Ferry Building Marketplace

If you go to San Francisco to feast on the scrumptious gourmet treats and exotic delights then you must take a stroll through the Ferry Building Marketplace. Artisan cheeses, oysters, Parisian-style cafés, chocolate confections, jams, and freshly baked pastries galore line the colorful farmers' market stands. What makes the Ferry Building San Francisco’s most famous landmark? First is its strategic location at the foot of Market Street --- on the western edge of the continent, and at the center of the city’s financial, banking and transportation district. Second is its history as the primary portal of the city. Third, is the dramatic clock tower that has been the icon of the San Francisco waterfront for more than a 100 years.  Opening in 1898, the Ferry Building became the transportation focal point for anyone arriving by train. From the Gold Rush until the 1930s, arrival by ferryboat became the only way travelers and commuters – except those coming from the Peninsula – could reach the city. Passengers off the boats passed through an elegant two-story public area with repeating interior arches and overhead skylights. At its peak, as many as 50,000 people a day commuted by ferry.