Pier 39
Pier 39
Location within San Francisco
General information
Type	Shopping center
Location	San Francisco
Coordinates	37°48′36″N 122°24′37″W / 37.809992°N 122.410357°W / 37.809992; -122.410357

Pier 39 is a shopping center and popular tourist attraction built on a pier in San Francisco, California. At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, an interpretive center for the Marine Mammal Center, the Aquarium of the Bay, virtual 3D rides, and views of California sea lions hauled out on docks on Pier 39's marina. The marina is also home to the floating Forbes Island restaurant. A two-story carousel is one of the pier's more dominant features, although it is not directly visible from the street and sits towards the end of the pier. The family-oriented entertainment and presence of marine mammals make this a popular tourist location for families with kids.

The pier is located at the edge of the Fisherman's Wharf district and is close to North Beach, Chinatown, and the Embarcadero. The area is easily accessible via the historic F Market streetcars.

From the pier one can see Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge. Blue & Gold Fleet's bay cruises leave from Pier 39.

Pier 39 was first developed by entrepreneur Warren Simmons and opened October 4, 1978.^[1]

History of Pier 39 Sea Lions[link]

California Sea Lions have been always present in San Francisco Bay. They started to haul out on docks of Pier 39 in September 1989. Before that they mostly used Seal Rock for that purpose. Ever since September 1989 the number of sea lions on Seal Rock has been steadily decreasing, while their number on Pier 39 has generally increased. Some people speculate that sea lions moved to docks because of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, but the earthquake occurred months after the first sea lions had arrived at Pier 39. It is likely that the sea lions feel safer inside the Bay.^[2]

Although the reason for their migration to the pier is unclear, the refurbishing of the docks in September 1989 required the removal of all boats from that area, leaving large open spaces for the sea lions to move into. Once the project was completed, boat owners returned, but did their best to navigate around the sea lions; no efforts were made to encourage the new guests to leave. By the end of that year, less than a dozen sea lions frequented the docks at Pier 39.^[2] By January 1990, their numbers had increased to 150 animals. Owners of the 11 boats docked there began to complain about having to avoid the animals who can weigh up to half a ton, and odor and noise complaints began to pour in. Press releases caught national attention, and the sea lions began to attract tourists. Advice from The Marine Mammal Center was to abandon the docks to the animals, and to relocate the boats elsewhere.^[2]

Sea lions on Pier 39

Pier 39 and the Pier 39 sign

Old Port Gate

Pier 39 at night

Although fluctuations in the number of sea lions at Pier 39 are dramatic, as many as 1,701 (Thanksgiving Week, 2009) have been officially reported at one time, many of whom are recognizable to researchers and others, and some of whom have been unofficially named. Volunteers and staff at The Marine Mammal Store and Interpretive Center monitor the sea lion population each day, and educational information is provided to tourists who visit from around the world. Scientists continue to collect information there, adding to knowledge about sea lion health, dietary habits, and behavior.^[2] In November 2009 the more than 1,701 (Thanksgivng Week, 2009) sea lions that had lived at the pier began to leave, and by late December 2009 nearly all were gone; a similar flux in population occurs annually, with the animals returning in the spring. Although the reason for their seasonal appearance and departure is not known for certain, according to Jeff Boehm, executive director of the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, "Most likely, they left chasing a food source," anchovies and sardines.^[3] A handful of sea lions did return in February, and by late May several hundred could once again be seen on Pier 39. It remains unknown exactly where they went and why. However, in December 2009, nearly 4,000 sea lions that were identified as members of the California sub-species were seen outside Oregon's Sea Lion Caves, which meant that they were likely the sea lions from Pier 39.^[4]

See also[link]

San Francisco Bay Area portal

• 49-Mile Scenic Drive
• The World Famous Bushman

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pier 39

• Official site
• A History of the Sea Lions at Pier 39
• Pier 39 Interactive Map

Coordinates: 37°48′36″N 122°24′37″W / 37.809992°N 122.410357°W / 37.809992; -122.410357

Justin Vernon
Vernon performing with Bon Iver in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Background information
Birth name	Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon
Born	(1981-04-30) April 30, 1981 (age 31) Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S.[1]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Associated acts	Bon Iver DeYarmond Edison All Tiny Creatures The Shouting Matches Mount Vernon Megafaun Volcano Choir Gayngs Kanye West The Throne The Rosebuds St. Vincent Kathleen Edwards James Blake

Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and the frontman for Bon Iver.^[2][3][4]

Early life[link]

Vernon attended Memorial High School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, graduating in 1999. He then attended college at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Vernon majored in Religious Studies and minored in Women's Studies. In an interview with Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report, he said that he was not ready to study music.^[5]

Career[link]

While in high school and college, Vernon founded the bands Mount Vernon and DeYarmond Edison – both indie-rock bands which originated from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he still resides.^[6][7] DeYarmond Edison's core consisted of Vernon, Brad and Phil Cook, and Joe Westerlund. The band saw varying line-up changes during its five years of existence.

