| Introduction | | | | organic produce, seafood,free-range meats, |
| | | | and Northern California wine, guarantee some |
| The City and County of San Francisco is the | | | | of theworld's finest dining. San Francisco |
| fourth-largest city in thestate of | | | | also has varied nightlife rangingfrom bars to |
| California, in the United States. A | | | | lounges to clubs. Major areas of nightlife in |
| consolidated city-county,mainland San | | | | San |
| Francisco is located on the tip of the San | | | | |
| Francisco | | | | Francisco are North Beach, the Mission |
| | | | District, the Marina, the |
| Peninsula. Insular San Francisco includes | | | | |
| several islands in the San | | | | Castro, and South of Market. San Francisco |
| | | | also boasts of legendary popmusic venues such |
| Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Strait, | | | | as The Fillmore and The Warfield. |
| notably Alcatraz, Treasure | | | | |
| | | | Universities |
| Island, and the Farallon Islands 27 miles | | | | |
| offshore in the Pacific Oceanand also most of | | | | San Francisco Unified School District and the |
| the privately owned Red Rock Island near the | | | | Archdiocese of San |
| | | | |
| Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. | | | | Francisco's dozens of Catholic elementary and |
| | | | high schools serve thecity. Despite its |
| History | | | | limited geographical space, San Francisco is |
| | | | home toa multitude of Universities and |
| San Francisco has a long history of events | | | | Colleges. Public universities include: |
| marking its growth from asmall town to a big | | | | |
| city | | | | - University of California, San Francisco, |
| | | | primarilya graduate level health-sciences |
| - In 1776, the Spanish were the first | | | | school, located north of Forest Hill |
| Europeans tosettle in San Francisco | | | | |
| | | | - San Francisco State University located |
| - In 1848, with the advent of the | | | | in thesouthwest corner of the city near Lake |
| California goldrush the city entered a period | | | | Merced |
| of rapid growth | | | | |
| | | | - University of California, Hastings |
| - In 1822, serious development by | | | | College of the |
| non-Spanishspeakers began, when William | | | | |
| Richardson, an English whaler redevelopeda | | | | Law located downtown at its Civic Center |
| section of Yerba Buena in what is now | | | | |
| Portsmouth Square in Chinatown. | | | | - City College of San Francisco, one of |
| | | | the largestcommunity colleges in the country |
| - In 1846, the Mexican-American War broke | | | | is located in the Ingleside, withseveral |
| out. | | | | extension campuses. |
| | | | |
| - On January 30, 1847, a naval force under | | | | - Private universities: |
| Commodore | | | | |
| | | | - The Jesuit-run University of San |
| John D. Sloat claimed it in the name of the | | | | Francisco, one ofthe first universities |
| United States and renamedit "San Francisco" | | | | established west of the Mississippi, located |
| | | | inthe center of the city |
| - On April 18, 1906, a devastating | | | | |
| earthquakeresulted from the rupture of over | | | | - Golden Gate University, a business and |
| 270 miles of the San Andreas Fault,from San | | | | law schoollocated downtown |
| Juan Bautista to Eureka, centered immediately | | | | |
| offshore of San | | | | - California Culinary Academy Le Cordon |
| | | | Bleu programlocated in the Tenderloin |
| Francisco. | | | | |
| | | | - Academy of Art University |
| - The city was quickly rebuilt after the | | | | |
| earthquake. | | | | - San Francisco School of Digital |
| | | | Filmmaking |
| - The phoenix on the city's flag | | | | |
| represents San | | | | - Alliant International University. |
| | | | |
| Francisco's "rebirth" from the ashes of the | | | | Sports |
| fire that resulted from thequake. | | | | |
| | | | San Francisco is the home of many major |
| - In the 1950s San Francisco hired Harvard | | | | league teams like |
| graduate | | | | |
| | | | - The San Francisco 49ers National |
| Justin Herman to head the redevelopment | | | | Football Leagueteam, who play at Monster Park |
| agency for the city and county. | | | | |
| | | | - The San Francisco Giants Major League |
| - Justin Herman began an aggressive | | | | Baseballteam, who play at SBC Park |
| campaign to renewblighted areas of the city. | | | | |
| | | | - MLB 's Oakland Athletics |
| - His planning led to the creation of | | | | |
| Embarcadero | | | | - NFL's Oakland Raiders |
| | | | |
| Center, the Embarcadero Freeway, Japan town, | | | | - The National Basketball Association's |
| the Geary Street superblocks, and Yerba Buena | | | | Golden State |
| Gardens. | | | | |
| | | | Warriors play across the bay in Oakland |
| Place of Interest | | | | |
| | | | - The regional National Hockey League |
| San Francisco's parks, museums, tours, and | | | | team, the San |
| landmarks are favorites fortravelers the | | | | |
| world over and offer an array of activities | | | | Jose Sharks play in San Jose |
| to suit everyvisitor. But no particular | | | | |
| activity or place makes the city one of | | | | The Warriors and Sharks were once based just |
| themost popular destinations in the world. | | | | south of San Francisco, atthe Cow Palace, |
| It's San Francisco itself --its charm, its | | | | located several yards south of San Francisco, |
| atmosphere, its perfect blend of big | | | | in Daly |
