Month: January 2026

  

I took another trip to Fisherman’s Wharf on the last Sunday in 2025 to do some comparison pictures from old photos from the UC Berkeley Library (UC) and San Francisco Digital Library (SF) Archives, and I’m happy to say that it was packed. I enjoyed doing this two post ago, so I took another picture of the Fisherman’s Wharf portion part of my beat up ‘City In Your Pocket’ San Francisco street map, and I photo painted in blue numbers this time where I took my pictures. (Thumbnail images)

  

#1 Looking east across Fisherman’s Wharf Lagoon in 1938. That tank in the background was filled with gas! Can you imagine how hazardous that would be today? You can see Joe DiMaggio’s Restaurant on the far right in the old picture; That’s where Supreme Crab is now. (UC)

  

#2 Fishermen looking northwest across the Lagoon in 1939: The Fisherman’s Chapel is now where that big building was in the background. (UC)

  

#3 Looking west, also in 1939, toward where Castagnola’s Restaurant is now. (UC)

  

#4 Looking southwest toward Russian Hill in 1965: (SF)

  

#5 Looking southeast in 1939 from the opposite side of the Lagoon as the previous three pictures. Coit Tower is on the left in both photos. (UC)

  

#6 Kids at the northwest corner of Jefferson and Taylor Streets in an undated picture from the 1940s, and the same corner last Sunday: (SF)

  

#7 The southeast corner of Jefferson and Taylor Streets, where Applebee’s is now, in 1958: I told you it was crowded. (SF)

  

#8 Looking toward Alioto’s Restaurant in 1953: I hate to see Alioto’s fenced and taped off like that. (SF)

  

#9 Jefferson Street in 1934: Everybody was packed into the small corner left open here on this Sunday. (SF)

  

#10 Also, there’s something lacking in today’s ‘View Alcatraz’ sign, as compared to ambiance of the 1957 one. (SF)

  

#11 Pier 43 in 1967 when the sailing ship, the Balclutha, was still berthed there: