San Francisco

From MaxTravelz

San Francisco is a bustling cosmopolitan city in California, the centerpiece of the Bay Area, well-known for its diverse ethnic and political communities, hilly and picturesque terrain, and history of earthquakes.

It is located on the tip of a peninsula by San Francisco Bay and the Pacific coast and has a population of around 750,000. It is 7 miles by 7 miles (11 km by 11 km) in size. The best times to visit are March through May and September and October because they are mostly fog free. But just in case, dress in layers. Nothing makes locals laugh more than a tourist wearing shorts, sandals and a brand-new parka.

Contents 1 Districts 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By train 2.3 By bus 2.4 By boat 2.5 By car 2.5.1 West/East Roads 2.5.2 North/South Roads 3 Get around 3.1 On foot 3.2 By public transit 3.3 By bike 3.4 By taxi 3.5 By car 3.6 Finding your way around 4 See 4.1 Golden Gate Bridge 4.2 Alamo Square 4.3 Fisherman's Wharf 4.4 Civic Center 4.5 Moscone Center 4.6 Chinatown 4.7 Lincoln Park 5 Do 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 8.1 Budget 8.2 Mid-range 8.3 Splurge 9 Contact 10 Stay safe 11 Cope 12 Respect 13 Get out

Districts

• Bayview-Hunters Point
• Bernal Heights
• Castro Street (aka The Castro)
• Chinatown
• Civic Center
• Cow Hollow
• Fillmore
• Financial District
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Haight-Ashbury (aka Upper Haight)
• Haight-Fillmore (aka Lower-Haight)
• Hayes Valley
• Ingleside
• Japantown (Nihonmachi)
• Marina
• Miraloma Park
• Mission
• Nob Hill
• Noe Valley
• North Beach
• Pacific Heights
• Potrero Hill
• Richmond
• Russian Hill
• SoMa
• Sunset
• Tenderloin
• Twin Peaks
• Union Square
• Visitation Valley
• West Portal
• Western Addition

Get in

By plane

There are three airports in the San Francisco Bay Area:

• San Francisco (SFO, located about 10 mi (16 km) south of the city),
• Oakland (OAK, in the East Bay), and
• San Jose (SJC, in the Silicon Valley, about 1 hour south of San Francisco).

Both Oakland and San Jose are served by discount airlines such as Southwest. All three airports may be reached by inexpensive public transit. San Francisco and Oakland are connected to downtown SF by the BART rapid-transit train. The savings over taxis can be significant. For instance a cab from SFO to the city can easily cost upwards of $40, a cab from Oakland upwards of $60. BART is closer to $5 in both cases.

The downside to BART (outside of busy rush hours) is that it takes more time. It involves changing vehicles 1-2 times, with all of the attendant hassles. In SFO, unless you come in on International or United Domestic flights, you need to take a frequent airport shuttle train (AirTrain) to the BART station itself--although light travellers can manage with a 10-15 minute walk through connecting passages--whereupon you may have to wait as long as 20 minutes for a train (that's the worst case)- and then once you get off in SF unless you've staying right on top of a BART station you'll need to take a cab or Muni to get to your hotel. In Oakland you need to take an AirBART bus to the BART - this costs $2 and takes a good 10-15 minutes, and they will only accept BART tickets as payment, so you must buy an AirBART ticket in the terminal before you go out to the bus. Once you get to the BART station you have to buy a BART ticket and then figure out which train to get on (not hard but not quite as easy as it should be). Then you'll probably need a cab once in SF. Warning - in going back to Oakland via BART, the exact change thing is even more important, because there aren't a lot of ways to get change in the Oakland BART station. There is a change machine - but do you really want to walk around with $18 in quarters in your pocket?

The San Jose airport is served by a free shuttle to both VTA Light Rail and Caltrain. Passengers arriving in San Jose can use Caltrain to reach San Francisco directly. Caltrain also links with the BART system at the Millbrae intermodal station. Rental cars and discount remote parking at SFO are reached by AirTrain, a free elevated people mover which also provides inter-terminal transfers. San Jose airport has been improved, and outside of rushhours road traffic delays ar minor. There is a VTA Flyer shuttle from the Airport to the Caltrain and the VTA Metro stations, but public transportation within the South bay is not as developed as around San Francisco.

By train

Amtrak serves the Bay Area with long-distance and intercity trains, but none of its trains actually enter San Francisco. Instead passengers must transfer at the Amtrak station at Emeryville in the East Bay to an Amtrak California bus that crosses the Bay Bridge to San Francisco's Amtrak stop at 101 The Embarcadero (near the Ferry Building). Alternatively, riders approaching the Bay Area from the south may transfer to Caltrain at San Jose's Diridon Station for a direct ride to Fourth and Townsend Streets in San Francisco. Amtrak can be contacted on +1 800 872-7245.

Amtrak routes serving the Bay Area are:

• The California Zephyr runs daily between Chicago and Emeryville with connections to/from the east coast.
• The Coast Starlight runs daily between Seattle, Portland, Emeryville, and Los Angeles. Travelers from San Diego should take the Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles and connect with the Coast Starlight. To reach San Francisco, either transfer to Caltrain in San Jose or to the Amtrak bus in Emeryville.
• The Capitol Corridor runs 12 times daily (9 on weekends and holidays) between Sacramento and Emeryville. Some trains also serve San Jose but Caltrain (see below) is a better bet between San Jose and San Francisco. The most convenient transfer to San Francisco is actually to BART at Richmond's station, north of Emeryville, while the Oakland Coliseum station is another option.
• The San Joaquins runs 4 times daily between Bakersfield, Stockton and Emeryville.

Caltrain operates a regional rail service from San Jose to its San Francisco terminal at Fourth and Townsend. The service also runs between San Jose and Gilroy during rush hour. Caltrain is very useful for travel between San Francisco and cities of the Peninsula, Silicon Valley or South Bay. On weekdays Caltrain provides two trains per hour for most of the day but run more during commute hours, including "Baby Bullet" limited services that cruise between San Francisco and San Jose in 57 minutes; on weekends and public holidays trains run hourly, except that after 10PM only one train runs, leaving at midnight. The 4th & Townsend terminal is served by Muni Metro (see 'Get around' below) giving connections to the rest of the city. Fares vary depending on how far you go. Tickets must be purchased before boarding the train from ticket vending machines at all stations or from ticket clerks at staffed stations. Tickets are checked on the trains and anyone found without a ticket is liable to a substantial fine. Caltrain can be contacted on +1 510 817-1717.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) provides a regional frequent rail service connecting much of the East Bay and Contra Costa County with San Francisco and the San Francisco Airport through the Transbay Tube. BART operates five routes, of which four reach San Francisco; there are three or four trains per hour on each route. In the East Bay and outer parts of San Francisco BART runs mostly on elevated track; in downtown San Francisco it runs in a subway under Market Street, and several underground stations provide easy access to downtown areas and simple transfers to Muni Metro, also running in a sub-Market subway. BART also meets Caltrain at Millbrae. Bicycles are allowed on BART except between the Embarcadero and Oakland City Center stations during commute hours. Fares vary depending on distance traveled. You should check the map at your departure station and buy a ticket for at least the correct amount. The minimum amount that a trip will cost is $1.25. You will need to insert your ticket into barriers when entering and exiting the system. If there is still value left on the ticket when you exit, the ticket will be returned to you and you can re-use it, increasing its value as necessary. BART can be contacted on +1 415 989-2278.

Both Caltrain and BART have free programs with schedule information that can be run on a Palm OS device. They are available from their respective websites as a free download.

By bus

Greyhound has frequent intercity service from San Francisco. The station is inside the Transbay Transit Terminal, First and Mission streets.

Several regional bus systems serve San Francisco from the immediate suburbs:

• AC Transit, [ from Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and other East Bay cities
• samTrans, from San Mateo County
• Golden Gate Transit, from Sonoma and Marin counties
• Vallejo Transit, from Vallejo

By boat

In many ways a boat is the ideal way to approach San Francisco. The city's spectacular site is best appreciated from the water, and from the deck of a boat the bay and its bridges and islands can be viewed as a whole. Cruise ships and private yachts are regular visitors to San Francisco, but the passenger ferries that regularly link other Bay Area cities to San Francisco are probably more practical for most visitors.

Ferries run to San Francisco from Larkspur, Sausalito and Tiburon in Marin County, from Vallejo in Solano County and from Alameda and Oakland in the East Bay. In San Francisco the ferries dock at one or both of Fishermans Wharf and the Ferry Building. For more information:

• Golden Gate Ferries, serving Larkspur and Sausalito, can be contacted on +1 415 923-2000.
• Blue and Gold Fleet, serving Sausalito and Tiburon, can be contacted on +1 415 705-5555.
• BayLink Ferry, serving Vallejo, can be contacted on +1 707 648-4349.
• Alameda Oakland Ferry, serving Alameda and Oakland, can be contacted on +1 415 705-5555.
• Harbor Bay Ferry, serving (a different location in) Alameda, can be contacted on +1 510 769-5500.

By car

The older eastern half of San Francisco is a major, pre-World War II American city--a dense population, congested vehicular traffic, and a transportation culture dramatically different from most of America. Those who are not used to inner-city driving on one-way narrow streets with lots of pedestrians, erratic and bad drivers, and very steep hills will have difficulty driving here. Although in the western half of the city in the Richmond and Sunset districts, largely built after WWII, is much easier to drive and easier to find parking in.

The most difficult problem with your car in San Francisco will be parking. Parking throughout the city is extremeley scarce. Most parking garages, particulary downtown are also quite expensive. San Francisco has some of the strictest parking laws and enforcement in the country.

For day trips into the city, consider a park-and-ride at a Peninsula Caltrain station or at an East Bay BART station.

There are three major highways that run through San Francisco. The great intercontinental highway Interstate 80 starts and ends on the San Francisco end of the Bay Bridge and it becomes US 101 south to San Jose and Los Angeles. After the 9th street/Civic Center exit, a section of the freeway will branch off to become 101 to the Golden Gate via Van Ness and Lombard Street. The other major Highway in the city is Interstate 280 which starts and ends near the AT&T Baseball park and continues south to San Jose.

If you must get across the city by car, the best way is via its arterial throughfares; city streets that are designed to handle high density traffic at high speeds. The list below are the recommended throughfares:

West/East Roads

Geary Blvd - from Ocean Beach to around Union Square. Note: Geary is one-way westbound from Union Square to Gough. Its eastbound parallel at this point is O'Farrell Street.

Market/Portola Street - from Stonestown/St. Francis Wood to Downtown. After Twin Peaks, Portola becomes Market Street all the way down to the Ferry Building.

Pine/Bush Streets - from downtown to Masonic Ave. and Haight-Ashbury. Pine is one-way going west, while Bush is one-way going east.

California Street - from Downtown to the Presidio.

Lombard Street/Richardson Ave.: US 101 - from the Presidio to Van Ness Ave.

Lincoln/Fulton Streets - these streets border Golden Gate Park and can quickly take you from Ocean Beach to the Haight-Ashbury.

Fell/Oak Street - from Octavia Street and Hayes Valley to Golden Gate Park. Fell is one-way going west, while Oak is one-way going east.

North/South Roads

3rd Street - from King Street to Bayshore Blvd.

Embarcadero - from North Point Street and Fisherman's Wharf to King Street and AT&T Park.

Van Ness Avenue - from Fort Mason to Mission Street.

Park Presidio/19th Ave: Highway 1 - from the Golden Gate Bridge to Daly City. Starting from the Golden Gate Bridge approach, south through the Presidio, and through Golden Gate Park vie Park Presidio Blvd. It is noted by the landscaped parks and trees on each side of the road and is 3 lanes in both directions. After passing through Golden Gate Park, Park Presidio becomes 19th Avenue, passing through the less scenic and continues on to Daly City where it automatically connects to Interstate 280. Note: One cannot make left turns during the entire San Francisco stretch of Park Presidio/19th Ave/Highway 1.

