Embarcadero Beckons With Bayside Views, Foodie Finds

San Francisco’s Embarcadero is located along the city’s eastern shoreline, offering stunning views of the waterfront and Bay Bridge. Deriving its name from the Spanish verb embarcar, it literally means the place to embark.

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A series of piers offers scenic ferry rides to a few of the city’s most popular destinations, Alcatraz and Sausalito among them. Plus, there is a world-class, hands-on science museum, along with famed restaurants, artisanal food shops, and even sea lions.

The Embarcadero offers much to explore. Here are a few of its highlights:

Visit the historic Ferry Building. This restored 1898 building is on the National Register of Historic Places for good reason: it has been welcoming ferry commuters traveling to the city for nearly 125 years. Prior to the opening of the city’s Golden Gate and Bay bridges in the 1930s, the Ferry Building served as one of the busiest passenger terminals in the world. The building’s dramatic 235-foot clock tower, modeled after the 12th century Giralda Tower in Seville, Italy, is an icon of the San Francisco waterfront.

Explore the Ferry Building Marketplace for foodie finds. Here you will find artisanal food shops and famous restaurants, such as The Slanted Door for trendy Vietnamese or Hog Island Oyster Co. for the freshest bivalves around. Don’t miss fresh-baked sourdough levain from Acme Bread and organic handmade cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, then splurge with a custom box of truffles at revered chocolatier Recchiuti Confections. Three days a week, the Ferry Building hosts its famed open-air farmers market that attracts chefs and locals alike. Grab lunch at the Thursday market, which features an array of upscale street food.

Enjoy hands-on science at the Exploratorium. The Exploratorium, founded by Frank Oppenheimer in 1969, is rooted in San Francisco’s history of creativity and independent spirit. This bayside interactive science center allows visitors to step inside a tornado, turn upside down in a curved mirror, dance on a fog bridge, and explore more than 650 hands-on exhibits.

Tour Alcratraz. Catch a ferry to Alcatraz, or the “the Rock,” as it was known to notorious criminals such as Al “Scarface” Capone, Robert “The Birdman” Stroud, and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. But there’s more to learn—the island has a fascinating history. The 15-minute ferry ride affords gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands. Be sure to book well in advance with a credit card and keep your receipt.

Book a boat to Sausalito. The Society of American Travel Writers once ranked this ferry ride as one of the most exciting in the world. More rugged travelers can rent a bike at Fisherman’s Wharf and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge via the “bikers only” lane. The picturesque town does not disappoint, with enticing boutiques, restaurants, and Sausalito Yacht Harbor, where you can gaze at luxury pleasure boats off the boardwalk and rent a bike. Visitors with a car can drive to the Marine Mammal Center, a nonprofit that rehabilitates sea lions and seals rescued from the California coast, or drive up to Vista Point, which on a clear day offers jaw-dropping views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city below.

Enjoy the music of the sea at the Wave Organ. Rent a bike at one of the half-dozen vendors along the Embarcadero and venture off the beaten path. If you cruise about four miles out to the Wave Organ, you will find a unique acoustic sculpture built on a jetty that uses the ocean waves to make music. The organ and the jetty were constructed with carved granite and marble reclaimed from a demolished cemetery. The organ emits its music from the impact of waves against the pipe ends and the subsequent movement of the water in and out of its pipes. The music is subtle; for best sound, visit at high tide.

Have a boisterous time at Pier 39. There’s much to see and do at the carnival-like Pier 39, which marks the beginning of the Fisherman’s Wharf tourist mecca. There are the musical stairs, like the piano in the Tom Hanks movie “Big”; the Aquarium of the Bay; a double-decker carousel; and the San Francisco-themed “Flyer” ride (think Walt Disney World’s Soarin’). The unusual attraction here, however, was not planned by developers, but rather moved in of its own accord some 30 years ago, shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake: a colony of sea lions. At first, less than a dozen of these boisterous pinnipeds took shelter here, but due to the area’s plentiful herring supply, available dock space, and the marina’s protected environment, the sea lion population has soared, and they have become a must-see tourist attraction in their own right. If watching them bark, play, and wrestle on the dock isn’t enough, stop in at this pier’s Sea Lion Center for interactive displays, educational videos, and live presentations.

Face off with a whale, also at Pier 39. Want a chance to glimpse two of the largest mammals on Earth? Pre-book a whale-watching trip during the Annual Meeting to double your chances of seeing a whale. May marks the tail end of grey whale migration season when more than 20,000 begin their journey northward for their feeding season and the beginning of the humpback whales’ run. Plus, the expert naturalists at San Francisco Whale Tours will teach you all you need to know about marine life as you scan the horizon for whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and birds. ■