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How a Tourist Trap Might Be Screwing San Francisco

sfweekly.com — Pier 39, the third-largest tourist attraction in the United States, has allegedly cheated the city of San Francisco out of $10 million in rent through shell companies, alleged payoffs and complicated sweetheart deals...

Who dugg this? Made popular Oct 25, 2008

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  • janinekahn, on 10/23/2008, -1/+28I come for the sea lions, not the overpriced confections and merch!
  • alapoet, on 10/23/2008, -1/+24That sucks. Kudos to the SF Weekly for good journalism.
  • santiago1, on 10/23/2008, -0/+22 Anyone think the Mafioso is in on this somehow?

    That place is a ***** tourist trap and a half anyway! There's SO much more to the city than just that area.... then again, all the tourists can congregate there and leave the rest of the city open for those of us who want to see what it really has to offer!
  • pointpointclick, on 10/24/2008, -0/+21Third largest tourist attraction in the US? Serious? By what metric, I wonder...
  • kplo, on 04/01/2009, -0/+15volume of novelty magnets sold, perhaps?
  • Tanktunker, on 10/25/2008, -1/+13Amount of tourists attracted?
  • sodade, on 10/25/2008, -0/+9Why is it that when most people go on vacation, the main thing they do is walk around from one shop to the next buying *****?
  • financedude2, on 10/25/2008, -0/+7Bushman rules and he's rent free.
  • notoneofus, on 10/25/2008, -0/+6So you think SF is a great city, but you won't be going back? That seems a bit odd. How about you just don't go back to the part of town you don't like?
  • cryonix, on 10/25/2008, -1/+7Not really 3rd? just stated so to gain more tourists?
  • edebolt, on 10/25/2008, -0/+5why did you stay down there? It's the freakin stinky wharf's. Sure its a must to walk around down there and shop but much better places to stay the night. I would recommend Marina district or Nob Hill area. Or maybe over to Sausalito. Kind of depends on what you like. Ocean views? Golden Gate, Night life etc. Don't blame SF. You could have done better research.
  • inactive, on 10/25/2008, -0/+5Don't be a communist.
  • Grambo, on 10/25/2008, -0/+5That's hilarious. I went there when I went to San Francisco for Oracle Openworld, and some bar there charged me 9 bucks for a beer. You would think they could pay their rent.
  • inactive, on 10/25/2008, -0/+5SSHHHHHHHH!!!!

    Don't tell tourists about the bushman!!

    He's the best free entertainment in the city, it'll be ruined if tourists come prepared!!
  • serif69, on 10/25/2008, -0/+5They count the sea lions as tourists?
  • gplux, on 10/25/2008, -2/+6I recently have been on vacation in California. I am British and live in Luxembourg. I visited many places in California having been there last in 1984. We ended our trip in San Francisco staying in the the Fisherman's wharf area. (what a mistake)
    Well what a disappointment, this is a very, very trashy area and San Francisco should be ashamed. This is a great City but this area (Fisherman's Wharf including Pier 39) is shocking.
    If we ever return to California this City will not be on our itinerary and i tell all my friends the same story.
  • inactive, on 10/25/2008, -2/+6Thanks, we'll just take all our tech industries and money and secede so our "idiots" don't have to bother you anymore with, say, technology, fashion, and media.
  • witz, on 10/25/2008, -0/+3Came for souvenirs, stayed for the corruption!
  • rock774, on 10/25/2008, -0/+3I think 2some newsom needs to go !!
  • sodade, on 10/25/2008, -1/+4Disfunction? I've spent a lot of time checking out small town white trash america - I've seen the trash-filled yards and trailers that are falling apart - people living in *****. I've eaten in their restaurants with nary a normal weight person in sight. THAT is disfunction.
    San Francisco is a city. Dirty and filled with a mix of the dregs and the princes of society (gay people on both sides of the spectrum). It is ***** hard to keep a city nice under these circumstances. It would be ***** easy for redneck america to make their small towns beautiful - generally, they are in beautiful natural landscapes and instead they choose to live in *****. THAT is disfunction.

  • inactive, on 10/25/2008, -0/+3I live in SF and all I gotta say to your comment is:

    lol
  • NidStyles, on 10/25/2008, -1/+3Wow, seem's California is full of thieves these day's.
  • paperclips4u, on 10/25/2008, -0/+2Even good journalism is shallow and misinformed.
  • bonk2k, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1FTA "and claims a store selling gadgets for left-handed people somehow dovetails into an overarching plan to defraud the city and harm hardworking businessmen like himself."