Franklin/Gough Streets - from Fort Mason and the Marina district to Mission Street. Franklin is one-way going north and Gough is one-way going south.

Mission Street - from the Ferry building to San Jose Ave. in Daly City.

Even further along the slow/winding/scenic scale is the famous Highway 1 (California State Route 1). This twists and turns along the cliffs and beaches of the coast and is so amazing-looking that it is more or less a cliché in car commercials, having been featured so regularly. If you have lots of time, and desire spectacular scenery, this is the way to go.

I-5 traffic connects to the Bay Area:

• from the south by Route 152 (Pacheco Pass) through Gilroy to 101.
• from the east by
  • Interstate 580 (Altamont Pass) through Dublin and Oakland and
  • Route 4 through Pittsburg and Antioch.
• from the northeast by
  • Route 12 through Rio Vista and Fairfield,
  • Interstate 80 from Sacramento through Davis, and
  • Interstate 505 from Winters through Vacaville.

All connections from I-5 except the Gilroy route pass over the beautiful San Francisco Bay Bridge.

Get around

On foot

Walking can be an enticing option to get from one neighborhood to another, so long as you are aware of where you are and keep your street smarts -- SF is a town of friendly neighborhoods but it is also "big city" - be aware of your surroundings. Streets which often go straight up and down hills may make driving difficult, but make for breathtaking views (as well as good exercise) for the pedestrian. There are many stairway walks scattered throughout the city, at blocks that are too steep for a roadway. You can find maps that include hiking trails, bikeways, and the grade pitch of all streets marked in varying colors by how steep each segment is, that can help you orient to city walks suitable to your ability and temperament.

Highlight walks might include:

• Broadway, a quite doable walk of several miles beginning at the Bay, going through the city's former--now sanitized--red light district, past Chinatown, over Russian Hill, out to the mansions of Pacific Heights, and ending at the Lyon Steps alongside the Presidio, San Francisco's newest national park.
• Ocean Beach (Richmond, Sunset),
• the Barbary Coast Trail (through Downtown, Chinatown, and North Beach), and
• the Greenwich and Filbert Steps on the east side of Telegraph Hill, both strenuous and unforgettably beautiful, with cottages and a flock of wild parrots to enjoy along the way up to the Coit Tower.
• Columbus Ave from North Point Ave in Fishermans Wharf, through North Beach, and then onto Montgomery Blvd (the two intersect at the TransAmerica Pyramid) to Market Street.
• Haight Street between Stanyan street and Central Street and into Buena Vista Park
• Union Street between Divisadero Blvd and Fillmore Street
• Mission Street between 15th and Cesar Chavez streets. Note: The mission district is a bit unsafe. Take care and caution walking through this area.
• Clement Street between Arguello and Park Presidio.
• Geary Blvd between 23rd and 29th street.
• Fillmore street between Pine Street and Broadway.
• Fillmore street between Geary Blvd and Turk Street.
• Castro Street between 17th and 24th Street.

By public transit

San Francisco's Municipal Railway or Muni runs a network of local transport that covers most areas of touristic interest well. Components of the Muni are:

• Muni Metro is a modern light rail system. It serves the CalTrain terminus at 4th and King, runs north along the waterfront Embarcadero to the ferry building at the foot of Market Street, then goes underground under Market Street (in the same subway as BART) before surfacing and serving various locations in west and south San Francisco. You may board at any door provided you already have a ticket or pass. In the the underground section and at major surface stops you should purchase tickets from the ticket vending machine before boarding; if the stop does not have such a machine and you do not have a ticket, you must board through the front door and buy one from the driver.
• Streetcar Line F uses historic streetcars, some from other US cities and painted in the colors of those cities that once operated cars of that type, and others from the Italian city of Milan. The line runs from Fishermans Wharf south along the waterfront Embarcadero to the ferry building at the foot of Market Street, then up Market Street on the surface to the Castro district. Board through the front door and buy tickets from the driver.
• The world-famous Cable Cars run on three lines in the steep streets between Market Street and Fisherman's Wharf. These cars are a fun ride, especially if you get to stand on the running board, if a bit impractical for everyday use (though residents of Nob and Russian Hills do, in fact, use them on a daily basis). The cable car is such an attraction that, especially on weekends, it takes longer to wait in line to ride up Powell St than it does to walk the short but sloping distance. Board through any door or just grab a pole on the running boards; tickets are checked and sold by a uniformed conductor. Do not buy tickets from anyone off the car except for clearly marked ticket booths - scam artists are common.
• Buses serve the rest of town, with the steepest routes using electric trolleybuses. Board through the front door and buy tickets from the driver.

90 minutes of travel on the Muni system except the Cable Cars costs $1.50 (since September 1st '05); be sure to get and keep a transfer ticket when you pay for your first ride; you may be asked to show your transfer ticket (or pass) by fare inspectors at any time. Cable Cars are $5.00 per one-way, single-vehicle ride, no transfers issued or accepted. Before 7AM and after 5PM Seniors are $1.00. San Franciscans who actually use the cable cars for commuting to work can buy MUNI passes at a reduced cost.

An all day Muni Passport good on all Muni vehicles, including Cable Cars costs $11.00. Other passports and passes are available for longer periods: a 3 day pass costs $18, while a 7 day pass costs $24. The passports come in the form of scratch cards; be sure to scratch off the appropriate dates before using. Muni also sells an excellent map of the San Francisco transport system, including services provided by other operators. Passports and maps can be bought from the information booths at San Francisco airport, the Cable Car ticket booth at Market and Powell, the Convention & Visitors Bureau also at Market and Powell and many other locations.

Muni can be contacted by calling +1 415 673-6864.

