The San Francisco Bay Area, Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pier 39 was the liveliest spot, and Su Chen had come to see what all the fuss was about. This time, however, he had a larger group with him. Besides Chen Fei, Wang Gang, and the others, even Raymond had shamelessly tagged along.
He even claimed he wanted to show Su Chen the most "characteristic" Bay Area activities.
"Uh... so this is the legendary Fisherman’s Wharf?" Su Chen looked at the somewhat familiar scene. If you didn’t know better, you might think you were back in China.
Back when he was on Zheng Island, Su Chen had taken a couple of days off to visit Dalian. He’d toured a seaside pier there, one known for its exotic scenery, and it didn’t look much different from what he was seeing now.
If he had to point out a difference, it was that Fisherman’s Wharf here was full of foreigners, while the one in Dalian was packed with tourists from all over China.
Pier 39 wasn’t very large. It was mostly shops selling souvenirs, fruit, and the like. There were also a few restaurants, and Su Chen’s group deliberately picked a busy one, ready to see what Bay Area cuisine was all about.
But in the end... Raymond ended up polishing off most of the food they ordered, and Su Chen only took a single sip of his drink.
In Su Chen’s words, if you served this several-US-dollar drink back in China, even a dog would drop dead after drinking it. You can imagine just how awful it tasted.
They ended up finding a Chinese-run restaurant and just grabbing a quick bite.
Of course, the main attraction at Pier 39 was watching the sea lions.
Sea lions, mind you... not the seals that like to slap their chests.
On the seaward side of the pier, a dozen or so square wooden platforms floated on the water. They were covered with plump sea lions, lazily sunbathing.
If it weren’t for the stench of sea lion that occasionally wafted through the air, Su Chen might have even stood by the railing and snapped a few pictures.
Leaving the sea lion viewing area, they had pretty much seen all of Pier 39. Su Chen then remembered what Raymond had thumped his chest and promised... the "characteristic" Fisherman’s Wharf activities.
"Raymond, where’s this ’fun’ you were talking about?"
Raymond didn’t say anything, simply leading Su Chen and the others around Pier 30-something. Soon, a marina full of yachts and fishing boats came into view.
Su Chen smacked his lips and turned to Raymond. "Uh... this isn’t the ’characteristic’ activity you were talking about, is it?"
"Yup. Boss, want to try the Bay Area’s most famous kayak fishing? It’s the most popular activity around here," Raymond said, nodding earnestly.


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