisco, also his hometown.