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When I first moved to the East Bay back in November of 2006 my boys and I heard Pier 39 was the place to go for first time San Fran visitors. Dad was thinking more along the lines of an Anchor Steam Brewery tour, but my boys wanted to hit the famous chocolate shops and see the sea lions so I reluctantly agreed to push my way through crowds of tourists in order to abide by my boys wishes.
 So my crazy boys and I hopped on the BART, did our best to ignore the smelly homeless guys, rode under the bay (they still don't understand why they can't see the water or the fish) and hopped off at the Embarcadero stop. From there we walked past the Ferry Building and over to Pier 39. This is something I do not recommend unless your kids are over the age of 10 and the weather is in the low 70's. Two miles of pavement filled with pushy tourists, the bay on your right, street vendors, bicyclists, rollerbladers and runners while you are being tailed by screaming kids is definitely not the way to start your San Francisco experience.
In your visit to Pier 39 you can walk the pier while bumping into other unconscious tourists, hit thechocolate stores to savor the Ghirardelli Band-aids, hang out at the magic shop, ride the Merry-Go-Round, watch some crazy IMAX dinosaur thing, stop at The Hard Rock Cafe and even buy a ton of worthless San Francisco schwag because you forgot it would be cold outside, but the best seat in the house is at the Wipeout Bar and Grill. Situated at the mouth of Pier 39, the Wipeout Bar and Grill offers its patio guests the premier venue for people watching, beer drinking and a pretty cool atmosphere. The food is pretty good as well.
As you walk into the depths of tourist hell known as Pier 39 you have Wipeout on your left and The Hard Rock Cafe on your right. Wipeout Bar and Grill is the place you want for eating and people watching. You won't get the bread bowls filled with fresh clam chowder or a view of the the Sea Lions, but you will get some above average nachos, killer soft tacos and your kids will love to hang out and watch the surf videos while they take in the sights (my boys like to squeeze the boobs on the statue at the front door).
For the best seats in the house do yourself a favor and snag one of the Adirondack chairs nestled around the fire pit. These seats are first come first serve so once you've managed to plant your tired soul in one of these badboys I suggest you stay there the entire day. Just lean back, order a Fosters on tap followed by some nachos and just enjoy the fire while you put your feet up and people watch. San Francisco's tourist population offers up some of the most diverse and interesting 'carnies' I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. If you are really lucky you will stumble onto these chairs around 2pm and be able to hang there until the sun goes down. You will have the fire pit keeping you warm and the live music from the Pier 39 entrance to keep you going while you take in all the freaks and weirdos San Francisco has to offer.
 Best Menu Items: Teriyaki Chicken Wings, Wipeout Nachos, Mango Glazed Pork Ribs, Rippin' Skirt Steak, Jalapeno Burger, Carnitas Soft Tacos and the Mango Shrimp Soft Tacos.
Kids Favorites: Chicken Nachos, Chili Cheese Fries, Build Your Own Pizza and the drink of choice for my boys is always the SharkBite (non-alcoholic of course).
The Wipeout Bar & Grill offers your family a fun, beach type atmosphere filled with fake sharks, surfboards, tons of color, tables shaped like surfboards, upper end bar food and the visual kaleidoscope that is the San Francisco Pier 39. Just make sure you don't freak out when you realize the bathrooms and His and Hers to share.....Have fun!!
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