| metropolis withsmall-town hospitality. Some | | | | |
| of its main attractions are: | | | | City. The city is also home to some famous |
| | | | golf courses, including the |
| - Alcatraz Island | | | | |
| | | | Harding Park Golf Course and the courses of |
| - Cable Cars | | | | the Olympic Club. |
| | | | |
| - California Academy of Sciences | | | | Hotels & Accommodation |
| | | | |
| - Coit Tower | | | | Luxury Hotels |
| | | | |
| - Ferry Building Marketplace (and Farmers' | | | | San Francisco has elegant and grand hotels in |
| Market) | | | | its possession. Westin |
| | | | |
| - Fisherman's Wharf | | | | St. Francis, Westin Saint Francis, Palace |
| | | | Hotel, Argent Hotel, Mark |
| - Ghiradelli Square | | | | |
| | | | Hopkins Intercontinental, Hilton, Fairmont, W |
| - Golden Gate Bridge | | | | San Francisco, Pan |
| | | | |
| - Lombard Street | | | | Pacific, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, |
| | | | Renaissance Parc 55, Ritz |
| - Pier 39 | | | | |
| | | | Carlton - are some of these big names. |
| - The Cannery | | | | |
| | | | All famous luxury hotels like Hilton, Hyatt, |
| - Yerba Buena Center for the Arts / Yerba | | | | Palace Hotel, etc. havetheir branch in |
| Buena | | | | Fisherman Wharf. |
| | | | |
| Gardens | | | | Budget Hotels |
| | | | |
| Museums & Art Galleries | | | | If the visit to San Francisco is in a |
| | | | particularly busy season andbooking in |
| Notable San Francisco Museums include | | | | prominent hotels are over, here's a list of |
| | | | moderate to veryinexpensive alternatives - |
| - The Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), | | | | Alisa Hotel, Edward II Inn & Suites, |
| | | | |
| - The Palace of the Legion of Honor, | | | | Hotel Beresford Arms, King George Hotel, The |
| | | | Marina Inn, The San Remo |
| - The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, | | | | |
| | | | Hotel. |
| - The Asian Art Museum. | | | | |
| | | | Tours and Sightseeing |
| Other museums include | | | | |
| | | | San Francisco has different type of organized |
| - The International Museum of Women, | | | | tours they differ in thecontents as well as |
| | | | the transport system. Tours are available by |
| - The Museum of the African Diaspora, | | | | href=" |
| | | | |
| - The Contemporary Jewish Museum, | | | | BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) or on foot. The |
| | | | San Francisco |
| - The Museum of Craft & Folk Art, | | | | |
| | | | Visitor Information Center, at Powell and |
| - The Mexican Museum. | | | | Market streets, distributesfree route maps. |
| | | | Blue & Gold Fleet and Red & White Fleet |
| In terms of performing arts, San Francisco | | | | aretwo href=" available. And href=" |
| boasts | | | | |
| | | | Line Bus tour is the San Francisco'slargest |
| - The San Francisco Symphony, | | | | href=" operator. The self-guided href=" |
| | | | |
| - The San Francisco Opera | | | | SUV tour, 49-miledrive is one easy way to |
| | | | grasp the beauty of San Francisco and |
| - The San Francisco Ballet. | | | | itsextraordinary location. Beginning in the |
| | | | city, it follows a roughcircle around the bay |
| San Francisco's Ballet and Opera are some of | | | | and passes virtually all the best-known |
| the oldest continuingperforming arts | | | | sights,from href=" the Golden Gate Bridge, |
| companies in the United States. | | | | Ocean Beach, Seal Rocks, |
| | | | |
| Shopping | | | | Golden Gate Park, and Twin Peaks. |
| | | | |
| Like its population, San Francisco's shopping | | | | Transport |
| is both worldly andintimate. Every | | | | |
| persuasion, style, era, and fetish is | | | | San Francisco has the most extensive public |
| represented, notin big, tacky shopping malls, | | | | transit system on the West |
| but in hundreds of quaint, | | | | |
| dramaticallydifferent boutiques scattered | | | | Coast and one of the most diverse in the |
| throughout the city. San Francisco hasmany | | | | country. Muni is thecity-owned public transit |
| shopping areas, but the following places are | | | | system, which operates the Muni Metro |
| where one will findmost of the actions: | | | | lightrail system. BART (Bay Area Rapid |
| | | | Transit) is the regional transitsystem, which |
| - Union Square & Environs | | | | connects San Francisco with the East Bay, |
| | | | through anunderwater tunnel, and Northern San |
| - Chinatown | | | | Mateo County, Californiacommunities and San |
| | | | Francisco International Airport on the San |
| - Union Street | | | | |
| | | | Francisco Peninsula. In addition, a frequent |
| - Chestnut Street | | | | commuter rail service, |
| | | | |
| - Fillmore Street | | | | Caltrain, operates between San Francisco, San |
| | | | Jose, California and |
| - Haight Street | | | | |
| | | | Gilroy, California. |
| - SoMa | | | | |
| | | | San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is |
| - Hayes Valley | | | | located 12.9 km (8 miles)south of the city in |
| | | | San Mateo County on a landfill extension into |
| Food & Drink | | | | the |
| | | | |
| San Francisco's restaurants are so renowned | | | | San Francisco Bay. It is the only major |
| that many people visit thecity just to eat -- | | | | international hub airport in |
| and with good reason. The city's brilliant | | | | |
| chefs,combined with California's abundance of | | | | California other than LAX in Los Angeles. |