BART has eight stations in San Francisco, making it a nice way to get between well-trafficked parts of the city, especially downtown and the Mission. BART gets you also across the Bay to Berkeley or Oakland and to the airport. For more information on BART, see the 'Get in' section above.

CalTrain has four stops within San Francisco. Other than the 4th and Kings terminal, these are at 22nd St., Paul Ave., and Tunnel Ave, none of which are particularly attractive for visitors. Of interest to visitors who wish to travel Caltrain outside of city is the University Avenue station in Palo Alto, across the street from the campus of Stanford University. For more information on CalTrain, see the 'Get in' section above.

By bike

If you have strong legs, bicycles can be a convenient--yet dangerous!--form of transportation in San Francisco. The City is fairly small -- about 7 miles square (18 km²) -- and it's fairly quick to get from one end to the other. But much of the terrain is hilly and hard to pedal up. Do not be misled by maps depicting the city's strict, regular street grid, as even the straightest of San Francisco's streets might include steep hills or even staircases instead of a roadway.

Downtown, SoMa, and the Sunset and Richmond districts are relatively flat. There are a number of bike paths and bike routes on city streets; the San Francisco Bike Coalition keeps a lot of information about them.

By taxi

Taxis in San Francisco are, for a large city, surprisingly inefficient and expensive, starting at $2.85 just for getting in the door. Except for taxi stations at or near downtown business hotels, or cruising just a few major arteries, taxis can be hard to find and hail -- and calling for a cab can mean a 30-45 minute wait, if the cab shows up at all. Now, if you're anywhere near Union Square and are holding shopping bags, just by standing on the curb and hailing passing cabs will usually get you one quite quickly. It is significantly easier to catch at taxi on weekdays, not including Friday night. If you are heading to the airport, your best bet is to call ahead with a specific pickup time to one of the many taxi companies (Yellow by far has the most cabs and they all accept credit card).

By car

Having a car can make it easy to get to parts of the city poorly served by Muni or other public transportation, as well as other parts of the Bay Area. However, perpetually-clogged traffic and a confusing system of one-way streets can make driving in downtown extremely frustrating. In addition, a significant percent of the city's revenue is made through parking tickets; parking laws are convoluted, enforcement is arbitrary, and devilishly stacked against the driver. San Francisco does not have a through limited-access freeway like its larger neighbor to the South. Cross-town traffic uses the main CA-1 along 19th Avenue and US-101 along Lombard and Van Ness. Most of the city's internal freeways were damaged by the 1989 earthquake and consequently torn down, so driving in San Francisco is a surface-street affair.

Finding your way around

Cross streets: As San Francisco streets are numbered (100 per block) from the beginning of the street, It is best when asking directions to ask for a cross street or neighborhood name. For instance, if you are at the intersection of Haight Street and Clayton Street, and you ask the driver of the 33 Stanyan bus "Does this bus go to Market Street?" it will get you a yes, but the bus won't get you downtown, it will get you south from that intersection to Market and 18th in the Castro district.

Numbered streets and avenues: San Francisco has both numbered streets, in the Mission, the Castro, Noe Valley, and SoMa, and numbered avenues in the Sunset and the Richmond. Mixing numbered streets and avenues when asking directions may leave you miles from your destination. This can be confusing, as San Franciscans will not say "Street" or "Avenue" unless it is required to avoid ambiguity. Thus, "I live on Fifth Avenue" but "I live near Fifth and Geary." Street signs generally don't have "Street" or "Avenue" either; they just say "GEARY" or "MASONIC".

See

San Francisco has much to see. For more detail see the district sections, often linked from this entry.

• The Painted Ladies. Historic terrace houses in heritage condition across Steiner Street from Alamo Square.
• Lombard Street. The (nearly) twistiest street in America, between Hyde & Leavenworth (a similar street is located along Vermont Street, next to McKinley Square in the Potrero district). You can get a view from it on the Powell & Hyde cable car line.
• 22nd Street. Between Vicksburg and Church and Filbert Street. between Leavenworth and Hyde - At a 31.5% grade, these streets share the honor of steepest streets in San Francisco.
• Alcatraz Island. Decommissioned island prison in the bay. Take a tour and listen to an audio tape in English, Japanese, Chinese or other languages. The most interesting aspect of the tour is that you can go into the prison and see what it is like to be imprisoned. It might be more interesting if you've watched the movie "Escape from Alcatraz" and seen what happened in Alcatraz when it was operating as a prison. Tickets for the Ferry to Alcatraz are available at Blue And Gold Fleet . Book Alcatraz Ferry Tickets combined with many other popular sightseeing tours and activities. BuyAlcatrazTours.com
• Angel Island. Island in the bay that housed Asian immigration (exclusion) camp, becoming the "Ellis Island of the West". Ferry over and rent a bicycle or walk around this beautiful island that is now a park.
• Golden Gate Park. Once an area of sand dunes, Golden Gate Park is a roughly two-by-four mile long urban oasis, with windmills, bison, museums, and a carousel hidden among its charms. Muni bus #5 goes along its northern boundary.
• Coit Tower. Built in 1933 on top of Telegraph Hill, a former signaling point for sailing ships, Coit Tower is dedicated to the San Francisco firefighters. Its shape is reminiscent of a fire nozzle. At 250' high, it is a healthy hike from the Embarcadero (steps at Greenwich and Montgomery) or from North Beach. Muni bus #39 goes from Washington Square to the top.
• Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks Boulevard (north of Portola Drive, just east of Laguna Honda). The small parking area at the northern tip of Twin Peaks Boulevard (875' above sea level) has the best view of San Francisco and the Bay Area that you can get within the city limits. Not many services, and the tour buses can get backed up here during the day, but it's a great place to really appreciate the City from above. Temperatures up there can be quite a bit lower than in the rest of the city, so bring a jacket. Muni bus #37, a scenic ride from the Haight-Ashbury or Castro and Market streets, gets you close, so you only have to climb about 120' up.
• Treasure Island. A human-made island half-way between San Francisco and Oakland connected to Yerba Buena Island which the Bay Bridge passes through (The widest tunnel in the world). Excellent views of San Francisco & Oakland skylines can be had from driving around this recently deactivated Navy station. Accessible by Muni bus line 108.
• Mission District. Containing one of the oldest structures in the City - the Mission Dolores Church - as well as superb City views from Dolores Park, the Mission is an offbeat tourist destination where Hispanic families mingle with Hipster night-owls, artists, lesbians and just about every one else in this eclectic neighborhood. The walls of many buildings are painted with a fantastic collection of murals about Mexican culture.
• Presidio. The Presidio was founded in 1776 and was the longest-running military post in the U.S. before closing as base in 1994. It is now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, or Parks at the Golden Gate. At the end of 2005, about 2,500 people lived in the Presidio, a unique situation of housing in a national park. Part of their drinking water comes from Lobos Creek (Rio de los Lobos), the last free-flowing creek in San Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge

