San Francisco

The centerpiece of the Bay Area, San Francisco is one of the most visited cities in the world, and with good reason. The cultural center of northern California, San Francisco is renowned for its mixture of scenic beauty and unique culture that makes it one of the most vibrant and desirable cities in the nation, if not the world.

Sandwiched between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on a small square of land seven miles (11 km) on each side, San Francisco offers a wealth of treasures for the visitor, from the windswept and often foggy bay to the steep hills lined with Victorian homes that overlook the spectacular scenery of the city. Great ethnic and cultural diversity shows itself in the city's varied neighborhoods, from the crowded and exciting streets of Chinatown to the eclectic attitudes of the Castro and the gleaming condominium towers built on the city's more recently gained tech-savvy reputation.

And yet San Francisco is just one of the cities which makes up the entire San Francisco Bay Area. At the center of a metropolitan area of 7.6 million people, the city is a fantastic base to explore the treasures of San Francisco's neighbors to the east across the Bay Bridge, to the north past the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the south down the peninsula. There's enough to see that one could devote a lifetime to exploring the region, and it'll become clear why people continue to make their way to this special place.

Each district of San Francisco carries its own unique and distinct culture. This map is predominantly based on the 11 official governmental districts of San Francisco, but it has been adapted to suit the purposes of this travel guide. Some districts of particular interest to travelers have been broken up into popular neighborhood groupings, while others, mainly residential districts, have been merged.

Prior to European settlement in the area, the peninsula that now contains San Francisco was home to the Yelamu tribe, who were part of the larger Ohlone language group which stretched south from the Bay Area to the Big Sur of California. Due to San Francisco's characteristic foggy weather, the earliest European explorers completely bypassed what would later be called the Golden Gate and the San Francisco Bay. The first European settlement in the area was founded by the Spanish in 1776 as a mission community surrounding the Mission San Francisco de Asís, in what is today called the Mission Dolores in the Mission District. In addition to the mission, a military fort was built near the Golden Gate: El Presidio.

Upon gaining independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico. Under Mexican rule, the mission system gradually came to an end and private ownership of land became a possibility. In 1835, an Englishman named William Richardson founded the town of Yerba Buena, the first significant settlement on the peninsula outside of the Mission Dolores area. As the new settlement gradually grew, Yerba Buena developed a street plan and became attractive to settlers. Following the Mexican-American War the United States claimed California, and in July of 1846 the U.S. Navy arrived to raise the American flag above Yerba Buena. Over the next couple of years, California officially became part of the United States and the name of the town was changed from Yerba Buena to San Francisco.

In 1848 the California Gold Rush started in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Prior to the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad, getting to San Francisco involved an arduous overland journey or a lengthy voyage by sea, but that didn't stop waves of fortune-seeking immigrants from making the trip, increasing the city's population from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands. Many who made their fortunes then settled in San Francisco, which at the time was the largest, most exciting city in California. Like other large cities, eventually San Francisco developed into districts by nationality or social status: the Italians in North Beach, the Chinese in Chinatown, and the wealthy mining and railroad titans on Nob Hill. During the gold rush years many major businesses were created and flourished in San Francisco (Wells Fargo Bank, Levis, Bank of America), and famous and infamous personalities alike settled in the city. Of course, with all this success came problems: the rapid growth of the city outstripped any efforts at city planning, meaning proper sanitation and infrastructure were largely undeveloped, which led to a cholera outbreak in 1855. Violence and corruption were evident, and anti-immigrant violence resulted in many race riots.

In the 1890s, there was a large campaign to modernize and beautify the city, the success of which led some officials to proudly call San Francisco the "Paris of the West." But in 1906, a devastating earthquake shook the city and a resulting fire leveled much of the city (in fact, almost 90% of the total damage was from the fire, and not from the quake). Nevertheless, officials at the time immediately set out on a plan to rebuild the city, with new parks, boulevards, the current civic center complex, and landmarks such as the Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill. In 1915, San Francisco hosted the Panama-Pacific Exposition (where the Palace of Fine Arts complex is now) to showcase the completely rebuilt city.

In the wake of the Great Depression of the 1930s, San Francisco remained largely unscathed. In fact, it was during this time that the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge were conceived and built. It was also during this time that the federal government established a prison on Alcatraz Island, which would hold some of the most notorious criminals of the era.

After World War II, San Francisco continued to grow in population. Aggressive urban planning projects led to a changing skyline, with more highrises in the city's financial district and new freeways rimming the city's waterfront. But in some sense the years after World War II were also unique in what didn't happen; while cable cars were once commonplace throughout North America, San Francisco remains the last place to still have them in daily use as actual transportation. Sprawl and auto-centric development have also happened in San Francisco, but less so than in most other American cities and it is therefore still one of the best destinations to explore the United States without a car. In later years, the waterfront freeways were deemed an eyesore and eventually torn down and replaced with the far more pleasant Embarcadero Boulevard.

Besides being a beautiful city to visit, from the 1950s forward San Francisco became known as the city of the cool, quirky, unusual, and counterculture. There were the Beatniks of the 1950s and 60s, and the hippies in the 1960s and 70s. "Only in San Francisco" became part of the lexicon to describe San Francisco's counterculture and rebel population, a reputation that still exists today. The film industry also made San Francisco world-famous and instantly recognizable; the city provides a superb backdrop for a movie, regardless of genre or topic.

Since 2000, San Francisco has experienced a development boom. Even with the burst of the dot-com bubble, the economy has remained robust and the city government pushed for redevelopment of its blighted industrial section known as "South of Market". Today, the SoMa area is crowded with new condominium and office buildings, new tourist attractions, and dot-com industries. The city's efforts shielded it somewhat from the 2008 recession and subsequent real estate crash. Today the financial sector is second only to tourism as San Francisco's largest industry, with the city consistently remaining at the top five of the world's most popular tourist destinations. The rise of Silicon Valley and high-tech industries have also contributed significantly to San Francisco's economy, with many tech workers living in San Francisco but commuting to the rest of the Bay Area for work. San Francisco is not without its problems, however, as the large influx of high-income university-educated professionals in the tech and finance sectors has also led to skyrocketing rents and consumer prices, which have made San Francisco among the most expensive cities in the world, and driving many long-time low-income residents into homelessness.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." — attributed to Mark Twain

The best time to visit San Francisco is late September through October, when it is relatively the warmest. All year long, it never gets too cold for winter clothing, and it rarely gets warm enough for shorts and sandals. You will typically need a sweater after sunset, and a windbreaker if you're out by the western part of the peninsula. Prepare to dress in layers to adequately face the microclimates.

San Francisco has a mild climate, with cool, wet winters and dry summers. In most months, you can expect the high temperature to be in the upper 50s, 60s or low 70s °F (15-25 °C). However, these mild temperature readings belie a unique climate not shared by other major cities in the state or country.

Summer days usually start out under fog, slowly burning off towards the ocean into a sunny albeit windy afternoon. Measureable precipitation during the summer months is rare, although light drizzle is possible. Humidity is very constant, but rarely uncomfortable. At late afternoon, when the fog and wind returns people generally find themselves needing a jacket (and this is summer!). There are some days when the fog lingers all day.

In the winter, the rainy season is in full swing. That being said, the chances for a calm, windless, sunny day are actually higher in the winter than in the summer! However, the overall temperatures are going to be lower in the winter.

Spring and fall are not so much seasons in themselves in San Francisco, but rather they are quick transitional periods with some days resembling summer and others the winter. Fall in particular is a good time to visit because the summer wind & fog has mostly gone, but the rainy season has not yet started. The late summer month of September, as summer transitions into fall, is the warmest and driest month of the entire year for San Francisco. Heat waves can occasionally occur around this time of year.

Within these general rules, San Francisco also has a series of microclimates created by the city's topography and maritime setting. Large hills in the city's center block much of the fog, wind, and precipitation that rolls in from the Pacific Ocean. Because of this, there can be significant weather differences in different parts of the city and the surrounding Bay Area at the same time. Generally, the more windward areas along the coast (e.g., the Outer Sunset) are cooler and foggier, while the more leeward areas in the east are warmer and drier (e.g., the Mission). Temperature differences of 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit or so are common on days where the fog persists on the western side of the city. These differences continue as you move east, out of the city, into the East bay, and into the outer East Bay (on the other side of the hills from Berkeley and Oakland), where it can be much hotter and drier. Local meteorologists routinely have three forecasts: one for the coast, one for the bay, and one for the inland areas. In short, if you don't like the weather, perhaps travel a few miles east or west to your desired climate.

San Francisco literature finds its roots in the city's long and often tumultuous history, its diversity, and its attraction to eclectic characters; the city was a major center for the Beat poetry movement and seems to also hold an uncanny attraction for science fiction writers. Among the most famous works set in San Francisco:

• Jack Kerouac spent a lot of time in San Francisco, and portions of two of his most influential works are set here: On the Road and The Dharma Bums. Both are accounts of Kerouac examining his place in the universe; the first a tale of a man traveling the country, the second a story of someone looking for the simple life.
• The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett. A gripping detective novel set in San Francisco that would come to define the private detective genre. The novel follows private eye Sam Spade as he tries to retrieve a valuable bird figurine, and has been adapted into film twice, including one where Spade was played by none other than Humphrey Bogart.
• Tales of the City, Armistead Maupin. A famous series which offers an excellent look into 1970s San Francisco, particularly the city's counter culture and alternative lifestyles.
• Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson lived in the Western Addition in the mid-60s and the city appears in many of his books and articles.
• Philip K. Dick spent much of his life in the San Francisco area, and among his novels set here are Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, set in a post-apocalyptic near future where androids serve humankind and bounty hunters are called in to "retire" androids that become too independent, and The Man in the High Castle, an alternate universe novel where Japan and Germany won World War II.
• The Bridge trilogy (Virtual Light, Idoru, and All Tomorrow's Parties), William Gibson. Set in a futuristic San Francisco following a massive earthquake, in which the city has been rebuilt using nanotechnology and a race is on to control the new cyberspace technology.
• Altered Carbon, Richard K. Morgan. Also set in a futuristic San Francisco, where human personalities can be stored digitally and downloaded into new bodies.
• The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon. A renowned novel which follows a woman who sinks into paranoia as she attempts to unravel a worldwide conspiracy.
• The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan. A story of four Chinese American immigrant families who start a club and spend their time playing the Chinese game of Mahjong and tell of their struggles in traveling to America.
• The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe. A nonfictional account which perfectly captures the Hippie movement, following a band of psychedelic drug users across the country in their painted school bus.
• Barbary Coast, Herbert Asbury. For a nonfictional work on the tumultuous early history of San Francisco, this is an excellent choice.

San Francisco has been the backdrop for many films, due in part to the Bay Area's vibrant filmmaking community and the city's proximity to Hollywood. The production companies of George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, along with the animation company Pixar are just a few of the big players who call the San Francisco area home. Among the better films set in San Francisco:

• The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941). Humphrey Bogart stars as a San Francisco private detective dealing with three unscrupulous adventurers who compete to obtain a fabulous jewel-encrusted statuette of a falcon.
• Dark Passage (Delmer Daves, 1947). An offbeat film noir featuring two icons of the genre, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. The city's dark alleyways and side streets are on prominent display throughout the eccentric story of a man wrongly accused of murder and an enigmatic woman who lives in a lavish art deco apartment on top of the Filbert Steps.
• Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958). While it's not the only Hitchcock film set in San Francisco (portions of The Birds are set here), Vertigo really packs in a lot the city, following a private investigator who suffers from acrophobia as he uncovers the mystery of one woman's peculiar behavior and travels from one San Francisco landmark to the next.
• Bullitt (Peter Yates, 1968). A very popular and highly influential crime thriller starring Steve McQueen (who also starred in the locally-set The Towering Inferno) and featuring one of the best car chase scenes in the history of cinema.
• Psych-Out (Richard Rush, 1968). An incredibly trippy film with psychedelic music (including an appearance from Strawberry Alarm Clock), recreational drugs, and Haight-Ashbury — Hippies aplenty in this one.
• Dirty Harry (Don Siegel, 1971). Another cop film set in San Francisco (in addition, all but one of the sequels were also set here), starring Clint Eastwood chasing down sadistic killers and asking people if they feel lucky. Well do they, punk?
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman, 1978). Emotionless drones impersonating people and hatched from pods take over San Francisco in this classic science fiction flick.
• A whole host of great films have been set at Alcatraz; among them are Escape from Alcatraz (Don Siegel, 1979), Birdman of Alcatraz (John Frankenheimer, 1962), The Rock (Michael Bay, 1996), and the very influential Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967).
• 48 Hrs. (Walter Hill, 1982). Often credited with starting the buddy-cop genre, this flick follows a hot-headed cop who has to team up with a wisecracking convict in order to find two cop killers in the crime-ridden underworld of San Francisco.
• Chan Is Missing (Wayne Wang, 1982). Illustrating the problems experienced by Chinese-Americans, this film tells the story of two taxi drivers searching Chinatown for a man who ran off with their money.
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Leonard Nimoy, 1986). In the 23rd century, San Francisco is the home of Starfleet Command and humpback whales have long been extinct. In this installment of the popular franchise, Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew have to time travel to a more contemporary San Francisco to bring back a couple of whales and save Earth.
• Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008). A biopic on the life of Harvey Milk, the former San Francisco City Supervisor in the late 1970s and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. This story still holds sway for many San Franciscans given the city's role in the ongoing gay rights movement.
• La Mission (Peter Bratt, 2009). Ultra-macho ex-con Che Rivera learns the true meaning of being a father when he discovers his son is gay. Low-key, intimate cinematography of the Mission District abounds in this film.

