|
San Francisco is a golden dream come true, a place where heart, mind and soul embrace, lost in the simplicity of delightful deliverance. Fog and sun mingle playfully above America's favorite city; the cool, cloudy comfort of early morning slowly dissolving into the peaceful warmth of a gentle afternoon glow. Touch it, it is real. Feel it, it is the essence of escape. Savor it, it is one of a kind. Little wonder why San Francisco has been named the world's top city twice by readers of Condé Nast Traveler; the top U.S. city seven times since 1988.
San Francisco's neighborhoods comprise  its inner beauty, enhancing daydreams, opening doors to new and exciting visions. The City is a cultural wonderland, an ethnic treasure chest where custom, tradition and history are preserved, celebrated, shared. So take your time and explore The City. You'll find that the Gold Rush days have never really ended here; there's still plenty of gold to be found. The restless spirit of The City's Barbary Coast past lives on, fueled by a desire to be different, nurtured by infinite viewpoints, personalities, styles.
Magical moments abound. The echo of cable car bells from atop great hills. The rejuvenation of the soul upon crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. The splendor and elegance of a boat cruise on San Francisco Bay. The soft touching of wine glasses over a gourmet meal. The views. The people. The sights. The sounds. The City.
So come and share the wealth. Let your heart, mind and soul wander. Stay as long as you like. San Francisco encourages lingering. It was designed with adventure, romance and pleasure in mind. It is one of life's great indulgences, so indulge. It is one of the world's most gratifying escapes, so escape. It is where the world comes to unwind. It is America's preeminent playground.
Surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, San Francisco's compact 46 square miles (125 sq. km.) crowd the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula.
"The City" has a population of 723,959; nevertheless it looms large in the imagination as the hub of the greater Bay Area. The nation's fifth largest metropolitan region registers a population of 6 million and hosts over 16 million visitors, conventioneers and business travelers each year.
The San Francisco Bay Area has some of the best weather in the nation.
San Francisco Bay, a 500-square-mile cleft in the California coastline, has a split personality. It is both a major center for water-borne commerce and a delightful excuse to just go play.
From the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada, 16 California rivers flow into San Francisco Bay. A steady stream of container ships, freighters and cruisers docked at more than 40 deepwater piers attest to its role as a major shipping lane. But it is the fun side of the bay, that lures mariners about and aboard, to skirt the Golden Gate Bridge where ebb tide meets west wind or happily paddle single kayaks in Richardson Bay. Scheduled ferry service, sightseeing and dining cruises offer another opportunity to ply the bay. However, for those who don't trust their sea legs, landside pursuits on the edge of the water can be just as engaging.
Fisherman's Wharf
Eighty-seven percent of San Francisco's visitors include Fisherman's Wharf on their itinerary. With good reason. Waterfront marketplaces include The Anchorage, The Cannery, Ghirardelli Square and PIER 39. The Wharf's working hub, "Fish Alley," sells thousands of tons of sole, shrimp, salmon, sea bass, squid and other deep sea delicacies annually. During the crab season (mid-November through June) devotees line up for the best of the catch. For an impromptu picnic, order some cracked crab and pick up a loaf of sourdough French bread from a nearby bakery.
A fleet of historic ships berths at Hyde Street Pier, a component of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, which also includes the Maritime Museum. The USS Pampanito, a WWII fleet submarine, may be boarded at Pier 45.
On The City's northern waterfront beyond Hyde Street Pier and the lagoon of Aquatic Park (this is a nice side trip from Fisherman's Wharf), the nearly four-mile-long Golden Gate Promenade winds past bocce ball courts through Fort Mason and Marina Green to Crissy Field, a shoreline retreat adjoining the Presidio, terminating at Fort Point. Ahead lies the world's most incredible piece of outdoor sculpture, the majestic Art Deco-style Golden Gate Bridge. Completed in 1937 the bridge links San Francisco to Marin County. For a real aerobic workout, climb the steps near Fort Point that lead up to the bridge and make "the walk of all walks." Click here for a map.
The "New" Waterfront
The downtown waterfront district has been transformed with the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway. Promenades and tidal stairs descending right to the water's edge offer easy access. Cast off from King Street to explore the latest evidence of The City's waterfront renaissance. In the balmy South Beach district where a new neighborhood has risen, palm trees evoke southern inclinations. Sunny cafes with outdoor patios are plentiful. Skirting this area, Herb Caen Way along the southern Embarcadero is punctuated with historic plaques and pylons recalling events and people of the past. The SS Jeremiah O'Brien, the Liberty Ship which made an historic Atlantic crossing in the spring of 1994 to commemorate D-Day, docks at Pier 32. From here head north towards the Ferry Building, passing directly beneath the approach to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Nearby the Embarcadero Center's architecturally dramatic eight-block complex shelters 19 outdoor sculptures.
Beaches
For many visitors, Ocean Beach on the westernmost edge of The City is the first stop on the itinerary. The Pacific Ocean is always an exhilarating sight, especially for first-timers. The expansive windows of the Cliff House, erected in 1909, are a popular lookout. Just offshore are the abrupt outlines of Seal Rocks. They are usually inhabited by shore birds and a colony of stellar sea lions. Bring binoculars for a close-up. On a clear day the Farallon Islands some 30 miles distant are also visible. Swimming, it should be noted, is not allowed here. There are two other sandy pockets on The City's northern edge. China Beach at 28th Avenue and Sea Cliff, is one of the few swimming beaches in The City. Lifeguards on duty during the summer watch this cove. At Baker Beach, off 25th Avenue, swimming is dangerous, but the views of the Golden Gate are alluring for hikers, fishermen and picnickers.
It's never just another day in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco's 1,000-acre backyard. The park's trove of attractions includes Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, a "living library" where 6,000 plant species, including a stunning display of California redwoods, flourish. Each spring endows the park with a new cast of floral favorites: flowering cherry blossoms in the Japanese Tea Garden, a five-acre legacy from the 1894 Midwinter International Exposition; lush magenta colored rhododendrons; and more than 14,000 tulips and daffodils near the Dutch Windmill.
Located off the Great Highway, the Dutch Windmill is one of two originally constructed to irrigate the park, once a vast wasteland of sand dunes and scrub oak. The long-shuttered Beach Chalet has re-emerged as a visitor center for the park. Located at 1000 Great Highway near the Dutch Windmill, the Willis Polk-designed building was completed in 1929.
Indoors the exceptional collections of the Asian Art Museum, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and California Academy of Sciences are rotated on a regular basis and frequently augmented by traveling shows.
The San Francisco Vacations, Luxury Hotels, Tours and Travel Packages Guide |
