San Francisco Photo Tour

Jack London Square


Jack London Square is located in Oakland and you can get there from San Francisco by ferry boat. It was named after the famous author Jack London. Jack was born in San Francisco on January 12, 1876, he was an illegitimate child born to Flora Wellman, she got married shortly after to John London and was adopted by him and and he gave him the name Jack London. Jack's family moved to Oakland in 1886 and they lived near the waterfront were Jack spent most of his time.
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Ferry terminal next to Pier 39

This is the ferry terminal that is next to Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf. This is where you can board the Alameda/Oakland Ferry or you can also board it from downtown San Francisco at the Ferry Building located at the foot of Market Street.



For more ferry information "click below".
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Ferry Map


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We are now on our way to Jack London Square, and we have just passed under the Bay Bridge and looking off the back of the ferry at Downtown San Francisco. After we cross the Bay we will make on stop at Alameda before we reach Jack London Square.



Docking at Jack London Square.

We are now pulling into the port at Jack London Square. Once the ferry docks you will be on one end of a street that takes you all the way to the other end of the Square.



Brick lined street

This street is made of brick and there is a trail of wolf tracks made of bronze that guide you to 12 history markers along the way through the Square. On this section of the street they have a Farmer's Market on Sunday 10-2 year round. From here all the way to the other end of Jack London Square is expensive restaurants and a variety of stores and shops. If you want something cheaper to eat wait till you get to the other end of the Square and I tell you where to find them.



The Jack London memorial statue.

This statue is of Jack London and it is located at the foot of Broadway and near the flag we saw when we arrived. To the left of the statue is a granite stone telling about Jack London Square.



This flat boat is called a Water Taxi.

Have you ever seen a water taxi? Well they have one here and you can get on it and tour the Estuary. The taxi leaves every half hour. If you came here by ferry boat you may want to save your money.



The California Canoe & Kayak Store.

If you are an adventurous type of person you may want to rent a kayak or canoe and explore the Estuary. Here at the California Canoe & Kayak store they sell and rent both.



People getting ready to shove of an explore the Estuary.

Before you shove off the store gives you a mandatory lesson on how to keep from getting dunked in the Estuary. On the other side of the Estuary is the island called Alameda and it was a military base, you may want to paddle to the other side and check it out.



Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon

This is Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, it was built in 1883 and it went through the 1906 earth quake. The floors inside are slanted from the quake and the walls hold history about Jack London. The building was built with timbers from a old whaling ship. You may want to take a break here and have a beer inside.



Jack London's old cabin from the Yukon.

This is Jack London's old cabin that was built in the Yukon during the gold rush in 1897. The reason they know this was his cabin is because on the ceiling there are notes in Jack London's hand and they were authenticated by a handwriting expert. The cabin had sod with grass on the roof to help hold the heat in. The cabin is located next to the Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon.



Jack London Village.

Now we are at the other end of Jack London Square and there is a small village named Jack London Village. Inside the village is more places to shop and more restaurants to eat at.



Shops inside Jack London Village.

Once inside the village you will find that most of the shops are different than the ones in Jack London Square. There is lots of antique shops that sell all kind of merchandise from furniture to jewelry. Inside one of the shops I saw a complete set of body armor like the knights used to ware.



Boat in canal at Jack London Village

Inside Jack London Village there is several restaurants to dine in or get a drink. Some of them are near the water in the Estuary, a great place to have a bloody-mary and sit outside on their patio and enjoy the views.



Heading back through Jack London Square.

Well we are now heading back through the Square toward the ferry boat. Instead of walking through the Square you may want to walk across the railroad tracks and go along the streets outside of Jack London Square. The streets are lined with bars, mixed restaurants from fast food to elegant, there is also many unique shops along the way back to the ferry.



Ferry dock.

You can tell we are about back to the ferry dock by looking for the big cranes at the end of the street. The big cranes are used to unload and load the huge shipping containers from large freighter ships that have traveled from other countries.



U.S.S. Potomac

Just as I arrived back at the dock where the ferries leave I saw the U.S.S. Potomac pulling away from the dock. The U.S.S. Potomac was Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Floating White House," he used it during the summer to get away from Washington. The yacht was also owned by the famous singer Elvis Prestly at one time. The yacht is now berthed here and it has been restored as a museum to Roosevelt. The tours are cheap, but if you want to go out on one of its cruises during the warmer months it can be a quite pricey.



Passing the U.S.S. Potomac out on the bay.

As we were on our way back across the Bay to San Francisco we passed the U.S.S. Potomac and I was able to get a better look at it and get this photo. Well I hope you enjoyed our trip to Jack London Square.



For more ferry information "click below".
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Ferry Map



The next stop on my Photo Tour is "Ferry To Six Flags Marine World", to go there Click Continue Tour below.

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Photographed and created by David T. Smith