 |
| Painted
Ladies 1 |
Three Days in San Francisco
San Francisco is
a city steeped in history and known for its vivid arts scene, progressive attitudes
and diverse culture. While one could easily spend more than a week exploring
the city, three days will provide a taste of what San Francisco has to offer
and will ensure more than one return trip to this unique and vibrant city.
History
San Francisco was settled in 1776 by the Spanish. In 1821, after gaining independence,
the area then became part of Mexico and Englishman William Richardson built
the first notable homestead in the region known today as Portsmouth
Square. The California Gold Rush brought the population from 1000 in
1848 to 25000 in 1849 and industries like banking and manufacturing sought to
capitalize on the growing wealth at this time. Immigrants lined up to work for
these companies and San Francisco started to sprout homes, parks, churches and
theaters.
Then, in 1906, it all came crashing down, literally. A major earthquake hit
the city on April 18, 1906 rupturing gas lines which ignited and set the city
a flame for days. Three quarters of this once thriving city was left in ruins.
Many people packed up and left but the remaining San Franciscans rebuilt the
city and celebrated its renewal in 1915.
In the following years, San Francisco became a financial capital, the Golden
Gate Bridge and the Bay
Bridge were erected and Alcatraz was put into use as a maximum security
prison.
In the 1950s, San Francisco's North
Beach area was awash with Beatniks. In the 1960s, hippies made the Haight-Ashbury
neighborhood their home where the movement peaked in 1967s Summer of
Love. The 1970s brought the gay rights movement to the forefront and the Castro
district became and continues to be the city's gay village.
Finally, in the late 1990s, San Fransisco enjoyed the dot-com boom as IT specialists
and entrepreneurs flocked to the city. In 2001, the industry crashed and most
of these people were forced to pack up what was left of their businesses and
leave the area. However, despite the crash, technology is still a mainstay within
the San Francisco economy.
With a rich and busy history, San Francisco is a beautiful and interesting city
to explore and has much to offer visitors in history, arts, culture and shopping.
Facts for the Trip
Location
San Francisco is located on the west coast of the United States at the tip of
a peninsula which is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay.
The many islands that surround San Francisco, like Yerba Buena Island and Alcatraz,
are considered part of the city.
Weather
San Francisco's climate is Mediterranean with mild and wet winters and dry summers.
Since the city is surrounded by water on three sides, the weather is influenced
by the Pacific Ocean's cool currents. These currents control temperature changes
and create a very mild climate.
The average summer temperature is 70°F (21°C) and the winter low is
60°F (15°C). Fall, winter and early spring (November through March)
see rain, while it is relatively dry for the rest of the year. San Francisco
is famous for its fog, created by the cold ocean water and the high summer heat,
this mist hangs over the city in the early spring and summer.
Though temperate, the weather is known to change depending on one's location
within the city and it is a good idea for visitors to always have an umbrella
and a sweater handy.
Where to Stay
There are lots of hotels
to choose from in San Francisco ranging from affordable hostels,
like the Hostelling
International San Francisco Downtown, to high-end ritzy hotels such
as the Le
Meridien San Francisco and the Hilton
San Francisco Financial District. Most accommodations
tend to be near the main tourist destinations as well as transportation. There
are also bed
and breakfasts for those who prefer a more intimate and quiet environment.
Where to Eat
San Francisco has a large variety of international eating establishments due
to its diverse population. Everything from American
fare to fresh sushi
is easily found. It is worth getting recommendations on where to eat as there
are so many options. Hotel concierges have reliable information on the best
restaurants
and can usually arrange a reservation on the spot.
Day One – Walking
Around the Town
For those who like to walk, San Francisco is a great destination. Though hilly,
there is always ample time to relax and browse shops or sit at a cafe to rest
weary feet along the way. When too tired to walk hop in a cab
or take public
transit to the next spot.
 |
| Lanterns
in Chinatown 2 |
|
Chinatown
Start at Market
Street and Eddy Street where the San
Francisco Visitor Information Centre is, walk east on Market Street
and then turn left onto Kearney
Street. Once on Kearney hang a right onto Bush Street and come face
to face with the entrance to Chinatown,
which is one of the largest Chinese centers outside of China. The Chinatown
Gate offers a grand entrance to this bustling community and Grant
Avenue, decorated with red lanterns, takes one straight through the
heart of it. Bakeries
with elaborate desserts, fish markets, restaurants, large shops teaming with
statues of gods, tea sets and Hello Kitty products are crammed in side by side,
overwhelming the senses and creating an exciting and busy atmosphere. Browsing
and sampling the exotic food is a recommended activity.
| |
 |
| |
Saints
Peter and Paul Church 3 |
North Beach
Continue on Grant
Avenue and turn left onto Broadway then right onto Stockton Street to
head into North
Beach, the little Italy of San Francisco. The light-colored three-story
buildings that line the streets date back to the 1920s and small boutiques and
shops are found in many of the main floors of these historic buildings.