San Francisco is known for its Victorian architecture, particularly in the central and northern neighborhoods (e.g., Haight-Ashbury, Alamo Square, Noe Valley, Castro, Nob Hill, and Pacific Heights). The city has one of the most restrictive building and planning codes in the world, which helps preserve the historical architecture in certain areas and create a severe shortage of housing stock, which drives up the price of housing. The exorbitant price of housing, both buying and renting, is a favorite topic of San Francisco locals. It helps to explain why there are so few families in San Francisco (another favorite topic).

San Francisco has also undergone high-rise construction boom centered in SoMa, just south of what was historically the center of downtown. This was one of the few areas of the city left for development (i.e. without entrenched anti-development policies). Unlike other major cities like New York and Chicago, San Francisco is not known for having buildings built by star architects. This may be due to the difficulty of getting projects approved in the city.

San Francisco prides itself on its openness to diversity in race, gender, sexual orientation and personal style. This trait is widely considered to be one of the defining features of the city, and it draws both visitors and transplants alike.

Tobacco smokers beware: as in the rest of California, smoking is illegal in bars, restaurants, and other public places. Additionally, the City of San Francisco has a local ordinance that require smokers to go all the way to the curb (or if there is no curb, at least 25 feet from any building - not simply the entrances). As of January 2013 enforcement is inconsistent and the odds you'll be hassled for standing and smoking outside a restaurant or bar are low. Bay Area people can be particularly vocal about personal habits, so take care and be mindful and respectful of others when smoking, even in places where it is allowed.

On the other hand, smoking marijuana is remarkably well-tolerated. While still illegal under federal law, California law allows for the possession, use, and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for adults 21 and over. Using marijuana in public is illegal, but this rarely enforced. You shouldn't smoke marijuana just anywhere, and the rules of etiquette are difficult to navigate. You might find people smoking marijuana at large concerts, but not small concerts, or people smoking marijuana on a street corner in the middle of the day in some neighborhoods (e.g., Haight-Ashbury) but frowned upon in others (e.g., the Financial District).

Public nudity has been celebrated among some residents. However, this has not been without controversy surrounding public nudity in San Francisco. There is now a law banning some public nudity, with nudists actively opposing the law.

It's worth mentioning that natives tend to dislike many of the nicknames given to their city. Instead of saying "San Fran", "Frisco", or "SFO", most refer to San Francisco by its full name or just "The City".

The Bay Area has of one the most vibrant high-tech startup scenes in the world. While the venture capital firms are largely in the South Bay, many of the small startups and tech workers are in San Francisco.

San Francisco's visitor information centers offer maps, brochures and other information for tourists.

• San Francisco Visitor Information Center, 900 Market St (next to the cable car turnaround at Market & Powell, near Union Square, +1-415-391-2000. May through October: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa-Su and holidays 9AM-3PM. November through April: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa and holidays 9AM-3PM. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Visitor Center run by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.
• California Welcome Center, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Building P, Second Level, +1-415-981-1280. One of several California Welcome Centers across the state.

San Francisco Visitor Information Center, 900 Market St (next to the cable car turnaround at Market & Powell, near Union Square, +1-415-391-2000. May through October: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa-Su and holidays 9AM-3PM. November through April: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa and holidays 9AM-3PM. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Visitor Center run by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.

California Welcome Center, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Building P, Second Level, +1-415-981-1280. One of several California Welcome Centers across the state.

English is the dominant language spoken in San Francisco. San Francisco is home to the second largest Chinese community in the United States after New York City, and Cantonese is commonly spoken in the various Chinese-dominated neighborhoods, with an increasing Mandarin-speaking minority. Like much of California, there is also a large Latin American population, so Spanish is also commonly spoken in San Francisco, especially in the Mission District. In addition, there is also a large Filipino community, and Tagalog is commonly heard in Filipino neighborhoods. Most municipal government services are available in English, Cantonese, Spanish and Tagalog.

San Francisco has much to see — these are just the most significant sights. For more detail see the individual district sections, often linked from this entry.

Two passes are available which offer discounts to many interesting attractions:

• San Francisco CityPASS. A relatively cheap and easy way to cover many attractions of the city is the CityPASS. For a cost of $94 for adults and $69 for children 5-11, you get admission to the California Academy of Sciences, a Blue and Gold Fleet bay cruise, the Aquarium of the Bay, and a choice between the Exploratorium or same-day admission to both the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. A CityPASS works for nine consecutive days starting with the use of your first ticket (each ticket only accounts for one visit to each attraction). The pass also includes seven consecutive days of MUNI and cable car fares.
• Go San Francisco Card. Another easy way to cover many attractions and tours is the Go San Francisco Card. This card covers admission to numerous attractions and activities, including sightseeing tours, bay cruises, an Alcatraz tour, and numerous museums. Various pass options are available, such as an all-inclusive pass that covers admission to all participating attractions but is only available in 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7-day periods, to "Explorer" and "Family Fun" passes that cover admission to only 4 or 5 attractions but are good for a full 30 days. Cost of passes vary; see website.