Highway 101 N (from Park-Presidio or Lombard Street entrance), +1 415 921-5858 Email: bridgecomments@goldengate.org, . Open 24 hours, occasionally closed Sunday morning for events. $5 (toll driving south into San Francisco; free on foot or bike)

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the United States, and has been called one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The bridge spans the Golden Gate, a strait between San Francisco and Marin County to the north, and is one of the major road routes into and out of the city.

Vehicular traffic in both directions share a single deck; yellow pylons are used to allot lanes to one direction or the other depending on traffic conditions. Observation areas and parking lots are provided on both the north and south sides of the bridge; the best way to enjoy the bridge is to park and walk across, not least because you don't have to pay a toll. Note that winds are high and it can be cold and foggy; dress appropriately. Bikes can also be difficult to navigate in the high winds and narrow pathway.

The masterwork of architect Joseph B. Strauss, whose statue graces the southern observation deck, the bridge took seven years to build, and was completed on May 27, 1937. Not actually golden in color -- a common misconception -- the bridge is painted a deep red-orange. Erroneous legend has it that the bridge is continuously painted, with crews starting at one end and, on getting to the other end, turning around and starting over again. In fact, the bridge is only painted once every few years, with some touchup done continuously.

Alamo Square

At Steiner and Hayes, it has the famous Painted Ladies row of Victorian houses on its east side, but many other pretty Victorians throughout its surroundings. The Hayes street Muni bus #21 goes along its south side. If you enjoy walking and don't mind modest grades you can get there by walking west from Hayes Valley or north from the Lower Haight.

Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf is both a tourist trap and a place to see amazing street entertainers, eat excellent seafood, watch sea lions, and go to the, Aquarium Marine Museums and exhibits. Working fishing boats still come into the small harbor at Jones and Jefferson, the endpoint of the Muni Historic F-streetcar. There are also small day and party boats available. The fresh breeze from the bay can provide a bracing setting.

Civic Center

The Civic Center has impressive Beaux Arts buildings and the celebrated Asian Art Museum, but the main reason for going there are its music and theater venues. On an historic note, the Charter for the United Nations was signed in the War Memorial Veteran's Building at the corner of Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street. Nearby Hayes Valley along Hayes Street (West, past Van Ness Avenue) is a neighborhood known for its sophisticated yet funky shops, bars and restaurants.

Moscone Center

The Yerba Buena Gardens, above the Moscone Center, at Mission and Third streets provide a nice urban oasis. There is a carousel, a museum, and play places for kids, movie houses, various exhibit spaces, and the Museum of Modern Art across the street. A big garage at Mission between Fifth and Fourth streets makes it quite accessible for drivers. The Moscone Center itself houses major exhibits and conventions. Half of all Muni lines come with a few blocks of the area.

Chinatown

The original Chinatown, centered around Grant street from Bush to Columbus is part tourist trap, part an exhibit of local life. Good eating places remain, and the side streets especially have stores one wouldn't find in a mall. Many local Chinese prefer to eat and shop in the new Chinatown, in the Inner Richmond neighborhood, on Clement Street between 2nd and 12th Avenues. The Muni #1 (California) and #2 (Clement, does not run at night) buses get people from one Chinatown to the other.

Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park defines the extreme Western edge of San Francisco. It provides great views of the Marin Headlands, the Golden Gate Bridge from the Ocean side, and the Pacific Ocean itself. At the extreme western end the well known Cliff House provides both semi-casual and a more formal eating and drinking place. The #18 Muni bus goes from the center of the park via the Cliff House to Golden Gate Park, while the very frequent #38 Geary buses terminate in between. Drivers will want to take the El Camino del Mar Drive through the small Seacliff area on the northwest side to view some fancy mansions between Lincoln Park and the Presidio.

Do

• Take one of the many San Francisco harbor tours and admire the views from the bay or visit historic Tiburon, best when the weather is clear.
• Ride a San Francisco Cable Car, or take the F-train, an electric street car running from Fishermen's Wharf along the Embarcadero, down Market street, up to The Castro.
• Critical Mass. On the last Friday of each month, bicyclists (in San Francisco, and about 200 like-minded cities world-wide.) gather at the north end of Market Street on the Embarcadero and ride en masse to some destination, militantly demonstrating their right to occupy the roads. If you are driving in SF on a Critical Mass day, you will want to listen for radio traffic reports, but if you are stopped by the mass the best thing to do is maintain a good sense of humor and remember that it will all pass in about 5 minutes. Tempers can and do flare...
• Guided Segway Tours - San Francisco or Sausalito . New three hour guided tours on a Segway. http://www.sfelectrictour.com Departures daily. See the San Francisco Waterfront, Marina Green, Fort Mason and more. Includes 35-45 minutes of training and 2 - 2 1/2 hours of sightseeing. Small group make this ideal for individuals and families. Reservations required. Tours are now also offered in Sausalito.
• Go to a concert, a play, a Jazz or a folk-song performance. There are performances most days to choose from, as by the San Francisco Opera , the San Francisco Symphony , in Herbst Theater (where the U.N. charter was signed) , in the Old First Church , and for musicals in the Orpheum or the Golden Gate Theaters , all located in or near the Civic Center. The museum of the Legion of Honor , located in Lincoln Park overlooking the the Golden Gate (North end of 34th Ave.), has organ concerts which can be heard in many of its galleries, Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 pm, as well as music performances in its Florence Gould Theater, as by the the San Francisco Lyric Opera . For outrageous fun princes and paupers go to Beach Blanket Babylon in North Beach. Teenagers are welcome at the Sunday Matinees. It considers itself the longest running musical reveue in theater history.

