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Places to go
Fisherman's Wharf
Eight-seven percent of visitors to the city include
Fisherman's Wharf on their itinerary--and with good reason. The wharf
abounds with shops and restaurants; waterfront marketplaces include The
Anchorage, The Cannery, Ghirardelli Square and Pier 39. Still a working
wharf, "Fish Alley" sells thousands of tons of sole, shrimp,
salmon, sea bass, squid and other deep-sea delicacies. During crab season
(mid-November through June) devotees line up for the best of the catch. A
fleet of historic ships berth at Hyde Street Pier, near the Maritime
National Historical Park and Museum.
Pier 39
California's second-most popular attraction is Pier 39, with
its sunning sea lions, more than 100 one-of-a-kind stores, restaurants and
fun-filled attractions, including the new Underwater World aquarium. Pier
39 is also home to a 350-berth marina, a waterfront park and the Blue &
Gold Fleet. A two-tiered carousel and performances by street entertainers
add to the fun.
Ghirardelli Square
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, the oldest continuous chocolate
manufacturer in America, has called San Francisco its home since 1852. Once
a family run confectioner's shop, now the Ghirardelli Manufactory &
Soda Fountain where the original equipment can still be seen in operation,
sits as the cornerstone of the popular square surrounded by shops and
restaurants and an open plaza where visitors and locals alike sit on
benches and savor the famous chocolate and sumptious ice cream sundaes.
Chinatown
The entrance to Chinatown at Grant Avenue and Bush Street is
called the "Dragon's Gate." Inside are 24 blocks of hustle and
bustle, most of it taking place right along Grant Avenue, the oldest street
in San Francisco. Exotic shops, renowned restaurants, food markets, temples
and small museums comprise its boundaries. Each February, Chinatown is the
focal point for the city's Chinese New Year, a week of festivities
culminating with a huge downtown parade, replete with dancing dragons.
Lombard Street
Located in the Russian Hill district, Lombard Street
is known as "the
crookedest street in the
world."
North Beach
North Beach, rich in Italian heritage, includes cabarets, jazz
clubs, galleries, inns, restaurants, bakeries and delicatessens -- a
perfect spot for cappuccino and espresso. Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill is
blessed with marvelous views and famed Diego Rivera murals on the ground
floor.
Marina District
The
Marina District was built on lagoon and marshland filled for use during the
1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition which celebrated the opening of the Panama
Canal. Remaining from the Exhibition is the Palace
of Fine Arts designed by Berkeley architect Bernard
Maybeck. Today, the Palace houses the Exploratorium.
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.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge (Highway 101 North) links San Francisco
with Marin County. Pedestrians and bicyclists are allowed across the bridge
on pathways with sweeping views of the City, Alcatraz and the Marin
Headlands. The bridge toll for vehicles is $3 collected when entering San
Francisco.
Golden Gate Park
The 1,000-acre park's trove of attractions includes Stybing
Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, a "living library" where 6,000
plant species, including a stunning display of California redwoods,
flourish; the Japanese Tea Garden; a children's playground; the Asian Art
Museum; MH de Young Memorial Museum; and the California Academy of
Sciences, with its aquarium, Morrison Planetarium and laserium. Tennis
courts, stables, baseball diamonds, polo grounds, croquet and lawn-bowling
greens, an archery field, a golf course and a fly-fishing pool draw the
sporting crowd year-round. Free
guided walking tours of Golden Gate Park are
conducted by Friends of Recreation and Parks
The Presidio
Recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area is The Presidio, a former military post, home to coastal defense
forts, a national cemetery and an historic airfield. The heavily wooded
land, which overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge and borders the Pacific Ocean,
is filled with a plethora of recreational beaches, hiking and biking
trails, as well as some of the most spectacular vistas in the city. In
1995, the US Army officially transferred the Presidio Golf Course to the
stewardship of the National Park Service, which opened the historic
Presidio Golf Course to public play. The course is one of the most
picturesque and popular on the West Coast.
Cable Car Ride
A ride up one of the city's hills on a cable car is rated as a
"must do" by visitors to San Francisco.
Alcatraz
Phased out as a federal penitentiary in 1963, Alcatraz is now
a unit of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Once home to America's
most hardened criminals, the island reopened to the general public in 1973.
On-island activities include self-guided trail walks, audio-cassette tours
narrated by former inmates and guards through the main cell block and
ranger-led tours of the island. Advance reservations for this popular
attraction, accessible only by ferry from Fisherman's Wharf, are strongly
urged.
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