There are many highlight walks you can take to really capture the feel of the city and see a whole lot of attractions at the same time. Some of the best ones are:

• The Marina and the Presidio. Starting at Fort Mason on the eastern end of the Marina District, a stroll along the marina and the adjacent green will offer you excellent views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. At the other end of the Marina District, you can cross Marina Boulevard into the neighborhood to see the spectacular Palace of the Fine Arts and continue further inland into the heart of the Presidio, or you can proceed along the shoreline through Crissy Field to the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Cow Hollow. Union Street between Gough and Fillmore is one of the city's finest shopping streets outside of the city center.
• Pacific Heights. Fillmore Street between Pine and Broadway is lined with a good mix of shopping, views, steep slopes, and some of the city's largest and most expensive homes. Continue west along Broadway to Lyon Street and you'll be at the top of the Lyon Street Steps, a long staircase with superb views over the Bay and the Palace of the Fine Arts that's popular with local joggers.
• Russian Hill. Cozy and welcoming Russian Hill offers plenty of tucked-away stairways and hidden treasures for those who wander away from the cable cars rumbling along Hyde Street or the well-trafficked crooked section of Lombard Street. Stroll down the steps of Vallejo or Francisco Street, wander through the shady alleys past charming gardens and Victorian houses, and test your stamina on some of the city's steepest streets.
• Nob Hill. California Street between Mason and Leavenworth sits atop lavish Nob Hill, where cable cars ply the center of the street past the grand hotels and luxury apartment buildings surrounding the Gothic-style Grace Cathedral.
• Telegraph Hill. Numerous tucked-away staircases, most notably the Greenwich and Filbert Steps on the east side of Telegraph Hill, offer a strenuous and unforgettably beautiful walk up to Coit Tower, past cottages, tranquil gardens, and wonderful views of the Bay, the skyline, and the surrounding hills. You might even be lucky enough to encounter Telegraph Hill's resident flock of wild parrots on the way.
• North Beach. Busy Columbus Avenue cuts diagonally across the street grid from Fisherman's Wharf to the landmark Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in the Financial District, passing through the heart of North Beach with its grand churches and famous cafés once populated with Beat poets.
• Chinatown. Grant Street between Bush and Broadway takes you through the bustling heart of the famous district. Returning by the parallel Stockton or Powell will give you a better feeling of the day-to-day life of the residents, and are both good for those looking for imported commodities such as tea or herbs.
• Fillmore. Post Street from Laguna to Fillmore takes you past the upscale shopping and restaurants of Japantown. Turning left onto Fillmore Street, continuing across Geary and ending at Turk, takes you past internationally known jazz venues and a mix of Black and Korean-owned shops.
• Haight Ashbury. Haight Street from Divisadero to Stanyan covers the shopping district made famous in the 1960s for its hippie culture; at Stanyan the street becomes a path through Golden Gate Park to a popular site (then and now) for relaxing and concerts. For a quieter walk, stroll south on Ashbury from Haight, past Victorians that were once the home to 1960s celebrities, then turn left on Frederick for a steep climb through Buena Vista Park, past stately oaks and splendid views of the skyline.
• Ocean Beach. Ocean Beach is entirely open to pedestrians in both the Richmond and Sunset districts from the Cliff House restaurant in the north to the zoo in the south. For a shorter walk, the windmills near Lincoln at the end of Golden Gate Park offer a good base for a stroll north.
• Lands End. Starting from the Cliff House at the north end of Ocean Beach, you can take a spectacular walk along the coastline with views over steep cliffs, crashing waves, shipwrecks, as well as the ocean and the Golden Gate. At the other end of the trail is the upscale neighborhood of Sea Cliff, home to the scenic China Beach tucked into a sea cove. Along the way you can take short detours to the intriguing ruins of Sutro Baths or venture uphill to the Legion of Honor museum with its excellent European art collection.
• Castro and Noe Valley. Market Street from Church to Castro followed by a left down Castro to 19th takes you through the center of the city's famous gay mecca. Continuing up Castro Street over the hill from there takes you to 24th, the main drag of bohemian Noe Valley.
• Mission. Mission Street between 15th and Cesar Chavez streets provides a look at a neighborhood famous for its Latino food and culture. Parallel to Mission and just a block to the west, Valencia Street is lined with many higher end boutiques and offbeat cafés starting to characterize the neighborhood, and has little of the grit of Mission Street. 16th Street between Mission and Guerrero offers a diversity of cuisine and several hip bars.

[[San Francisco/Golden Gate|The Marina and the Presidio]]. Starting at Fort Mason on the eastern end of the Marina District, a stroll along the marina and the adjacent green will offer you excellent views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. At the other end of the Marina District, you can cross Marina Boulevard into the neighborhood to see the spectacular Palace of the Fine Arts and continue further inland into the heart of the Presidio, or you can proceed along the shoreline through Crissy Field to the Golden Gate Bridge.

[[San Francisco/Golden Gate|Cow Hollow]]. Union Street between Gough and Fillmore is one of the city's finest shopping streets outside of the city center.

[[San Francisco/Golden Gate|Pacific Heights]]. Fillmore Street between Pine and Broadway is lined with a good mix of shopping, views, steep slopes, and some of the city's largest and most expensive homes. Continue west along Broadway to Lyon Street and you'll be at the top of the Lyon Street Steps, a long staircase with superb views over the Bay and the Palace of the Fine Arts that's popular with local joggers.

[[San Francisco/Nob Hill-Russian Hill|Russian Hill]]. Cozy and welcoming Russian Hill offers plenty of tucked-away stairways and hidden treasures for those who wander away from the cable cars rumbling along Hyde Street or the well-trafficked crooked section of Lombard Street. Stroll down the steps of Vallejo or Francisco Street, wander through the shady alleys past charming gardens and Victorian houses, and test your stamina on some of the city's steepest streets.

[[San Francisco/Nob Hill-Russian Hill|Nob Hill]]. California Street between Mason and Leavenworth sits atop lavish Nob Hill, where cable cars ply the center of the street past the grand hotels and luxury apartment buildings surrounding the Gothic-style Grace Cathedral.

[[San Francisco/Chinatown-North Beach|Telegraph Hill]]. Numerous tucked-away staircases, most notably the Greenwich and Filbert Steps on the east side of Telegraph Hill, offer a strenuous and unforgettably beautiful walk up to Coit Tower, past cottages, tranquil gardens, and wonderful views of the Bay, the skyline, and the surrounding hills. You might even be lucky enough to encounter Telegraph Hill's resident flock of wild parrots on the way.

