Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
An aquarium on the waterfront.
An introduction to Fisherman’s Wharf and the Embarcadero, where Aquarium of the Bay stands at the entrance to PIER 39.
On this page
Read the city from the waterfront
Aquarium of the Bay is at the Embarcadero and Beach Street, at the edge of PIER 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf. The historic F-Line streetcars run along the Embarcadero to the pier.
A city guide can give context without turning a neighbourhood into a backdrop. Notice how the piers line the shore, and how the city meets the water along the Embarcadero.
Acrylic, water and light
An aquarium is a work of engineering as much as display: acrylic tunnels, and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water kept right for the animals of the bay.
Begin with a detail and ask how it was made and maintained. A photograph alone cannot tell you how a tunnel was installed or a habitat built, or the conditions in which people worked.
An aquarium chapter
Aquarium of the Bay shows one side of San Francisco’s waterfront: a busy visitor pier with the life of the bay just below the surface.
Look at the meeting of the two: the crowds and shops of PIER 39 above, and the sharks and rays of the bay below.
Make room for context
Pair this city reading with the aquarium’s history and the Journal. This is an introduction for visitors, not a claim that our team manages these places or represents their makers.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
