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