[[San Francisco/Chinatown-North Beach|North Beach]]. Busy Columbus Avenue cuts diagonally across the street grid from Fisherman's Wharf to the landmark Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in the Financial District, passing through the heart of North Beach with its grand churches and famous cafés once populated with Beat poets.

[[San Francisco/Chinatown-North Beach|Chinatown]]. Grant Street between Bush and Broadway takes you through the bustling heart of the famous district. Returning by the parallel Stockton or Powell will give you a better feeling of the day-to-day life of the residents, and are both good for those looking for imported commodities such as tea or herbs.

[[San Francisco/Western Addition|Fillmore]]. Post Street from Laguna to Fillmore takes you past the upscale shopping and restaurants of Japantown. Turning left onto Fillmore Street, continuing across Geary and ending at Turk, takes you past internationally known jazz venues and a mix of Black and Korean-owned shops.

[[San Francisco/Haight|Haight Ashbury]]. Haight Street from Divisadero to Stanyan covers the shopping district made famous in the 1960s for its hippie culture; at Stanyan the street becomes a path through Golden Gate Park to a popular site (then and now) for relaxing and concerts. For a quieter walk, stroll south on Ashbury from Haight, past Victorians that were once the home to 1960s celebrities, then turn left on Frederick for a steep climb through Buena Vista Park, past stately oaks and splendid views of the skyline.

[[San Francisco/The Avenues|Ocean Beach]]. Ocean Beach is entirely open to pedestrians in both the Richmond and Sunset districts from the Cliff House restaurant in the north to the zoo in the south. For a shorter walk, the windmills near Lincoln at the end of Golden Gate Park offer a good base for a stroll north.

[[San Francisco/The Avenues#Lands End|Lands End]]. Starting from the Cliff House at the north end of Ocean Beach, you can take a spectacular walk along the coastline with views over steep cliffs, crashing waves, shipwrecks, as well as the ocean and the Golden Gate. At the other end of the trail is the upscale neighborhood of Sea Cliff, home to the scenic China Beach tucked into a sea cove. Along the way you can take short detours to the intriguing ruins of Sutro Baths or venture uphill to the Legion of Honor museum with its excellent European art collection.

[[San Francisco/Castro-Noe Valley|Castro and Noe Valley]]. Market Street from Church to Castro followed by a left down Castro to 19th takes you through the center of the city's famous gay mecca. Continuing up Castro Street over the hill from there takes you to 24th, the main drag of bohemian Noe Valley.

[[San Francisco/Mission|Mission]]. Mission Street between 15th and Cesar Chavez streets provides a look at a neighborhood famous for its Latino food and culture. Parallel to Mission and just a block to the west, Valencia Street is lined with many higher end boutiques and offbeat cafés starting to characterize the neighborhood, and has little of the grit of Mission Street. 16th Street between Mission and Guerrero offers a diversity of cuisine and several hip bars.

Perhaps the most recognizable landmark in San Francisco and one of the most famous bridges in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge, spanning the Golden Gate, has been called one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and is the first thing you see of San Francisco if driving in from the north, as it is one of the major road routes into and out of the city. Overlooking the Golden Gate is the Presidio, a former military post with beautiful architecture and a very scenic park setting. Just outside the Presidio is the gorgeous Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and reminiscent of Roman and Greek architecture.

Within the center of the city, the famous cable cars run up and down the hills of San Francisco between Market Street and Fisherman's Wharf and offer quite a ride (see above under Get around for more info). Atop one of those hills, Telegraph Hill in North Beach, is Coit Tower, a gleaming white tower dedicated to the San Francisco firefighters. At high, the hill is a healthy hike from the nearby neighborhoods just below. Another prominent tower nearby is the Transamerica Pyramid, the tallest and most recognizable building in the San Francisco skyline, located among the skyscrapers and highrises of the Financial District. Perhaps the most famous view of that skyline is from Alamo Square Park in the Western Addition district, home to the famous Painted Ladies row of Victorian houses, with many other pretty Victorians encircling the lovely park.

Over on Russian Hill is the famous stretch of Lombard Street between Hyde & Leavenworth, the (nearly) crookedest street in America. The city also has a twistier but less scenic stretch of street, Vermont Street on Potrero Hill. Other street oddities in San Francisco include 22nd Street between Vicksburg and Church in Noe Valley and Filbert Street between Leavenworth and Hyde on Russian Hill — At a 31.5% grade, these streets share the honor of the steepest streets in San Francisco.

San Francisco is also well known for its collection of unique and intriguing neighborhoods. Most tourists start with Fisherman's Wharf; although many of the locals consider it a tourist trap, it is a great place to see amazing street entertainers, watch sea lions, visit museums, or take a cruise to the infamous Alcatraz Prison or the pleasant Angel Island. Working fishing boats still come into the small harbor here, and the district is home to several excellent seafood restaurants. The fresh breeze from the bay can provide a bracing setting.

Chinatown, centered around Grant Street from Bush to Columbus, is part tourist trap, part an exhibit of local life. Good eating places abound, and the side streets especially have stores one wouldn't find in a mall. Stockton Street is where most locals do their shopping for groceries; be sure to sample some of the dim sum and other specialties offered in the many bustling shops. However, many local Chinese prefer to eat and shop in the new Chinatowns located in other neighborhoods such as on Clement Street between 2nd and 12th Avenues in the Inner Richmond neighborhood. The Muni #1 (California) and #2 (Clement, does not run at night) buses get people from one Chinatown to the other.

Closer to Downtown is the Civic Center, with its impressive Beaux Arts buildings including City Hall and the War Memorial Veterans Building, the celebrated Asian Art Museum, music and theater venues (including large concert halls and a renowned Symphony and Opera), and the main public library. Nearby, within the highrises of Downtown, Union Square is the heart of the city's main shopping and hotel district, while SoMa to the south is rapidly gentrifying, home to the city's main convention center and several new museums.

