Today was one of those great times in life that make all the bullshit fade away. I took my kids to one of my favorite places, Pier 31.
(from left to right is Nate the Great, Me and Jonny Danger. We are in front of Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory)
Many local Bay Area residents avoid this place like the plague because of the flood of tourists spending money like they are drunk high rollers at a strip club. So, a sunny weekend day in February is the perfect time to hit the pier as it is low season for tourists. What is more, today was "fanfest" for the SF Giants. So, the pier was basically empty. Fantastic
But, I find that this is one of the most underrated places to explore if you live here in CA and a 100% must place to visit if you are in the city on vacation. The most popular things to do include seeing Alcatraz, shopping, and visiting the aquarium. Those are all fine. But, there are some really cheap options for all those Bay Area locals who forgot about this charming spot. Here are a few that we did:
For 5 bucks you can get the world's best sourdough bread bowl of clam or seafood chowder. Now, when I am here by myself, I spring for the 7.75 bowl at a street vendor
My son has had an affinity for seafood chowder since he was able to eat solid food. I still remember his eyes when he first tried some of his Grandmother's soup while we were living in Anchorage AK.
(I put this picture here for a specific reason. I want to you to remember how happy Nate the Great is at the table. Just happy to eat crackers and his bottle. This will be important later)
The next thing that is great to do is to visit the beach/park. This beach is often forgotten as there are so many just absolutely great beaches to enjoy in the Bay Area and CA at large. That being said, you get a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the golden hills of Marin County and, of course, Alcatraz Island.
A little bit of a tangent here, this water is roped off for swimmers to swim. This isn't that shocking, or even that interesting unless you know about the famous annual Escape from Alcatraz swim:
https://raceroster.com/events/2018/12939/2018-alcatraz-xxxviii-escape-from-the-rock
There was an escape from the prison where the inmates attempted to swim across the bay to freedom. And nobody knows, to this day, what happened to many of them. There is lots of debate over if it is possible to make the trip swimming, so every year tons of people attempt it. This is a great training area for it.
Just south of the beach is Ghiradeli Square where the famous Ghiradeli chocolate is still made and exported to the world. But, between the two is San Francisco Maritime National Park. A great place to soak up the sun and enjoy the view. It is also where you pick up a cable car to see the city.
(I like how in this picture you can't see Nate the Great, but you can see his hair and it makes me look like I have fantastically curly sideburns.)
https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/cable-cars
Now, before you head to Ghiradelli to enjoy all that wonderful sugar, walk down the main strip and enjoy some of the street performers. Some of them are boring and typical (like silver statue guy or guy with a cardboard sign begging for money). But there are also musicians, puppet shows and all kinds of fun attractions. Here is the one Jonny Danger enjoyed the most: The break dancing group:
Now, to the main event. The reason why a local would even bother returning here, Ghiradelli chocolate. YUM YUM
This is somewhat of a family tradition for us. The last time we were here was when Jonny Danger was much younger and we were driving to AZ to stay with family there. We made this trip from Anchorage, AK because my wife was being deployed to Afganistan. The ice cream sunday was a big hit then:
Not to anyone's surprise, 2018 wasn't very different as far as results go:
Now, some of you will say I am a bad father or that I am playing favorites because I did not let Nate the Great have any ice cream. We have a strict "no sugar until 2" rule in this family.
NATE WAS NOT AMUSED. This was him the whole time we were eating:
All in all a successful day. I can't wait until the next adventure to the pier.