San Francisco A City Gauide

IntroductionFrancisco also boasts of legendary pop music venues
The City and County of San Francisco is thesuch as The Fillmore and The Warfield.
fourth-largest city in the state of California, in the UnitedUniversities
States. A consolidated city-county, mainland SanSan Francisco Unified School District and the
Francisco is located on the tip of the San FranciscoArchdiocese of San Francisco's dozens of Catholic
Peninsula. Insular San Francisco includes several islandselementary and high schools serve the city. Despite its
in the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Strait,limited geographical space, San Francisco is home to a
notably Alcatraz, Treasure Island, and the Farallonmultitude of Universities and Colleges. Public universities
Islands 27 miles offshore in the Pacific Ocean and alsoinclude:
most of the privately owned Red Rock Island near the• University of California, San Francisco,
Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.primarily a graduate level health-sciences school,
Historylocated north of Forest Hill • San Francisco
San Francisco has a long history of events marking itsState University located in the southwest corner of the
growth from a small town to a big city • Incity near Lake Merced • University of
1776, the Spanish were the first Europeans to settle inCalifornia, Hastings College of the Law located
San Francisco • In 1848, with the advent ofdowntown at its Civic Center • City College
the California gold rush the city entered a period ofof San Francisco, one of the largest community
rapid growth • In 1822, serious developmentcolleges in the country is located in the Ingleside, with
by non-Spanish speakers began, when Williamseveral extension campuses.
Richardson, an English whaler redeveloped a section• Private universities:
of Yerba Buena in what is now Portsmouth Square in• The Jesuit-run University of San Francisco,
Chinatown. • In 1846, the Mexican-Americanone of the first universities established west of the
War broke out. • On January 30, 1847, aMississippi, located in the center of the city •
naval force under Commodore John D. Sloat claimed itGolden Gate University, a business and law school
in the name of the United States and renamed it "Sanlocated downtown • California Culinary
Francisco" • On April 18, 1906, a devastatingAcademy Le Cordon Bleu program located in the
earthquake resulted from the rupture of over 270Tenderloin • Academy of Art University
miles of the San Andreas Fault, from San Juan• San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking
Bautista to Eureka, centered immediately offshore of• Alliant International University.
San Francisco. • The city was quickly rebuiltSports
after the earthquake. • The phoenix on theSan Francisco is the home of many major league
city's flag represents San Francisco's "rebirth" from theteams like • The San Francisco 49ers
ashes of the fire that resulted from the quake.National Football League team, who play at Monster
• In the 1950s San Francisco hired HarvardPark • The San Francisco Giants Major
graduate Justin Herman to head the redevelopmentLeague Baseball team, who play at SBC Park
agency for the city and county. • Justin• MLB 's Oakland Athletics • NFL's
Herman began an aggressive campaign to renewOakland Raiders • The National Basketball
blighted areas of the city. • His planning led toAssociation's Golden State Warriors play across the
the creation of Embarcadero Center, thebay in Oakland • The regional National
Embarcadero Freeway, Japan town, the Geary StreetHockey League team, the San Jose Sharks play in
super blocks, and Yerba Buena Gardens.San Jose The Warriors and Sharks were once based
Place of Interestjust south of San Francisco, at the Cow Palace,
San Francisco's parks, museums, tours, and landmarkslocated several yards south of San Francisco, in Daly
are favorites for travelers the world over and offer anCity. The city is also home to some famous golf
array of activities to suit every visitor. But no particularcourses, including the Harding Park Golf Course and
activity or place makes the city one of the mostthe courses of the Olympic Club.
popular destinations in the world. It's San FranciscoHotels & Accommodation
itself -- its charm, its atmosphere, its perfect blend ofLuxury Hotels
big metropolis with small-town hospitality. Some of itsSan Francisco has elegant and grand hotels in its
main attractions are: • Alcatraz Islandpossession. Westin St. Francis, Westin Saint Francis,
• Cable Cars • California AcademyPalace Hotel, Argent Hotel, Mark Hopkins
of Sciences • Coit Tower • FerryIntercontinental, Hilton, Fairmont, W San Francisco, Pan
Building Marketplace (and Farmers' Market) •Pacific, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Renaissance Parc
Fisherman's Wharf • Ghiradelli Square55, Ritz Carlton - are some of these big names.