To the west of Downtown is Haight Ashbury, famous for being a center of the Hippie movement in the 60s and 70s. While tourism has softened the image of the neighborhood somewhat, the area still retains its distinct feel with small organic coffee shops and store after store selling marijuana-themed goods, tie dye tee shirts and hand bands. Nearby at the top of Market Street is the Castro, the center of San Francisco's Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Transgender (LGBT) community, with numerous theaters and small shops and restaurants. Next door is the Mission District, home to the Mission Dolores Church, one of the oldest structures in the city, and a fantastic collection of murals of all sorts on the walls of many nearby buildings, especially on alleys between Market and Valencia.

Treasure Island, an artificial island half-way between San Francisco and Oakland connected to the Bay Bridge, has excellent views of the San Francisco and Oakland skylines and quirky structures from the international fairground-turned-navy base-turned-neighborhood. Accessible by Muni bus #25 from the Transbay Terminal in SoMa.

When the morning is foggy, you may want to spend a few hours in one of the city's many world-class museums. Many museums offer free admission on certain days during the first week of every month. Golden Gate Park is home to the copper-clad M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, which houses an impressive collection of contemporary and indigenous art. The de Young Museum's former Asian collection is now permanently housed in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, located in the Civic Center. Across from the de Young Museum stands the California Academy of Sciences, which holds a huge array of science exhibits, including an aquarium and a natural history museum. Lincoln Park, across the Richmond district from Golden Gate Park, is the home of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, which houses an incredible collection of European art and makes for a good companion visit to de Young Museum, given that admission to either includes same-day admission to the other.

In Nob Hill, the Cable Car Museum offers exhibits on the famous moving landmarks of San Francisco and the opportunity to view the machinery that powers the cable cars. Another fun transportation museum is the small but charming San Francisco Railway Museum, on the streetcar line in the Financial District. Nearby SoMa is home to a growing number of museums, most notably the extensive, and renowned San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, but also smaller specialized museums like the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Children's Creativity Museum, the Cartoon Art Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the California Historical Society Museum, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Down near the Castro is the GLBT History Museum, while a hill overlooking the Castro holds the Randall Museum, a lovely little children's museum off the beaten path.

At the Hyde Street Pier in Fisherman's Wharf you can board several historical ships, including the 1886 Balclutha clipper ship, a walking-beam ferry, a steam tug, and a coastal schooner. At Pier 45 just to the east, the World War II submarine USS Pampanito and the World War II Liberty Ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien can be visited. Nearby is the Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39 and the Wax Museum. Just down the Embarcadero from the Wharf is the Exploratorium at Pier 15, which will keep your kids busy for an entire day with their science and perception exhibits. And just outside the Wharf in the Marina district is Fort Mason, home to a few cultural museums.

San Francisco has numerous parks, ranging from the tiny to the huge. The most famous of them is Golden Gate Park in The Avenues, a massive (roughly 1/2 mile-by-four mile) urban oasis with windmills, bison, museums, a carousel and much more hidden among its charms. The park contains the antique palatial greenhouse of the Conservatory of Flowers, the modern and ethnic art focused de Young Museum, the large Japanese Tea Garden, the new California Academy of Sciences building designed by Renzo Piano and the Strybing Arboretum, a collection of plants from across the temperate world. Defining the extreme northwestern corner of the city is Lands End in Richmond, which provides majestic views of the Marin Headlands, the Golden Gate Bridge from the ocean side, and the Pacific Ocean itself. At the extreme western end the well known Cliff House provides both semi-casual and a more formal eating and drinking place overlooking the intriguing ruins of Sutro Baths.

Near the physical center of the city is the Twin Peaks, one of San Francisco's highest points (875' above sea level); providing spectacular views in all directions. Tour buses can get backed up here during the day, but it's a great place to really appreciate the city from above, especially at and after sunset. Temperatures up there can be quite a bit lower than in the rest of the city, so bring a jacket. Nearby in the Lake Merced area is the San Francisco Zoo, a large and well maintained zoo which is a great place to go if you are traveling with children or have a fondness for penguins, primates, lions or llamas.

While not particularly well known for its beaches, San Francisco has a couple of good ones along the Pacific Ocean — but the water is brisk, the winds can be rough, and due to strong rip currents swimming at any of them is not recommended. Ocean Beach along the Sunset district is the largest and most famous beach, with plenty of sand and people enjoying themselves. China Beach in Richmond and Baker Beach in Golden Gate are smaller, rather secluded beaches with lovely views.

Off the coast of San Francisco is one of the most productive marine environments on Earth, which attracts abundant marine life including blue whales, gray whales, humpback whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions, leatherback sea turtles, and many species of seabirds. The rocky Farallon Islands, roughly 30 miles offshore from San Francisco, are part of a National Marine Sanctuary and provide nesting habitat for tens of thousands of seabirds. The islands are also known for attracting large numbers of great white sharks from September through November. It is possible to take boat tours to the Farallon Islands throughout most of the year and go whale watching, departing from Fisherman's Wharf or the Marina in San Francisco.

On sunny days hipsters flock to Mission Dolores Park, so named due to its location across the street from the Mission Dolores Basilica. The park often comes to resemble a large party, with music, coolers of beer and, er, uh...medical marijuana treatment. Mission Dolores Park is situated on a slight slope on the edge of the Mission neighborhood, just a few blocks from the district's many restaurants and bars. The east side of the park is bounded by Dolores Street, a hilly and scenic drive lined with palm trees and Victorians.

In the southern half of the city is the often overlooked but wonderful Bernal Heights Park, a small park on top of a hill overlooking the entire eastern half of the city, with excellent views of the skyscrapers in the Financial District, the Mission District, and the hills in the southeastern corner of the city. A wide trail runs around the base of the park below the peak which can be walked in ten to fifteen minutes. Bernal Heights Park is dog friendly, so much so that a coyote is often observed there.

San Francisco CityPASS. A relatively cheap and easy way to cover many attractions of the city is the CityPASS. For a cost of $94 for adults and $69 for children 5-11, you get admission to the California Academy of Sciences, a Blue and Gold Fleet bay cruise, the Aquarium of the Bay, and a choice between the Exploratorium or same-day admission to both the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. A CityPASS works for nine consecutive days starting with the use of your first ticket (each ticket only accounts for one visit to each attraction). The pass also includes seven consecutive days of MUNI and cable car fares.

Go San Francisco Card. Another easy way to cover many attractions and tours is the Go San Francisco Card. This card covers admission to numerous attractions and activities, including sightseeing tours, bay cruises, an Alcatraz tour, and numerous museums. Various pass options are available, such as an all-inclusive pass that covers admission to all participating attractions but is only available in 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7-day periods, to "Explorer" and "Family Fun" passes that cover admission to only 4 or 5 attractions but are good for a full 30 days. Cost of passes vary; see website.

