Everyone loves this easy-access cove at Van Ness Ave's northern end, flanked by the massive comma-shaped Municipal Pier, where fishermen cast their lines and lovers wander hand in hand. Eccentricity along Fisherman’s Wharf is mostly staged, but here it’s real: extreme swimmers dive from the concrete beachfront into the blood-curdling waters of the wintertime bay, aging hippies mumble conspiracy theories on the grassy knoll of panoramic Victoria Park, and wistful tycoons contemplate sailing far away from their smartphones.
Prospective swimmers take note: the occasional rouge sea lion takes a chunk out of somebody.