After a long period of success in the Eau Claire music scene, the four band mates decided to leave their longtime home and move to Raleigh, North Carolina to try their musical hand in a new place. The band released two records themselves, the first self-titled and the second titled Silent Signs^[8] and an EP of unreleased material is available on their Myspace page.^[9] After nearly a year in Raleigh, Vernon left for Wisconsin after a breakup with the band and a girlfriend. The remaining members of DeYarmond Edison went on to form a new band called Megafaun and remain good friends with Vernon.^[10]

Vernon came to international prominence with For Emma, Forever Ago, his first album as Bon Iver.

Vernon is a part of other musical groups, including Volcano Choir, which consists of Vernon and the members of the band Collections of Colonies of Bees. In 2009 Unmap was released. The collaborative group Gayngs, which includes multiple other established artists, including Megafaun, The Rosebuds and P.O.S., released Relayted in 2010.^[11] Vernon contributed to seven songs on Anaïs Mitchell's 2010 album Hadestown, based on the Greek legend Orpheus and Eurydice. He is half of The Shouting Matches, a blues-garage rock duo, along with Laarks and Peter Wolf Crier drummer Brian Moen. They have recorded but not yet released a 5-track EP, Mouthoil.^[12]

Vernon agreed to let Kanye West use samples from his song "Woods" on his 2009 EP Blood Bank for West's 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and has contributed vocals to several songs in collaboration with West since.^[13] In 2009, Vernon collaborated with Aaron Dessner on the song "Big Red Machine" for the AIDS benefit album Dark Was the Night produced by the Red Hot Organization.

He has produced albums for other artists, including Land of Talk's 2008 album Some Are Lakes^[14] and Kathleen Edwards' 2012 album Voyageur.^[15]

Bon Iver won Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album at the 2012 Grammys.^[16]

Personal life[link]

Since 2011, Vernon has been in a relationship with Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards.^[17]

Discography[link]

with Gayngs[link]

• 2010 Relayted

with Bon Iver[link]

• 2008 For Emma, Forever Ago
• 2009 Blood Bank (EP)
• 2011 Bon Iver

with Volcano Choir[link]

• 2009 Unmap

with Eau Claire Memorial Jazz I Ensemble[link]

• 2009 A Decade With Duke

with The Shouting Matches[link]

• 2008 Mouthoil (Unreleased 5-track EP)

as Justin Vernon[link]

• 2005 Self Record
• 2006 Hazeltons

with DeYarmond Edison[link]

• 2004 DeYarmond Edison
• 2005 Silent Signs
• 2006 The Bickett Residency
• 2006 Unreleased EP

as JD Vernon[link]

• 2001 Feels Like Home

with Mount Vernon[link]

• 1998 We Can Look Up
• 2000 All of Us Free

References[link]

1. ^ "Justin Vernon". AskMen.com. December 13, 2008. http://www.askmen.com/celebs/men/entertainment/justin-vernon.html. 
2. ^ Grammy Winners 2011
3. ^ Judki, Maura (February 13, 2012). "Bon Iver’s Best New Artist win confuses Grammy viewers". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/click-track/post/bon-iver-best-new-artist-win-confuses-grammy-viewers/2012/02/12/gIQAkunz9Q_blog.html?tid=pm_entertainment_pop. Retrieved February 13, 2012. 
4. ^ Caramanica, Jon (June 3, 2011). "Who, What and Where is Bon Iver?". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/magazine/who-what-and-where-is-bon-iver.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved February 13, 2012. 
5. ^ Colbert, Stephen (June 20, 2011). "Interview of Justin Vernon". Colbert Report. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/390018/june-20-2011/justin-vernon. Retrieved February 14, 2011. 
6. ^ Foley, Ryan (September 11, 2007). "Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/bon-iver/for-emma-forever-ago.htm. 
7. ^ Deusner, Stephen (October 4, 2007). "Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/45817-for-emma-forever-ago. 
8. ^ Indy Week Article on DeYarmond Edison
9. ^ DeYarmond Edison on MySpace
10. ^ Allen, Dustin (February 11, 2008). "Out of the Bungalow: An Interview With Bon Iver". Treblezine.com. http://www.treblezine.com/features/143.html. Retrieved 2011-08-29. 
11. ^ http://jagjaguwar.com/blog/2010/02/jagjaguwar-introduces-gayngs-new-album-relayted-coming-in-may/
12. ^ http://fortifiedwithoptimism.blogspot.com/2009/12/shouting-matches.html
13. ^ http://pitchfork.com/news/39752-justin-vernon-talks-kanye-collaboration-gayngs/
14. ^ http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/land-talk-some-are-lakes/
15. ^ "Kathleen Edwards Unveils 'Voyageur'". Exclaim!, October 11, 2011.
16. ^ Wappler, Margaret (February 12, 2012). "Grammys 2012: Bon Iver wins for best new artist". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/02/grammy-awards-2012-new-artist.html. Retrieved February 13, 2012. 
17. ^ http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/justin-vernon-the-good-boyfriend/

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justin Vernon

• Official Bon Iver website
• Justin Vernon scores two Charlie Chaplin shorts with Chris Rosneau of Volcano Choir
• Official Volcano Choir website