One of the best ways to see San Francisco is from the waters of San Francisco Bay. There are many companies offering harbor tours of varying durations and prices but they all provide marvelous views of the bay, the bridges, the island of Alcatraz and the city.

Only specific island tours are allowed to land at Alcatraz, but the typical harbor tour will circle the island at a slow crawl, giving you plenty of opportunity to photograph the now-inactive prison from the water.

Also consider taking a ferry from San Francisco across the bay to Tiburon, Sausalito, or Alameda. Same views for a fraction of the price.

Most tours leave from docks at Fisherman's Wharf near Pier 39. Tickets can be purchased at kiosks along the waterfront walk. Buy tickets a day or two in advance during the summer high season.

Boats usually leave roughly hourly starting around 10AM and ending around 5PM. Multi-lingual guides are available on some tours. Prices range from $20–40, more for sunset, dinner, or whale watching tours.

• Even on a sunny day the bay can be chilly, so be sure to bring a sweater as well as sun screen.
• Some boats have snack bars on board, but bring your own water and treats to avoid paying high costs or going without. There are now limited refreshments and a souvenirs shop on Alcatraz.

• San Francisco has a Half-Price Ticket Booth in the middle of Union Square, where tickets for most San Francisco theater performances can be purchased the day of the performance for half-price. Run by Theatre Bay Area, all service fees collected from the sale of tickets by TIX Bay Area goes right back into the theater community.
• Go to a concert, a play, a jazz or a folk-song performance. There are performances most days to choose from by the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Symphony, in Herbst Theater (where the United Nations charter was signed), in the Old First Church, and for musicals in the Orpheum or the Golden Gate Theaters, all located in or near the Civic Center. The museum of the Legion of Honor, located in Lincoln Park overlooking the Golden Gate (north end of 34th Ave), has organ concerts which can be heard in many of its galleries, Saturdays and Sundays at 4PM, as well as music performances in its Florence Gould Theater by the San Francisco Lyric Opera. For the fall and spring jazz festivals look into the SFJAZZ calendar. San Francisco also has many jazz clubs, best found by browsing the web (an excellent site is SFStation.com). Contemporary bands are featured at The Fillmore Auditorium and less frequently at the large Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in the Civic Center. There is an annual blues festival in late September, at various locations, and at least two great bluegrass music festivals each year — during February around the area and late September or October in Golden Gate Park. Many events are listed by the City Box Office.
• Ballet of the world class variety can be seen for only $10. San Francisco Ballet sells standing room tickets (with excellent views from the back of the orchestra) for their shows at the War Memorial Opera House in Civic Center during the afternoon of each performance as well as two hours before showtime.
• Plays are performed at the Geary (by the American Conservatory Theater), Curran, and the Marines Memorial theatres near Union Square, and at the small New Conservatory Theater near the Civic Center.
• Musicals from Broadway and Los Angeles are shown at the traditional Golden Gate and Orpheum theaters on Market, near the Civic Center. For outrageous fun, princes and paupers go to Beach Blanket Babylon in North Beach. Teenagers are welcome at the Sunday matinees. It considers itself the longest running musical revue in theater history.

San Francisco has a Half-Price Ticket Booth in the middle of [[San Francisco/Union Square-Financial District|Union Square]], where tickets for most San Francisco theater performances can be purchased the day of the performance for half-price. Run by Theatre Bay Area, all service fees collected from the sale of tickets by TIX Bay Area goes right back into the theater community.

Go to a concert, a play, a jazz or a folk-song performance. There are performances most days to choose from by the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Symphony, in Herbst Theater (where the United Nations charter was signed), in the Old First Church, and for musicals in the Orpheum or the Golden Gate Theaters, all located in or near the [[San Francisco/Civic Center-Tenderloin|Civic Center]]. The museum of the Legion of Honor, located in [[San Francisco/The Avenues|Lincoln Park]] overlooking the Golden Gate (north end of 34th Ave), has organ concerts which can be heard in many of its galleries, Saturdays and Sundays at 4PM, as well as music performances in its Florence Gould Theater by the San Francisco Lyric Opera. For the fall and spring jazz festivals look into the SFJAZZ calendar. San Francisco also has many jazz clubs, best found by browsing the web (an excellent site is SFStation.com). Contemporary bands are featured at The Fillmore Auditorium and less frequently at the large Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in the [[San Francisco/Civic Center-Tenderloin|Civic Center]]. There is an annual blues festival in late September, at various locations, and at least two great bluegrass music festivals each year — during February around the area and late September or October in [[San Francisco/The Avenues|Golden Gate Park]]. Many events are listed by the City Box Office.

Ballet of the world class variety can be seen for only $10. San Francisco Ballet sells standing room tickets (with excellent views from the back of the orchestra) for their shows at the War Memorial Opera House in [[San Francisco/Civic Center-Tenderloin|Civic Center]] during the afternoon of each performance as well as two hours before showtime.

Plays are performed at the Geary (by the American Conservatory Theater), Curran, and the Marines Memorial theatres near [[San Francisco/Union Square-Financial District#Performing arts|Union Square]], and at the small New Conservatory Theater near the [[San Francisco/Civic Center-Tenderloin|Civic Center]].

Musicals from Broadway and Los Angeles are shown at the traditional Golden Gate and Orpheum theaters on Market, near the [[San Francisco/Civic Center-Tenderloin|Civic Center]]. For outrageous fun, princes and paupers go to Beach Blanket Babylon in [[San Francisco/Chinatown-North Beach|North Beach]]. Teenagers are welcome at the Sunday matinees. It considers itself the longest running musical revue in theater history.

