Sightseeing OverviewRegularly voted best city in the USA in national polls, San Francisco is a visual feast that offers something for every eye. The many hilltops and landmarks, such as the 55m- (180ft-) high
Coit Tower, on Telegraph Hill, provide grand vistas of the Bay and the city. Works of art are on display in myriad museums. For the more contemporary tastes, the high-tech offerings of
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the
AT&T Park, home of baseball’s San Francisco Giants, are yet another side to the city.
But it is where mankind
and nature meets that this implausibly diverse city comes into its own. A visit to the
Golden Gate Bridge, which used enough wire to go around the earth several times over and was hailed as impossible to build, is a must.
Golden Gate Park covers 412 hectares (1,017 acres) and is the one of the largest manmade parks in the world, thanks to Scotsman John McLaren, the extraordinary gardener who tamed the sands of San Francisco and created the magnificent park.
Then there is
Alcatraz, the stuff of legend,
Grant Street, the city’s oldest, running the length of
Chinatown,
Haight-Ashbury, which rekindles memories of Flower Power and the Beat Generation, and
Fisherman’s Wharf, at the edge of the Bay, offering hundreds of resident sea lions, cheap souvenirs and, always, something to eat. At the other end of The Embarcadero the landmark
Ferry Building has become a foodie haven where visitors get an eyeful as well as a belly-full.
Tourist InformationSan Francisco Visitor Information Center 900 Market Street
Tel: (415) 391 2000.
Website:
www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat-Sun 0900-1500.
PassesThe
San Francisco CityPass (website:
www.citypass.com) allows admission to five attractions (the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Exploratorium or Asian Art Museum, Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise, De Young/Legion of Honor and Aquarium of the Bay) and also includes a seven-day Muni & Cable Car Passport (see
Getting Around). It is valid for nine days and can be purchased from the attractions on the day or online in advance.
Key Attractions:Golden Gate Bridge The beautiful Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco to Marin County, is not gold, of course, but a vivid rusty orange that stands out even through the frequent thick fogs. Spanning 2.7km (1.7 miles), the bridge is one of the wonders of the modern world and one of five bridges that span the Bay. The best views of the Golden Gate Bridge are from Fort Point in the Presidio (Long Avenue and Marine Drive) and Visa Point, on the Marin side at the north end of the bridge. A walk or, at least, a drive across the bridge is essential (walking takes approximately half an hour and walkers should dress warmly). The two pivotal cables contain enough steel wire to encircle the equator three times, while the concrete alone would provide enough material for a pavement from San Francisco to New York.
Highway 101 (Lincoln Boulevard)
Tel: (415) 921 5858.
Website:
www.goldengatebridge.org Opening hours: Daily 24 hours (roadway and bicycle access); daily 0500-2100 (pedestrian sidewalk).
Free admission; southbound-only toll for cars.
Golden Gate Park The 412 hectares (1,017 acres) of Golden Gate Park encompass meadows, lakes, myriad gardens, an open-air music concourse, a children's playground and vintage carousel, a buffalo paddock and the tallest artificial waterfall in the West. The park fronts Ocean Beach, which affords spectacular sunset views. Some 10,000 plant species flourish in the
San Francisco Botanical Garden, while the must-see
Japanese Tea Garden is an absolute haven. The
Conservatory of Flowers is a living museum of rare and tropical plants.
Founded in 1895, the
de Young Museum has moved twice due to earthquakes, but but its feet are now firmly planted at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), which includes the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. The new de Young, rebuilt in 2005 and largely supported with private money, holds many surprises, not least the textured copper facade and spiralling tower rising like a beacon in Golden Gate Park. Galleries flow from one to the next, each an experience that touches the senses. Gaze at fifth-century Peruvian artifacts and prized Maori sculptures from New Zealand, then wander through the Rockefeller Collection of American Paintings to dangling collages of modern art.
Tel: (415) 831 2700.
Website:
www.parks.sfgov.org de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Tel: (415) 750 3600.
Website:
www.famsf.org Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0930-1715, Fri 0930-2045.
Admission charge.
Japanese Tea Garden
Seven Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Tel: (415) 752 4227.
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1700 (garden); daily 0900-1700 (tea house).
Admission charge.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Ninth Avenue at Lincoln Way
Tel: (415) 661 1316.
Website:
www.sfbotanicalgarden.org Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1630, Sat-Sun 1000-1700. Free guided walks daily at 1330.
Free admission, donations welcome.
Conservatory of Flowers
501 Stanyan Street
Tel: (415) 666 7001.
Website:
www.conservatoryofflowers.org Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0900-1630. Free guided walks daily at 1330.
Admission charge.
Presidio Destined to become a self-sufficient national park in its own right, the land and buildings of Presidio surround the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was formerly one of the oldest military installations in the country and now houses a forest, a Civil War brick fortress and a museum.
Visitor Center (temporary)
Presidio Officers' Club, Building 50, Moraga Street
Tel: (415) 561 4323.
