The Embarcadero: the waterfront promenade
The Ferry Building clock, the farmers' market, the old piers, and the Bay Bridge lights after dark. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Ferry Building
Start under the clock tower, the 1898 survivor that the freeway used to hide and the 1989 earthquake set free. Walk the nave inside for the food stalls; if it's a Saturday, the farmers' market wraps the building front and back, and that's the morning to come.

2. Harry Bridges Plaza
The open square in front, named for the longshoremen's leader. Stand here for the Bay Bridge straight ahead and the palms running north and south. The F-line streetcars rattle past on their way to the Wharf.

3. Pier 7
A long wooden fishing pier with antique lamp posts, jutting out past the seawall. Walk to the end for the cleanest view back at the skyline. Quiet on a weekday morning; you'll share it with a few anglers.

4. Pier 17 / the historic piers
The numbered piers march north with their grand bulkhead facades, the names of shipping lines still over the doors. Read them as you pass; this was the working edge of the city before the bridges took the traffic.

5. Exploratorium (Pier 15)
The science museum that took over Piers 15 and 17 in 2013. You don't have to go in — the outdoor plaza and its tinkering installations are free, and the deck behind it puts you right over the water.

6. Pier 23 Cafe
A low waterfront bar and restaurant that has held its spot since the 1930s, while everything around it changed. A good place to stop for the view if the walk's run long. The F-line at Bay Street is a couple of minutes on.

The Embarcadero: the waterfront promenade