Another visit to the Wharf, compliments of SFMTA

Looking over some wonderful vintage photographs from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency set me to thinking that I hadn’t been to Fisherman’s Wharf for awhile, so I took an F Line streetcar there on Wednesday. Lately, it seems as though the only places to visit in Fisherman’s Wharf anymore are the Boudin Bakery, the SkyStar, and the Musée Mécanique. Alioto’s is gone, the Fisherman’s Wharf Lagoon is partly blocked off, and the most famous building in the Wharf, #9 Fishermen’s Grotto, looks empty and blocked by construction. Much of the magic of the area is gone, and the new promenade being planned will be a nice place to relax with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it won’t feel like Fisherman’s Wharf. However, don’t let my lamenting keep you away. Although it is what it is, or as my niece from Texas says, “i squared w i squared”, it still is, and always will be, a fun place to visit. (Thumbnail images)

Looking southwest in 1974, and in the parking lot of Boudin’s today: You can see the Captain’s Chest Gift Shop, (ah, I remember it well) in the background of the vintage picture.

This is a reasonably close comparison looking southwest across the Fisherman’s Wharf Lagoon in 1948 and today: You can see the building on Russian Hill at the left, and the lagoon was much longer back then than now.

Looking toward the parking lot of Joe DiMaggio’s Restaurant from the Lagoon in 1948: My mom took a picture from about the same spot when she was 17, before the SFMTA photo was taken.

This was as close of a comparison as I could get to the 1972 overhead of the Jefferson and Taylor Streets intersection, courtesy of the Applebee’s Grill crew who let me take a picture inside their glass window.

A 1961 view looking northeast across the Lagoon in 1961: The buildings picture left of Fishermen’s Grotto have been demolished.

Looking east Across Fisherman’s Wharf Lagoon toward Alioto’s and Tarantino’s; one gone, one closed: You can see the SkyStar Wheel where Alioto’s was.

A little west of Fisherman’s Wharf is the cable car turnaround at Aquatic Park in 1972. Look at the yellow cable car signal on the right; you get a great look at it in the 1967 photo from Sunset Magazine by Glenn Christiansen.