Website:
www.nps.gov/prsf/home.htm Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (visitor center).
Free admission.
Alcatraz Looming menacingly in the Bay, near Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz (known simply as ‘The Rock') was the site of the USA's toughest maximum-security prison, from 1934 until 1963. Al Capone lodged there, as did birdman Robert Stroud, although his infamy is based more on Hollywood legend than fact - he never did keep birds here. Alcatraz, which imprisoned convicts as much with the Bay estuary's lethal currents as with manmade bars, opened to a curious public in 1973. Now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, its on-island activities include trail walks, audio tours narrated by former inmates and guards and ranger-led tours. The frustration of being able to witness the natural beauty and bright lights of the Bay communities from just a mile away, which must have been felt by many an inmate, is palpable. Alcatraz Island was also the site of the first lighthouse built on the Pacific Coast. Visitors are advised to book early and wear warm clothes.
Alcatraz Island (ferries depart from Pier 33)
Tel: (415) 705 5555
or 1 800 426 8687 (advance tickets).
Website:
www.nps.gov/alcatraz or www.alcatrazcruises.com (bookings)
Opening hours: Departures daily 0900-1830 (summer), 0930-1630 (all other seasons). Night tours also available.
Admission charge includes audio cassette rental.
Fisherman's Wharf In the daytime, visitors throng the sidewalks and piers of Fisherman's Wharf - a center for tacky souvenirs, Bay-view restaurants, shops, attractions and the spectacle of some 500 resident sea lions crowded onto pontoons to sunbathe. The sea lions appeared soon after the 1989 earthquake and have made this area home, leaving only briefly during the spring to breed in the Channel Islands. But in the early hours of the morning, from dawn until 0900, the ambitious visitor can get quite another view - that of a busy fish distribution center sending out seafood both locally and further afield. Dylan Thomas once waxed lyrical to his wife, Caitlin, about the quality of the lobsters, clams and crabs here and small wonder - oysters, chowder, crab and shrimp cocktail are sold in disposable cartons on the wharf, for eating while strolling.
Pier 39 (website:
www.pier39.com), where Beach Street meets The Embarcadero, is actually one of 29 curiously numbered piers on the waterfront and is now the city's biggest attraction. Not only is it home to the sea lions but also many other attractions, such as the
Aquarium of the Bay, where moving sidewalks are surrounded on three sides by water. Sightseeing boats leave from Pier 39 and the neighboring Pier 41.
The Cannery houses 30 specialty shops, while
Ghirardelli Square, a former chocolate factory turned chic shopping center, close by at the west end of Fisherman's Wharf, can also be approached from the wharf.
Hyde Street Pier, which displays historic ships (including the
Eureka, an 1890 paddle wheeler, and the schooner
CA Thayer) and the art deco
Maritime Museum, show how life in the city a century ago was much more entwined with the marine industry.
The Embarcadero
Tel: (415
) 674 7503.
Website:
www.fishermanswharf.org Aquarium of the Bay
Pier 39
Tel: (415) 623 5300
or 1 888 732 3483.
Website:
www.aquariumofthebay.com Opening hours: Daily 0900-2000 (summer); Mon-Thurs 1000-1800, Fri-Sun 1000-1900 (winter).
Admission charge.
The Ferry Building
Standing regally on the Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street, the iconic Ferry Building has long been a San Francisco landmark. It opened in 1898 as the transportation hub for ferry commuters and train travelers. At its peak it saw as many as 50,000 ferry commuters a day. However, in the 1930s, when commuters preferred vehicular routes, few people darkened its door. In the 1950s the interior was converted into unsightly office space and was further obscured by the double-deck Embarcadero Freeway, which ran past the front entry. Though ferry commuters returned in the 1970s it wasn't until the freeway was eventually damaged by earthquake in 1989, then torn down in 1991, that the Ferry Building's potential was harnessed.
Today the repeating interior arches and overhead skylights in the grandiose central nave provide a home for purveyors of the finest cuisine from the Bay Area and around the world. A simple stroll can uncover epicurean delights such as truffles and caviar, organic fruit and vegetables, Italian delicatessens, artisan cheeses, fresh local fish, patisseries, a bakery, wine bar and tea shop, coffee shops and restaurants. The Book Passage bookstore hosts author events, seminars and legendary Mystery Writers' & Travel Writers' conferences. A farmers' market is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays around the main building with small, local outfitters selling seasonal and organically grown produce. A Thursday night market is open during summer only.
Ferry Building Marketplace
One Ferry Building, The Embarcadero
Tel: (415) 693 0996.
