San Francisco Pier 7
You've probably heard of San Francisco's Pier 39. If you want to escape the throngs of tourists and still enjoy a nice public pier with excellent views of the San Francisco city skyline, then San Francisco Pier 7 is a great alternative.
San Francisco Pier 7 is a public fishing pier that is about one block north of the San Francisco Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. The pier is accessible to children. Jim Augustino, former director of the San Francisco Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center and an avid fisherman and father, was the driving force behind the installation of the pier.
San Francisco Transamerica Pyramid
In addition to fishing, San Francisco Pier 7 is an excellent spot for panoramic views of the city. From the end of the pier, look back towards the city and directly in front of you is the San Francisco Transamerica Pyramid. The internationally recoginized Transamerica Pyramid was built in 1972 and with its hollow 212-foot spire is the tallest building in San Francisco.
San Francisco Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower
Turn to the right and you see San Francisco Telegraph Hill and the San Francisco Coit Tower. You may notice a carved out spot in the side of Telegraph Hill. In the 1850s and 60s, cargo ships would unload their cargo in San Francisco and then fill their holds with rock from the side of Telegraph Hill to use for ballast on their return trip to the East Coast. San Francisco Coit Tower is perched atop Telegraph Hill and has been a part of the city skyline since 1933.
San Francisco Angel Island
Turn further to the right and just past the end of Pier 9 out in the San Francisco Bay, you'll see Angel Island. Angel Island has been called the Ellis Island of the west as approximately 175,000 Chinese immigrants were processed at San Angel Island from 1910 until the 1940s.
San Francisco Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island
Look directly off the end of the pier and you can see a thin sliver of green, which is known as San Francisco Treasure Island. Treasure Island is the largest every man-made island as was built in 1939 to host an international exhibition to celebrate the completion of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Treasure Island is connected to Yerba Buena Island, which is the higher island through with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge passes. The tunnel that was bored through Yerba Buena Island for the bridge is the largest bore tunnel in the world at 76 feet wide, 58 feet high and 1700 feet long.
San Francisco Bay Bridge
Pier 7 also offers and impressive view of the entire span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. The San Francisco Bay Bridge is the sleek and stunning half of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge when compared to the squat cantilever construction of the part of the bridge on the Oakland side of Yerba Buena Island. The San Francisco side of the bridge is 1.75 miles long and has a vertical clearance of 220 feet. The cantilever construction of the Oakland side of the bridge is being replaces with a suspension bridge, which will be better suited to the earthquakes in the bay area.
San Francisco Belle
To the right, you can view the San Francisco Belle docked at pier 5. The stern wheeler features three enclosed decks and a sun deck all in Art Nouveau styling. The San Francisco Belle is operated by Hornblower Cruises and is available for private rental.
San Francisco Embarcadero Center
To the right and past the San Francisco Belle, you can view the Embarcadero Center. The San Francisco Embarcadero Center is a row of five narrow skyscrapers, which were constructed between 1968 and 1983. The Embarcadero Center towers are offices for many companies and corporations. There is also a shopping mall, restaurants and a movie theatre that features art films.
