Why Nobody Wants to Visit Fisherman's Wharf Anymore

[YoshidaYui]

[gab13by13]

1. I was there in 2004,

saw the bush man scare people. Ate at the crab shack, bought a leather wallet at a shop there. Some time around 2004, my memory is good it just doesn't last as long.

Went to Alcatraz. Just visiting.

[wyn borkins]

2. Thank You YoshidaYui for this Very-Informative Presentation (n/t)

[Lovie777]

3. Had family there in SF.................

went at least 3-4 times a year, same for Fishermen's Wharf.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. At least it's a different clickbait channel this year.

Last year,

Sun Apr 27, 2025: This message was self-deleted by its author,

it was METAL LEO https://youtube.com/@LeoMetalTraveler telling us why no one was going anywhere anymore. Why no one's going to Fisherman's Wharf, 2025:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/104037828#post1

This year it's Mall of Failure https://youtube.com/@MallOfFailure telling us why no one is going anywhere anymore, including, of course, Fisherman's Wharf.

[usonian]

5. Transcript and comments.

https://pastebin.com/raw/LQuQJP3v

1, It's too crowded. Nobody goes there any more.

2. The original bushman passed away in 2014, Ya got his substitute.
https://dothebay.com/p/new-bushman-at-fishermans-wharf

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Sounds like it's succumbed to economic scarcity and price pressures

Can't put that back together again. I talked to someone who had been there in the early 90s, yeah it was the place to be. Economic growth changes places. Same as shopping mega malls.

[Aussie105]

7. Faint memories from SF in 1988 or thereabouts . . .

Putting a coin in a machine on Fisherman's Wharf and watching it get flattened into an oval with some picture imprinted.
(Illegal to mutilate coin of the Realm in some countries)

Tourist bus and commentator making crude jokes about Coit tower.

Trams on hilly slopes.

No hippies on Haight-Ashbury.

People lining up at soup kitchens.

Hastily rebuilt wooden homes after the last earthquake.

[usonian]

8. Just found at SFgate

SF's Fisherman's Wharf food scene is about to change forever
Saigon Sandwich, a karaoke lounge and more are coming to the SF neighborhood
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/sf-fishermans-wharf-food-scene-22257991.php

Take a walk down Jefferson Street in Fisherman’s Wharf, and you’ll see a neighborhood in flux. On one side of the pavement sits the past: kitschy souvenir shops flanking the boarded-up entrance of Castagnola’s, a century-old seafood staple that has been closed since March 2020. On the other side sits the future: the shiny new Taco Bell Cantina, flashy LED video boards and an entire block of newly renovated empty storefronts.

Once buoyed only by the gravitational pull of In-N-Out, the shopping center formerly known as Anchorage Square and recently renamed Anchor’s Landing will soon become its own food and entertainment destination. Tenderloin banh mi legend Saigon Sandwich, local boba chain Little Sweet and a karaoke lounge called Space Karaoke are all set to open in the shopping center, as first reported by the San Francisco Business Times.

“I think the big emphasis for us is to have a retail mix that is a better representation of San Francisco,” said Graham Grealish, vice president of CBRE, the leasing partner to Anchor’s Landing owner BH Properties. “... We saw an opportunity to bring in some great local tenants that you might find walking some of the best neighborhoods in San Francisco.”

Known for its $5.50 banh mi, Saigon Sandwich is taking over a former Subway, and will add soju cocktails to its menu, the Business Times reported. While SFGATE could not reach Saigon Sandwich for comment, Grealish said they are expecting the new location to bring more locals to the Wharf, due to its loyal following. “It’s not lost on us that most locals still think of Fishermen’s Wharf as being more popular with visitors,” he said. “So, we would love for more locals to come.”

[bamagal62]

9. Last time I went was 2003.

It was great. However I never found a reason to go back. I have family in Oakland. So, it’s not something we typically do now when we visit because once was enough. I did thoroughly enjoy the seals. However, I’m not a good tourist as I hate touristy sites. I’d rather either just move there, (we move a lot) 😂😂😂, or find local spots.

[3Hotdogs]

10. My only visit was somewheres around 2000. There was an article in one of the papers that there was

an overabundance of Salmon and whole Salmon were being sold for $5.00 a fish. - - - Help the fishermen because they are on the balls of their asses.

And I recall one guy on his bicycle, peddling away from the wharf with the head of a Salmon peeking out from his backpack. And a couple of other people walking away with fish.

Then a woman comes up to one of the vendors --- "Do. ya have a senior citizen discount?"

I still enjoy telling that story but now that I'm an 83 year old, it ain't quite as funny as it was ,then.