The Goorin
Hat Shop is a neat place to browse with its large variety of hats and
antique wood furnishings. The eateries are also worth checking out as they offer
fresh pasta, fish and, of course, a variety of wines. The
Steps of Rome, one of the oldest restaurants in the area, is very popular
with the locals, who are often packed in elbow to elbow. Servers wind their
way around tables delivering delicious Italian meals all the while yelling orders
back at the kitchen.
Other restaurants
include The
Stinking Rose, Caffè
Greco, the aptly named North
Beach Restaurant
and many more. The statuesque church in the area is named Saints
Peter and Paul Church. Interestingly, this is where Joe DiMaggio and
Marilyn Monroe had photos taken after their wedding ceremony even though they
were not married in this church.
 |
| View
of San Francisco from Fisherman's Wharf 4 |
|
Fisherman's Wharf
Powell Street continues on through a quiet residential area lined with walk-up
apartments, huge trees and amazing views of the city. The streets are wide and
kept immaculately clean. At the end of Powell Street lies Fisherman's
Wharf, a longtime tourist attraction teeming with shops, museums, and
restaurants.
Those who like to be amazed
should check out the
Ripley's
Believe it or Not Museum or, for a laugh, the Wax
Museum which is sure to elicit giggles.Tours to San Francisco's famous
penitentiary, Alcatraz,
run hourly and leave from the wharf. One cannot leave the area without sampling
the clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl or the fresh dungeness crab.
Embarcadero
Visitors can carry on along the Embarcadero
towards Market Street to finish off the day of walking. A cluster of shops,
markets and a large mall, the Embarcadero
Centre
are found along this sea wall. Afterwards, those ready for a break can grab
a cab from Market Street back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.
| |
 |
| |
San
Francisco Musem of Moden Art 5 |
Day Two – Museums
San Francisco has numerous museums
all over the city making it hard to decide what to see and what not to. With
limited time the best thing to do is choose one or two of interest and spend
time wandering through them removing the pressure to see as many museums as
possible.
No trip to San Francisco is complete without visiting the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The museum houses contemporary
and modern works of art and its permanent collection includes art by Paul Klee,
Jackson Pollock and Ansel Adams. The museum shop has a wonderful selection of
books, jewelery and gifts.
The M.H.
de Young Memorial Museum is located in Golden
Gate Park and features American textiles, paintings and decorative art.
Other permanent artifacts include the African and Oceanic collections.
The Asian
Art Museum of San Francisco houses one of the most extensive collections
of Asian art in the world. 17,000 works of art from India, China, Persia, South-East
Asia, Korea and Japan fill the museum with 2,500 pieces residing in the permanent
collections. The on-site Cafe
Asia has great Asian-inspired meal options to go for those needing nourishment
after a long day of admiring art.
Other museums in San Francisco
include San
Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, the Cable
Car Museum, the Cartoon
Museum, California
Palace of the Legion of Honor where a cast of Rodin's famous Thinker
statue sits and the interesting Exploratorium
which is sure to wow the kids.
 |
| Clock
on Market Street 6 |
|
Day Three – Shopping
San Francisco has oodles of places to shop.
One might even call it a shopper's dream. Union
Square is the central shopping district where major department stores
like Macy's, Bloomingdales and Nordstrom can be found. High-end retailers such
as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and Hermes are represented as well.
To the south of Union Square the Westfield
San Francisco Centre offers Old Navy, Forever 21, J. Crew, Anthropologie,
Abercrombie & Fitch among its many shops.
Hayes
Valley at
the corner of Hayes Street and Laguna used to be a seedy area but times have
changed and it is now decorated with upscale fashion boutiques, art galleries
and interior decorating shops. Octavia's
Haze Gallery
is worth a visit to admire all the art glass. The best days to shop are Wednesday
through Saturday as most shops are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Shoe-lovers
rejoice, Hayes Valley is known for its shoe shops. Paolo
and Gimme
Shoes carry footwear collections worth checking out.
The Haight-Ashbury
district is a shopping area steeped in the history of hippies and Beatniks.
Though the area has grown up and the long-hairs are no longer a fixture, the
laid-back bohemian vibe is still present. Local independent businesses, boutiques
and restaurants mix with throwbacks from the cool 1950s, the free-spirited 1960s
and the edgy punk of the 1970s and 1980s. Amoeba
Music and The
Booksmith are two well-known stores in the area.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF:
- San Francisco's "Painted
Ladies"; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Kelsey Mulyk; c/o
WorldWeb; Lanterns in Chinatown; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Kelsey Mulyk; c/o
WorldWeb; Saints Peter and Paul Church; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Kelsey Mulyk; c/o
WorldWeb; View of San Francisco; San Francisco, CA, USA
- The San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art; San Francisco, CA, USA
- Kelsey Mulyk; c/o
WorldWeb; Clock on Market Street; San Francisco, CA, USA