• Golden Gate Bridge • LombardAll famous luxury hotels like Hilton, Hyatt, Palace Hotel,
Street • Pier 39 • The Canneryetc. have their branch in Fisherman Wharf.
• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts / YerbaBudget Hotels
Buena GardensIf the visit to San Francisco is in a particularly busy
Museums & Art Galleriesseason and booking in prominent hotels are over,
Notable San Francisco Museums include •here's a list of moderate to very inexpensive
The Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), •alternatives - Alisa Hotel, Edward II Inn & Suites, Hotel
The Palace of the Legion of Honor, • The M.Beresford Arms, King George Hotel, The Marina Inn,
H. de Young Memorial Museum, • The AsianThe San Remo Hotel. Tours and Sightseeing
Art Museum. Other museums include • TheSan Francisco has different type of organized tours
International Museum of Women, • Thethey differ in the contents as well as the transport
Museum of the African Diaspora, • Thesystem. Tours are available by Bus, Boat, BART (Bay
Contemporary Jewish Museum, • TheArea Rapid Transit) or on foot. The San Francisco
Museum of Craft & Folk Art, • The MexicanVisitor Information Center, at Powell and Market
Museum. In terms of performing arts, San Franciscostreets, distributes free route maps. Blue & Gold Fleet
boasts • The San Francisco Symphony,and Red & White Fleet are two boat tours available.
• The San Francisco Opera • TheAnd Gray Line Bus tour is the San Francisco's largest
San Francisco Ballet. San Francisco's Ballet and Operabus tour operator. The self-guided Private SUV tour,
are some of the oldest continuing performing arts49-mile drive is one easy way to grasp the beauty of
companies in the United States.San Francisco and its extraordinary location. Beginning
Shoppingin the city, it follows a rough circle around the bay and
Like its population, San Francisco's shopping is bothpasses virtually all the best-known sights, from
worldly and intimate. Every persuasion, style, era, andChinatown to the Golden Gate Bridge, Ocean Beach,
fetish is represented, not in big, tacky shopping malls,Seal Rocks, Golden Gate Park, and Twin Peaks.
but in hundreds of quaint, dramatically differentTransport
boutiques scattered throughout the city. San FranciscoSan Francisco has the most extensive public transit
has many shopping areas, but the following places aresystem on the West Coast and one of the most
where one will find most of the actions:diverse in the country. Muni is the city-owned public
• Union Square & Environs •transit system, which operates the Muni Metro light rail
Chinatown • Union Street • Chestnutsystem. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is the
Street • Fillmore Street • Haightregional transit system, which connects San Francisco
Street • SoMa • Hayes Valleywith the East Bay, through an underwater tunnel, and
Food & DrinkNorthern San Mateo County, California communities
San Francisco's restaurants are so renowned thatand San Francisco International Airport on the San
many people visit the city just to eat -- and with goodFrancisco Peninsula. In addition, a frequent commuter
reason. The city's brilliant chefs, combined withrail service, Caltrain, operates between San Francisco,
California's abundance of organic produce, seafood,San Jose, California and Gilroy, California.
free-range meats, and Northern California wine,San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is located
guarantee some of the world's finest dining. San12.9 km (8 miles) south of the city in San Mateo
Francisco also has varied nightlife ranging from bars toCounty on a landfill extension into the San Francisco
lounges to clubs. Major areas of nightlife in SanBay. It is the only major international hub airport in
Francisco are North Beach, the Mission District, theCalifornia other than LAX in Los Angeles.
Marina, the Castro, and South of Market. San