To whet your appetite are many food stalls to buy such delicious eats as crab, lobster, calamari, and clam chowder, along with San Francisco's famous sour dough bread and cioppino (pronounced "cho-PEE-no"), the San Franciscan version of the French fish stew bouillabaise, with a tomato base.

Attractions include the submarine the USS Pampanito, the Maritime Museum and historic ships open for exploring, the wax museum, and a ferry out to Alcatraz.

Up the hill at North Point Street between Polk and Larkin Streets overlooking the Bay is Ghiradelli Square, a National Historic Landmark, site of the original chocolate factory, where there is plenty of the world-famous Ghiradelli chocolate to buy. Interesting shops, excellent restaurants such as McCormick and Kuleto's, and galleries are there to explore. Artisans' stall line the sidewalks offering art, jewelry and other handcrafted items. The cable cars from Union Square end up near here at Hyde and Beach Streets, and a long-time favorite San Francisco bar on the corner called The Buena Vista is a great place to warm up while sipping an Irish Coffee, which was supposedly invented at this very bar!

The Cannery and The Anchorage nearby both offer more endless shops, restaurants and galleries.

Pier 39, further down The Embarcadero at Beach Street opposite Coit Tower, is very commercial with lots of not terribly interesting shops and restaurants, but some people really like it, especially those with children since it includes a family amusement center. Nearby, is the amazing UnderWater World for you marinelife enthusiasts. This is a fun opportunity to see marinelife without getting wet, as you stroll through crystal-clear underwater tunnels and watch all manner of marinelife swim over and around you.