• Plays are performed at the Geary (by the American Conservatory Theater ), Curran, and the Marines Memorial theatres ; those are near Union Square, and at the three small New Conservatory theaters in the Civic Center. See the Unauthorized Rolling Stones, a San Francisco Institution play , or local musical genius Rudy Colombini play in one of the local clubs. San Francisco also has many Jazz Clubs, best found by browsing the web, as . Contemporary bands are featured at The Fillmore auditorium and less frequently at the large Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in the Civic Center. There is an annual blues festival in late September, at various locations . Many, but certainly not all, and no free events are listed by the City Box Office . There are at least two great free bluegrass music festivals each year - during February on the Marina and late September or October in Golden Gate Park.

• Consider Rudy Colombini's Center for the Musical Arts, 1353 Bush St, +1 415 240-5554, . Music museum, cafe, nightclub, and performing arts space and his San Francisco Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, 1335 Bush St, . Exhibits focused on musicians from San Francisco and who changed the San Francisco music scene.

• Golden Gate Park. Walking or bicycling in Golden Gate Park gets you out of the busy street scenes. There are often fun events as well . At 1,017 Acres, it is 174 acres larger than New York's Central Park, so unless you rent a bike , you'll want to plan which area you want to visit, especially along the East (Stanyan street) to West (the Ocean) axis. During the summer to October a free shuttle bus circulates. On Sundays only bicycles are allowed on most park roads. The number 5 bus runs along its North boundary, and the N streetcar two blocks south of its South boundary. The Conservatory of Flowers is at 2nd Avenue (4 small blocks West of Stanyan). To the South, are tennis Courts, a children's playground and its Carousel, and playing fields for Frisbee. At 8th Avenue is the Shakespeare Garden with roses and other flowers mentioned in his plays. The de Young Museum has recently reopened (see "Hide in a Museum"), although the Aquarium and Planetarium of the California Academy of Sciences, and the Music Concourse at 10th Avenue are currently being completely rebuilt. West of the de Young it is the Japanse Tea Garden at 12th Avenue, and South (at 9th Avenue) is the Strybing Arboretum. Boating on Stow Lake is at 18th Avenue. The Marx and Speedway meadows for picnicking and music festivals are near 30th. Ave. Horse riding, around the Polo field is available at 34th Avenue (currently - 2005 - closed to the public), model boating is at 35th Ave., fly-casting at 36th Avenue, and a Petanque bowling field is at 38th Ave. At 38th Avenue is also the Bison Meadow, where buffaloes roam. Golf and Archery is played at 47th Avenue. Finally, beyond 48th Avenue are the Dutch windmills that were used for Park irrigation in the past and the Beach Chalet for lunch, drinks, or dinner overlooking the Pacific Ocean and admiring brave surfers.

• Hide in a Museum. When the morning is foggy, you may want to visit a museum. Golden Gate Park has the most famous museum, the M.H. de Young Museum, rebuilt and reopened in 2005, open Tuesdays through Sundays. It is on the number 5 and 44 bus lines, its garage entrance is at the North Edge of the park, at 10th Avenue. Its former Asian collection is now permanently housed in the Asian Art Museum, located in the Civic Center. The Legion of Honor Museum is in Lincoln Park, at the Western end of El Camino del Mar Avenue, in the North-west corner of the Outer Richmond district. The #18 bus route, always near the Pacific Coast, ends there as well. The new Museum of Modern Art is located downtown near the Moscone Center, across market from Union Square at Mission and Third Streets, on the Muni #30 bus and many other routes.

• For old and young kids the free Marine History Museum, by the Municipal pier at the North end of van Ness Avenue and Columbus street, just west of Fisherman's wharf, is a fun place. Walking to the end of the Municipal Pier gets you close to Alcatraz, and you can see both the Golden Gate and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridges. You can go on board of several historical ships, including the 1886 Balclutha clipper ship, a walking-beam ferry, a steam tug, and a coastal schooner, at the Hyde-street Pier nearby. Over a hundred smaller vessels are also exhibited there . Once a year a trip up to the Sacramento river delta is organized. At pier 45, to the east of Fishermen's wharf, the World War II submarine USS Pampanito can be visted. The Exploratorium will keep you busy for an entire day with their Science and Perception exhibits. The Exploratorium is located in what was the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition at Lyon and Bay streets, near the terminus of the frequent #30 Muni bus from Fisherman's wharf (Columbus and Northpoint), downtown, and the CalTrain station. In the Presidio, a few blocks the north and west, you can visit the gardens of the new Lucas Film studios.

Eat

San Francisco is a sensual, epicurean city with a vast array of restaurants. If money is no object, you can have an unparalleled dining experience at Gary Danko, Michael Mina, Masa or Boulevard. But less budget-busting restaurants exist for every type of cuisine. Vegetarians and vegans will find SF a paradise. Sushi is a local obsession, and though you can find a sushi bar on almost every street corner, the Richmond district has more than its fair share of excellent sushi chefs. San Francisco also has the largest Chinatown in North America, with many exceptional restaurants serving dim sum and other Chinese delicacies; this localized Chinese cuisine has its feet in Hong Kong and America, and is different from what many visitors are accustomed to. Fisherman's Wharf serves fresh seafood, especially clam chowder and crabs cooked to order. North Beach is the place to go for Italian food, and the Mission for Mexican restaurants (and Latin American cuisine of all sorts). San Francisco restaurants are also very corkage friendly. Average corkage fee appears to be in the $15 range, with some of the more pricey places charging $25-35.

