The Ferry Building could possibly be the most picturesque location in the city to spend a productive morning buying fresh and local produce straight from the farm. For many restaurants, farmers markets are an important place of reference for sourcing seasonal ingredients at their best, so it should be no surprise to see these same ingredients that were sampled that morning gracing the menu for evening dinner service. Perhaps that is one of the best gauges of how well a restaurant takes advantage of what’s local, available and at its best. The vendors that occupy these coveted booths at this market are some of the best in the area, and it’s always worth perusing this market for the delicious samples. Each farm has their own specialty and certain vendors are present on specific days so plan accordingly by checking.

Some of my favorites include |Frog Hollow Farm| for their amazing stone fruits, dried fruits, jams and marmalades. |Far West Fungi| with their changing varieties of mushrooms. |Heirloom Organic Gardens| for Asian vegetables, beans, and lettuces. |Allstar Organics| with their heirloom tomatoes, squashes, and peppers. |Dirty Girl Produce| for amazing dry-farmed tomatoes, strawberries, haricot verts and other beans. Artisans and Purveyors include |Acme Bread Company| for delicious pastries and bread. |Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoke| for amazing smoked fish and |Cowgirl Creamery| for their selection of artisan cheeses. The selection of vendors at the market varies by the day of the week, |CUESA| has a full list of purveyors and farmers for reference. |Ferry Plaza Farmers Market|

Hours of Operation:
Tues: 10am – 2pm
Thurs: 10am – 2pm
Sat: 8am – 2pm

Designed by architect A. Page Brown, the steel-framed Ferry Building originally opened  in 1898 and was a main transportation access point for travel to and from the city. Built atop a 660 feet concrete and pilings foundation, the building was the largest such foundation for a building over water in the world. The 245-foot clock tower was modeled after a 12th century bell tower at the cathedral in Seville, Spain, and the interior contained ornate mosaic floors and dramatic brick and ceramic arches. At it’s peak nearly 50,000 commuters walked through the building every day. With the expansion of automobile use along with the openings of the Bay Bridge in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, ferryboat travel decreased dramatically. The Ferry Building was converted to office space in the 1950s, and the construction of the unsightly Embarcadero freeway in 1957 caused the once iconic structure to sit partially obstructed for nearly 35 years. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the double-decker freeway that sat in front of the building, the Ferry Building and central waterfront were once again opened up with the freeway’s demolition in 1991.

After undergoing a significant re-developement to bring the building back to it’s original splendor, the Ferry Building re-opened in 2003 as a mixed-use office space on the upper floors and a marketplace on the ground floor. The marketplace has a nice variety of high-end specialty food purveyors such as |Frog Hollow Farm|, |Cowgirl Creamery|, |Blue Bottle Coffee Co.|, and |Acme Bread Company|, along with upscale eateries |Boulette’s Larder|, |Hog Island Oyster Co.|, |Gott’s Roadside|, |Il Cane Rosso|, and |Boccalone Salumeria| just to name a few. High end Vietnamese restaurant |Slanted Door| also calls the Ferry Building home. Many of the restaurants located at the rear of the building offer al fresco dining with unobstructed views of the waterfront and Bay Bridge. |Market Bar| and Gott’s Roadside, which are located at opposite sides of the building along the Embarcadero both have expansive patios for outdoor dining with views of downtown. The Farmers Market is held at Ferry Plaza three days per week and is a popular place to pick up farm fresh produce, artisan products and gourmet street food. |Ferry Plaza|

Minimum Hours of Operation:
Mon – Fri: 10am – 6pm
Sat: 9am – 6pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm

Farmers Market Hours:
Tues: 10am – 2pm
Thurs: 10am – 2pm
Sat: 8am – 2pm

What started in 1983 as merely a temporary alternative for tourists who couldn’t ride on a Cable Car while the system was being upgraded, is now one of the world’s largest fleets of historic streetcars still in operation. The F-Line is a beautiful route that begins in Fisherman’s Wharf, travels along the Embarcadero, and heads down Market Street to the Castro district.

The 1940′s era PCC model as seen in the picture to the right typically operate the route most often, but once in a while the opportunity strikes to ride a vintage |Milan Trolley circa 1928|. Just imagine riding in a polished wooden streetcar with vintage Italian advertisements, |Madeline Peyroux| faintly playing in the background, combined with beautiful views of the bay. If all public transit were this charming and romantic, maybe I wouldn’t drive so much. |Historic Streetcar Route Map|Market Street Railway|SF MUNI|