Pier 39 In San Francisco Turns 45!
It turns out that my first trip to The City By The Bay, in October of 1978 (depicted in the grainy photo of, from L to R, my sister Susan, Me, my brother Brian and our mother Betsy), coincided with the “birth” of Pier 39. According to a press release from Sue Muzzin with www.pier39.com, it was “visionary San Francisco businessman and developer, Warren Simmons, [who] dreamed of building an urban park along the city’s underdeveloped waterfront. [Then], on October 4, 1978, Simmons’ vision became a reality when he transformed a dilapidated cargo pier into PIER 39.” I remember being fascinated by not just the waterfront area with its eclectic collection of specialty shops, restaurants, and attractions, but the cable cars and strong aroma of seafood everywhere. In a rare display of fiscal craziness that day, my parents authorized a self-portrait of me, sketched by local charcoal artist Al Grey, that currently hangs in my home studio. Sue Muzzin elaborates on the cool history of Pier 39: “[It was] the first project built along The Embarcadero since World War II. Pier 39 paved the way for future developments beside the Bay. Four and a half decades later, The PIER has welcomed hundreds of millions of locals and visitors to the San Francisco Waterfront.” It’s now become a Young Family Tradition to visit Pier 39 at least every couple of years, with special emphasis placed on a visit to The Left-Handed Store for my unable-to-use-her-right-hand-for-anything spouse Meg Young. Happy 45th Pier 39!