You should also visit Ghirardelli Square to pick up some of their world-famous chocolate. Just a visit to the shop gets you a free piece!

• All You Knead, 1466 Haight St (between Masonic & Ashbury), . Good casual place for American food; serves a big breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Vegetarian friendly.
• Antica, 2400 Polk St. (at Union St.) Great wholesome Italian food in the Polk St. corridor. A locals' favorite.
• Asia De Cuba, 495 Geary St., . The renowned and innovative Asian-Latin cuisine is a hip and trendy local for a meal or drinks. like it's sister restaurant in New York, SF's Asia De Cuba is an Ian Schraeger hotel, The Clift. Be sure to stop in the Redwood Room either before of after dinner for a cocktail. Also be warned that portion sizes are extremely large, so order conservatively. If you are still hungry, you can always order more.
• Buena Vista Cafe, (at the north end of the Cable Car line). Famous for its Irish coffee.
• Burma Superstar, 309 Clement Street, +1 415 387-2147, . Burmese restaurant offering a variety of flavors spanning the Southeast Asian continent.
• Citizen Cake, 399 Grove St. at Gough near the Opera. Best desserts in the world. Dinner and brunch are also quite good.
• First Crush, Cyril Magnin at Ellis, . Trendy wine-themed restaurant for splurging on a date. Good filet mignon, but for $26.
• Foreign Cinema, (on Mission near 21st), . A French-inspired upscale restaurant in the Mission district it features independent and foreign films projected in an outdoor atrium.
• Greens, in Fort Mason near the Marina, for great Vegetarian food with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
• House of Nanking, 919 Kearny St (in Chinatown). An excellent low-brow sit-down Chinese restaurant. Let the waiter order for you.
• Millennium Restaurant, 580 Geary St., . Outstanding vegan food in a fine dining setting. About as haute cuisine as vegetarian eating gets.
• Pancho Villa, (near 16th and Mission BART station). A great burrito place in the heart of the mission.
• Rainbow Grocery, 1745 Folsom (near 16th and Mission BART station), . A wide variety of organic groceries, herbs and spices at low prices.
• Sam Wo, 813 Washington St. A century-old Chinatown institution - a true hole in the wall with cheap eats, cramped seating and gruff service staff - Sam Wo is the quintessential Chinatown dining experience and should not be missed.
• The Slanted Door, 1 Ferry Building #3 (near Market and Embarcadero), +1 415 861-8032, . Some of the best Vietnamese food in the city. Bustling, trendy atmosphere and nice view of the bay. Not cheap, but very good.
• The Stinking Rose, 325 Columbus Avenue. Garlic restaurant offering sumptuous, contemporary California-Italian cuisine prepared and adorned with garlic. Motto: :"We Season Our Garlic With Food!®"
• Tu Lan, 6th & Market Streets. Greasy spoon serving cheap, yummy Vietnamese food. Look for Julia Child on the menu's front page.

Look also in the Districts section for more local recommendations.

Drink

For you travelers who like the grit and gritty of the city, go to Zeitgeist. It is a great place to split a pitcher of beer with some friends on a hot summer day. There is lots of outside seating; even better there is a shade tree to give you some relief from the sun. Ohh wait, we're talking about San Francisco. The tatooed bar tenders are friendly enough and will have information about staying in one of the rooms above the bar, if you have drank too much or if you believe in love at first site. This place is cool, go there. They have great beers on tap. Everyone is friendly, even though the place looks like the home of Satan's Helper's. After the in-house food stops being served, you may see the Tamale lady. Feeling buzzed and looking for late night Grub? Get a Tamale.

If you like football(Soccer) and all things English, you should stop into the Lower Haight's Mad Dog In the Fog. Located at Haight and Fillmore, the pub quiz and bar food are good. Swill some pints and stay in the dark. Good for a entire days worth of drinking. It's also central to other "dive" bars on Haight.

Toronado in the lower haight has a many, many beers, crowding out the atmosphere. They allow you to bring in food from outside, and the block is chock-a-block with takeout (Rosemund for sausages, Memphis Minnie's for barbeque, others for other food).

Sleep

Budget

• Amerisuites Budget Hotel, 4950 Hacienda Drive, San Francisco / Dublin. Free Wireless Internet, breakfasts and other amenities.
• Villa Soma, . Offers fully furnished rooms at a daily or weekly basis. located in the South of Market district of San Francisco. Free Local Calls! DSL Lines! In Room Color Satellite TV with VCR! $20 per day.
• Central YMCA, , located in Civic Center. Dorm $23.50 per person, also private rooms and weekly rates.
• Taylor Hotel San Francisco, . Budget hotel accommodation at cheap rates for hostel travelers near Union Square. Private Rooms from $36.99.
• Hostelling International, (3 locations) 2 Downtown, 1 in Fisherman's Wharf (Fort Mason Park), . Clean, cheap ($23 dorms), safe, fun.
• The Green Tortoise Hostel, 494 Broadway (in the North Beach area), . Dorms from $22.
• Elements Hostel, . Awesome new hostel in the artsy Mission District. See the real San Francisco from $25 (dorms) or $29pp (twin-share)

Mid-range

• Nob Hill Hotel, 835 Hyde St, +1 415 662-4455, . The Historic Nob Hill Hotel is located in Nob Hill close to the Financial District and Union Square. It features restored marble floors, alabaster chandeliers, stained glass panels, grand statuary and an extensive collection of period paintings and antiques.
• Fitzgerald Hotel in Union Square, 620 Post St, +1 800 334-6835, . Located in Union Square close to Russian Hills, Nob Hill and the Financial District. Established in 1910 and completely restored, it has hosted many colorful and famous visitors including musicians, actors and writers.
• Chancellor Hotel on Union Square, 433 Powell St, (Union Square), +1 800 428-4748, . The classic hotel overlooks Powell Street, home to one of the famous cable car lines. It is a short walk from union square and is surrounded by many shopping centers.

