Thought Paper #10

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Eva Dunn

Professor Stacy Asher

Art 195

November 26, 2012

Memory Lane

Fisherman’s Wharf has been a staple in my childhood memories.  Because I have lived in San Jose or Campbell my entire life, my parents would take my siblings and me to Fisherman’s Wharf for little day trips.  We would go and get something to eat, walk to see the seals, and go into the candy shop to get candy.  Because it was such a huge part of my childhood, this field trip was a walk down memory lane, literally, seeing as I walked the entirety of the thoroughfare.  Because of my new perspective on signage from this class, however, it was very interesting to walk through Fisherman’s Wharf and notice all the signage around me.  Many signs help direct people to tourist attractions, inform of the past, and advertise commercial goods.

There was a lot of signage, I noticed, that directed people to different tourist attractions.  For one, all of the piers were well-labeled and as I walked down the street, I could see all the different piers that there were.  There were two tourist attractions that were the best advertised.  The first was Alcatraz.  Alcatraz was advertised beautifully because the signs not only drew people in, but also informed, which is very important for tourist signage.  Many of the signs showed previews of what it was like for prisoners in Alcatraz way back when.  Because I have actually been to Alcatraz, it was very interesting to see the signage that depicted it.  I feel as if the signage was an accurate preview, if you will, to the actual tour on the island.  I think that advertising tourist attractions needs to be bright, bold, and big, and Alcatraz’s advertisements definitely adhered to these rules.  Some signs were bright, some signs were big, and all of the signs were bold.  Another tourist attraction that was well-advertised was Pier 39.  Even before we arrived at Pier 39, there were flags advertising it.  One of my group members thought we were in Pier 39 because of the flags that were placed well up the street from the actual pier.  However, I felt as if the signage for Pier 39 also followed the 3 rules I came up with for tourist advertisements; they were bright, bold, and big.

Walking down the street, I had to imagine what it would have been like many years ago.  In 1906, before the fire, Fisherman’s Wharf was not even developed yet.  This is a very interesting concept for me.  Maybe people took long walks along the thoroughfare and instead of seeing all of the signs, saw a beautiful view of the ocean.  Although times were different back then, I still feel as if walking down that street is an experience, whether it is an ocean view, or a view of all of the piers and restaurants.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the Fisherman’s Wharf trip because I got to see a childhood memory through a new lens, if you will.  I even came up with a 3-part rule for tourist advertisement signage: bright, bold, and big.  Everyone in San Francisco should take the chance to visit Fisherman’s Wharf and experience it for themselves.