Website:
www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com Cable Cars One of San Francisco's principal attractions is its network of century-old cable cars, America's only mobile National Historic Landmark. The system was opened in 1873, when Andrew Hallidie guided the first car down Clay Street, near Portsmouth Square, to replace horse-drawn streetcars. It was refurbished in the 1980s. The ride and the views can best be enjoyed standing on one of the outside platforms but travelers should hold on tight and watch out for traffic. The cars operate along three routes. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines, beginning at Powell Street and Market Street, run roughly north-south between Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square. The California Street line runs east-west from California Street and Market Street, near the Embarcadero to Van Ness Avenue. The cars are turned by hand on turntables at the end of the line - all part of the experience. A visit to the
Cable Car Museum completes the experience. Here, located in the city's only remaining cable car barn and powerhouse, visitors can view the cable-winding machinery as it reels 17km (11 miles) of steel at a steady pace of 15km (9.5 miles) per hour. The mechanism is much more interesting than you might think and a video, historical memorabilia and gift shop make the museum a compelling stop.
Powell Street, Market Street and California Street
Tel: 311, within San Francisco
or (415) 701 2311.
Website:
www.sfcablecar.com or www.sfmta.com Operating hours: Mon-Fri 0600-0130.
Admission charge.
Cable Car Museum
1201 Mason Street, at Washington Street, Nob Hill
Tel: (415) 474 1887.
Website:
www.cablecarmuseum.org Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 (Apr-Sep); daily 1000-1700 (Oct-Mar).
Free admission.
Cartoon Art Museum The Cartoon Art Museum, the only one of its kind on the West Coast, displays rotating exhibitions of art, from underground cartoons to popular comic books and animation. An enormous permanent collection and a CD-Rom gallery explore every facet of cartoon art. Saturday afternoon cartooning classes are offered regularly.
655 Mission Street, South of Market
Tel: (415) 227 8666.
Website:
www.cartoonart.org Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1100-1700.
Admission charge.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, opened in 1995, to great acclaim. Its permanent collection is particularly strong in American 20th-century sculpture, painting, photography (including works by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Georgia O'Keeffe) and multimedia installations.
151 Third Street, South of Market
Tel: (415) 357 4000.
Website:
www.sfmoma.org Opening hours: Fri-Tues 1100-1745, Thurs 1100-2045 (first Mon in Sep to last Mon in May); Fri-Tues 1000-1745, Thurs 1000-2045 (last Mon in May to first Mon in Sep).
Admission charge.
Contemporary Jewish Museum
Under the creative direction of architect Daniel Libeskind, The Contemporary Jewish Museum reopened in June 2008 in the landmark 1907 Jessie Street Power Substation, recognized by the 3,000 blue steel panels that clad the exterior. With a ‘no permanent exhibitions' policy, the museum hopes to earn kudos as a ‘dynamic and ever-changing' art hub representing the highest level of artistic achievement.
736 Mission Street (between Third and Fourth Streets)
Tel: (415) 655 7800.
Website:
www.thecjm.org Opening hours: Fri-Tues 1100-1730, Thurs 1300-2030.
Admission charge.
Further Distractions:The Mission The Mission, once linked to
Mission Dolores (the city’s oldest building, built by its Franciscan fathers in 1791), is a district of San Francisco where Central America’s immigrants and bohemians rub shoulders with yuppies and dotcom workers. Here, better than anywhere, you can get a feel of the city’s Spanish origins. Beautiful outdoor murals, often on social justice issues, signal the area as a vital hub of diversity and creative change. Valencia Street, a lesbian enclave, is a very desirable property area and boutiques and restaurants with a Latin flavor vie for cash with the drug dealers in neighboring Dolores Park.
Mission Dolores
Dolores and 16th Street
Tel: (415) 621 8203.
Website:
www.missiondolores.org Opening hours: Daily 0830-1500.
Free admission, charge for the audio tour.
Japantown It may only be a few miles away but Japantown (bounded by Laguna Street, Geary Street, Post Street and Fillmore Street) could not be more different to the Mission. The city’s growing Japanese population has a home here but the area also is a commercial center. Walking up Geary Street or Post Street from Union Square brings the five-tier Peace Pagoda into view. The pagoda and the
Japan Center are the focal point of the community’s cultural and business life, as well as the site of several seasonal festivals. Visitors can partake in a Japanese communal bath or one of the many massages offered at the essential
Kabuki Springs and Spa. Tuesdays are mixed gender and swimming suits are required.
Laguna Street, Geary Street, Post Street and Fillmore Street
Japan Center 1737 Post Street
Tel: (415) 922 6776.
Website:
www.sfjapantown.org Opening hours: Daily 1000-2400.
Free admission.
Kabuki Springs and Spa
1750 Geary Boulevard (at Fillmore)
Tel: (415) 922 6000.
Website:
www.kabukisprings.com Opening hours: Daily 1000-2145.
Admission charge.
Other Museums The
Museum of the African Diaspora is located on ground level of the St Regis Hotel and Residences (website:
www.moadsf.org).
The Legion of Honor, in Lincoln Park, houses an impressive collection of 4,000 years of ancient and European art (website:
www.famsf.org).
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