Decide if you want to be in walking distance of your destinations, or are up to driving and parking. If you have a specific destination in mind, look also in the Districts sections.

• Embassy Suites - Airport, 150 Anza Blvd, +1 650 342-4600, . On San Francisco Bay and two miles from San Francisco Airport. Close to great shopping and dining, and just 16 miles from downtown San Francisco.

• Embassy Suites - Airport South, 250 Gateway Blvd, +1 650 589-3400, . Just 1.5 miles from San Francisco Airport and just nine miles from downtown, directly along Highways 101 and 280.

• Holiday Inn - Fisherman's Wharf, 1300 Columbus Ave., +1 415 771-9000, . Among the bars, cafes, and the vast number of specialty shops in Fisherman's Wharf.

• The Mosser Hotel, , single room from $ 69.00 pp/pn.

• Queen Anne Hotel, 1590 Sutter St, +1 415 441-2828, . The Queen Anne provides a real San Francisco experience, being an 1890 Vistorian Hotel between Pacific Heights and the Civic Center, and near Japan Town. Some rooms have fireplaces, and afternoon tea is served daily.

• Washington Square Inn, 1660 Stockton St, +1 800 388-0220, . Idealy situated in the heart of San Francisco it is close to Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Coit Tower, China Town, Union Square, and North Beach. Indulge yourself in the great views and beautiful accommodations.

Splurge

• Clift Hotel, 495 Geary St., A business conference and meeting hotel that is ultra modern and luxurious.
• Omni San Francisco Hotel, 500 California St at Montgomery, +1 888 444-6664, . The Omni San Francisco Hotel provides luxury accommodations in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Located on the cable car line at the base of Nob Hill, the hotel is only a short walk to Union Square, the San Francisco neighborhood that has become a mecca for high end shopping and art galleries.
• Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St (Union Square), +1 415 394-1111, . Located close to Union Square. It features Japanese style rooms and amenities. Hotel dining includes restaurant ANZU . ANZU serves fresh sushi and excellent steak. Also located inside the hotel is the Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art Gallery .
• Pan Pacific, 500 Post St (Union Square), +1 415 771-8600, . Located in upscale Union Square within walking distance to most of San Francisco’s famous destinations. This AAA four diamond holel has 338 rooms.
• The Palace Hotel, 2 New Montgomery St, +1 415 512-1111, . Located in the Financial District, one block from Market Street. Established in 1875, The Palace has 552 guest rooms. In 1945, the official banquet honoring the opening session of the United Nations was held in The Garden Court at The Palace.

Contact

Stay safe

As with many other major cities in the world, San Francisco also has a share of problems. The distinct areas that one should be cautious in are around the southeast section of the city, such as the Bayview-Hunters Point and Tenderloin (north-east of Civic Center) districts at night. The South of Market (SoMa) district used to be considered somewhat shady; however, recent development has led it to become a rather hip neighborhood with plenty of art galleries (such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, or SFMOMA) and clubs.

San Francisco attracts a large homeless population, the largest per capita in America, and although current mayor Gavin Newsom has done much to reduce that number, it is still a problem. Generally, if someone begs from you, you may either politely say that you do not have any change or just keep walking, and they will leave you alone.

Overall, San Francisco is an incredibly safe city.

Cope

Respect

Smokers beware: as in the rest of California, smoking is illegal in bars, restaurants, and other public places. Bay Area people can be particularly vocal about your personal habits. Be aware of nonsmoking areas, and try to be courteous about smoking in other places. They will probably not bother you about standing and smoking outside a restaurant or bar. However, smoking is not dead in San Francisco —there are a small number of bars that take advantage of loopholes in the law, and cater to the short-of-breath. The Zeitgeist (a motorcycle-themed dive bar) on Valencia in the Mission District is one of the better known. The Eagle (a gay biker/leather-themed bar) and the Lone Star (a gay bear-themed bar) both feature large outdoor smoking patios. Also, it is important to remember that San Francisco is the most open-minded and progressive big city in the country. With this open-mindedness comes a variety of skin tones, sexual orientations, hair colors... it is all a part of the joy of San Francisco, and as a visitor it is something that you have to learn to accept and welcome.

Get out

For laid-back, involved-with-your-fellow-travelers kind of travel (cooking is shared, the sleeper busload camps ensemble), check out the Green Tortoise. GT runs buses up to Seattle and down to Baja California; to Black Rock City, Yosemite National Park, a National Parks loop including the Tetons, Yellowstone and more, and a coast-to-coast run to New York.

Bikes can be rented from around the northern waterfront (Pier 41/Fisherman's Wharf/Aquarium Park area) or near Golden Gate Park for trips to Marin County via the Golden Gate Bridge. Golden Gate Transit also serves the North Bay from San Francisco, and has bike racks on most buses.

Nearby destinations suitable for daytrips include:

• Berkeley. Home to the University of California, Berkeley and one of the nation's most progressive communities. Also a hub of liberal political activism for the past several decades. It is also home to quite a few superb restaurants.
• Napa Valley. The main wine growing region in the United States, a trip to the many wineries makes for a fun day, while those wanting a longer adventure can relax in any one of the many spas, bed and breakfasts, or other lodging options.
• Muir Woods. A 560 acre forest of old-growth redwood trees located in Mill Valley, Muir Woods is a pleasant respite from the city.
• Point Reyes National Seashore. Located north of San Francisco along highway one, Point Reyes is a beautiful seashore that is particularly nice to visit when gray whales are migrating along the coast, usually best in mid-January and then from March through May.
• Santa Cruz. Located on the coast north of Monterey, this funky town is home to surfers, a lively college campus, and a popular boardwalk.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!