    Flanders? Noooo!!!!
  • solid12345, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1Why do people fly all the way to Amsterdam to get laid and buy hash when you can do that at home?
  • inactive, on 10/25/2008, -4/+5AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

    YOU ARE SO FUNNY AND ORIGINAL!!

    Get it? Because San Francisco has a large gay population!!

    Well, all the gays you chased out of your town are now in SF programming your games and making the Bay Area richer. Thanks a lot.
  • inactive, on 10/24/2008, -1/+2taking lessons from the government?
  • trebol, on 10/27/2008, -0/+1It's by number of visitors per year (Disneyworld=20 million, Disneyland=14 million, Pier 39=11 million)...although I'm not sure how they come up with this number because there are no turnstiles to get in to Pier 39.
  • Terasiel, on 10/25/2008, -5/+6I'm assuming San Francisco takes it from behind.
  • MaxMWood, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1Im British and went to San Fran this summer and stayed at the Argonaut Hotel which was nice but the seafront area was really touristy like Blackpool (A very tacky place in England) but Pier 39 was really good!
  • rnelsonee, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I'd like to see that list. I'd count Disney World as #1, I'm sure Disney Land and Sea World attract more people than this pier. I was there this summer and it did not strike me as having a huge crowd.
  • stacigh, on 10/26/2008, -0/+1The only reason to go to San Francisco is the food. The food in San Fran is to DIE FOR. I love the North Beach area. Cafe Delucchi has some great breakfast and Pan Ta Rei has some awesome pasta dishes. I drive from Reno just to eat great food at least twice a year.
  • stacigh, on 10/26/2008, -0/+1Those mini-doughnuts at the mini-doughnut stand he mentions are delish! I feel a craving coming on...
  • nvpham, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1i don't know what people were promising you it would be like. it's a wharf.
  • Wrathernaut, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1I hadn't heard of this place until this article.
  • rochskier, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1They should take some of that $10 million and install more toilets.

    I dare anyone to go down there and try to take a dump around 4 PM in the afternoon.

    You'll have trouble keeping your lunch down, I promise.
  • pak314, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1They want to feel that they did something productive during their vacation. They feel if they have nothing to show then the vacation was a waste.
  • arizonabay, on 10/25/2008, -0/+1For those who don't know what financedude's talking about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Famous_Bushman

    David Johnson, also known as the World Famous Bushman, is a busker who has been entertaining passers-by along Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco since 1980. [...] Johnson hides motionless behind some eucalyptus branches and waits for unsuspecting people to wander by. When they approach, he jumps out and startles them.

    Sorry, bluezinc :D Not that this really matters.. I knew about Bushman before I moved to the area from a SF Chronicle article but still had the bejesus scared out of me. Bushman is like a stealthy ninja... if stealthy ninja's sat on milk crates and screamed at Midwestern tourists.
  • techboid, on 10/25/2008, -0/+0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _________
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ./ It’s a trap!
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _,,,--~~~~~~~~--,_ . . . . ._________/
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  • gumhucker, on 10/25/2008, -1/+1The in n out sucks ass there also. I'd rather go to Daly *****
  • redscofield, on 10/25/2008, -1/+1There's a gay joke in there somewhere...

    Just sayin...
  • arbouler, on 10/26/2008, -1/+1i'm pretty sure all the real american midwestern tourists get angrier at the elitist fake america they sure love to visit every year
  • insanebrain, on 10/25/2008, -2/+1Please replace 'California' with 'America'
  • shutaro, on 10/24/2008, -2/+1*yawn* "What's going on outside?"
    "Oh it's just a mob war. Go back to sleep, honey."
    *CRASH!* "Forgive-a-ness, please!"
  • Oatlord, on 10/25/2008, -5/+3Screwing San Francisco? Better double wrap that thing up. No tellin' what nasty disease you might get from doing that.
  • inactive, on 10/25/2008, -6/+2Excellent - keep them there. You can walk around the city and see disfunction everywhere. It looks like one of those science fiction movies where the streets are full of various alien species.....
  • cosmosprince, on 10/25/2008, -6/+1Could someone summarize the article for me please? I would like to know what it's talking about but its TLDR.
  • NidStyles, on 10/25/2008, -9/+4The whole state is like that. Nothing but idiot's there trashing everything.
  • inactive, on 10/25/2008, -14/+3Add up all the *****.....

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