The Best Spots to Watch Fleet Week in San Francisco
Fleet Week in San Francisco is one of those events that takes over the city whether you plan for it or not. The Blue Angels are overhead, the bay is full of ships and the waterfront turns into the kind of place you end up staying at for hours longer than you intended. It happens every October and it is genuinely worth showing up for.
Here's how to make the most of it.
The Best Seat in the City: Marina Green
Image Source: Do The Bay
This is where most people end up and for good reason. Marina Green sits right along the water with an unobstructed view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. When the Blue Angels come through low and fast, you feel it before you hear it. Bring something to sit on, get there early and stake out a spot toward the middle of the lawn for the widest sightlines.
It gets crowded. That's part of it.
Note: Show up at least an hour before the air show starts. The warm-up acts are worth watching too.
Same View, Half the Crowd: Crissy Field
Image Source: Flickr
If Marina Green feels like too much, Crissy Field gives you the same views with a bit more room to breathe. It stretches further along the waterfront and draws a slightly more relaxed crowd. You can walk the whole length, find a low-key patch of grass and still have a full view of the flyovers. The Golden Gate is closer from here and on a clear October day the whole setup is hard to beat.
Note: Walk out toward the east beach for the best angle on the bridge with the planes coming through above it.
Actually Get on the Ships: Pier 27
Image Source: Fog City Secrets
One of the things that makes SF Fleet Week different from watching an air show anywhere else is that you can board the ships. The Navy opens select vessels to the public throughout the week and the lines move faster than you'd expect. It's worth doing at least once. You get a real sense of scale standing on a ship in the middle of the bay with the city behind you.
Note: Check the Fleet Week schedule in advance for boarding times. Go on a weekday if you can. The weekend lines are long.
Watch the Whole Bay at Once: Twin Peaks
Image Source: California Through My Lens
Most people watch Fleet Week from the waterfront but Twin Peaks gives you something completely different. From up here you can see the whole bay, the bridge and the city all at once while the Blue Angels move through it below you. It's a longer drive or rideshare from the waterfront but the perspective is worth it, especially for the later passes when the light starts to go warm in the afternoon.
Note: Get there before the show starts. Parking fills fast and the walk up from the lots is steeper than it looks.
Fleet Week only comes around once a year and San Francisco puts on one of the best versions of it anywhere in the country. Clear your afternoon, pick a spot and let the city do the rest.
Neighbourgood San Francisco is based in the Mission, which means you're staying in one of the best neighborhoods in the city with easy access to everywhere Fleet Week takes you.