There is an incredible array of events going on in San Francisco — virtually every day there will be something of interest to anyone going on, and San Francisco's mild climate ensures that practically every weekend will bring another major festival or some sort of large event. Listed here are just some of the really big events going on:

• Chinese New Year Festivities, Chinatown. January or February. The San Francisco version of the Chinese New Year dates way back, with a colorful, vibrant parade with decorative costumes, lions, deafening firecrackers, "lucky-money" envelopes, colorful banners, ornately themed floats, martial arts groups, stilt walkers, acrobats, and, of course, a 200-foot Golden Dragon.
• Easter Parade and Spring Celebration, Union Street in Golden Gate. The kid-friendly but diverse festivities include a petting zoo, pony rides, live music, train rides, alfresco dining, and a parade.
• Fourth of July. San Francisco's main Independence Day celebrations take place on Fisherman's Wharf. There is lots of free entertainment during the day, culminating with an impressive fireworks display from the foot of Municipal Pier, and at the other end of the Wharf from barges moored off the north of Pier 39.
• Columbus Day Parade, North Beach. This hugely popular parade celebrates Christopher Columbus and Italian heritage. Handmade floats run all the way from Fisherman's Wharf up Columbus Avenue through North Beach.
• Tree Lighting Ceremony at Ghirardelli Square, Ghirardelli Square, Fishermans' Wharf. End of November. Ring in the holiday season by attending the festivities at Ghirardelli Square. There's theater, live music, and then at the end they decorate a 45-foot Christmas tree with ornaments, lights, and chocolate bars.

Chinese New Year Festivities, Chinatown. January or February. The San Francisco version of the Chinese New Year dates way back, with a colorful, vibrant parade with decorative costumes, lions, deafening firecrackers, "lucky-money" envelopes, colorful banners, ornately themed floats, martial arts groups, stilt walkers, acrobats, and, of course, a 200-foot Golden Dragon.

Easter Parade and Spring Celebration, Union Street in Golden Gate. The kid-friendly but diverse festivities include a petting zoo, pony rides, live music, train rides, alfresco dining, and a parade.

Fourth of July. San Francisco's main Independence Day celebrations take place on [[San Francisco/Fisherman's Wharf|Fisherman's Wharf]]. There is lots of free entertainment during the day, culminating with an impressive fireworks display from the foot of Municipal Pier, and at the other end of the Wharf from barges moored off the north of Pier 39.

Columbus Day Parade, North Beach. This hugely popular parade celebrates Christopher Columbus and Italian heritage. Handmade floats run all the way from Fisherman's Wharf up Columbus Avenue through North Beach.

Tree Lighting Ceremony at Ghirardelli Square, Ghirardelli Square, Fishermans' Wharf. End of November. Ring in the holiday season by attending the festivities at Ghirardelli Square. There's theater, live music, and then at the end they decorate a 45-foot Christmas tree with ornaments, lights, and chocolate bars.

San Francisco is famous for its exuberant and visible lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, who always put together some very festive events:

• Pink Saturday. A street party in the Castro on the Saturday night before the Pride Parade and Celebration.
• San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration. One of the largest gay pride parades and festivals in North America, centered in the Civic Center area. It's a huge, happy, chaotic celebration of diversity, politics, sexuality, and San Francisco wackiness, on the last weekend in June. About a dozen stages and spaces offer everything from square dancing to hip-hop, from a family garden to Leather Alley. It's a movement, it's a market, it's a party. The parade and celebration are for everyone—straight and gay are welcome.
• Halloween in the Castro. Halloween, the holiday when everyone puts on a mask, has long been a special time for gay, lesbian and bisexual people to take off the "straight-looking mask" they sometimes wore all year, and be themselves. What remains today is a huge, sometimes poorly controlled, street party in the Castro on the evening of October 31 each year. Police efforts have attempted to tame this and it has been much diminished.

Pink Saturday. A street party in the [[San Francisco/Castro-Noe Valley|Castro]] on the Saturday night before the Pride Parade and Celebration.

San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration. One of the largest gay pride parades and festivals in North America, centered in the [[San Francisco/Civic Center-Tenderloin|Civic Center]] area. It's a huge, happy, chaotic celebration of diversity, politics, sexuality, and San Francisco wackiness, on the last weekend in June. About a dozen stages and spaces offer everything from square dancing to hip-hop, from a family garden to Leather Alley. It's a movement, it's a market, it's a party. The parade and celebration are for everyone—straight and gay are welcome.

Halloween in the Castro. Halloween, the holiday when everyone puts on a mask, has long been a special time for gay, lesbian and bisexual people to take off the "straight-looking mask" they sometimes wore all year, and be themselves. What remains today is a huge, sometimes poorly controlled, street party in the [[San Francisco/Castro-Noe Valley|Castro]] on the evening of October 31 each year. Police efforts have attempted to tame this and it has been much diminished.

• Critical Mass. On the last Friday of each month, bicyclists in San Francisco (and about 200 like-minded cities world-wide) gather at the north end of Market Street on the Embarcadero and ride en masse to some destination, demonstrating their right to use the roads. If you are driving in SF on a Critical Mass day, you will want to listen for radio traffic reports, but if you are stopped by the mass the best thing to do is maintain a good sense of humor and remember that it will all pass in about 5 minutes. Tempers can and do flare, and there have been cases where run-ins with drivers and bicyclists have gotten violent. If your car is surrounded by bikes, definitely do not move until they have passed or they might feel threatened.
• Bay to Breakers. Third Sunday in May. An annual footrace that is one of the largest in the country. The route runs from Downtown to Ocean Beach. Many runners do the whole thing in costume, wearing anything from elaborate costumes to wearing almost nothing at all, lending a party atmosphere to the event.
• Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Second Sunday in June. Participants (which often include world champions and Olympic medalists) swim 1.5 miles through chilly waters, bike 18 miles, and then run an extra 8 miles. The course winds its way throughout the city, but the transition and finish line is at Marina Green in the Golden Gate area.
• Fleet Week, Fisherman's Wharf. Usually held in the first week of October, it's a tribute to the men and women in the armed forces. A flotilla of Navy ships dock on the Wharf in parade fashion, and there are many free Deck tours available from crew members. There are also several air displays by the Navy flyers.
• Sunday Streets. An approximately monthly event rotating through various neighborhoods where the local main street is closed to car traffic for a pedestrian street fair.

Critical Mass. On the last Friday of each month, bicyclists in San Francisco (and about 200 like-minded cities world-wide) gather at the north end of Market Street on the Embarcadero and ride en masse to some destination, demonstrating their right to use the roads. If you are driving in SF on a Critical Mass day, you will want to listen for radio traffic reports, but if you are stopped by the mass the best thing to do is maintain a good sense of humor and remember that it will all pass in about 5 minutes. Tempers can and do flare, and there have been cases where run-ins with drivers and bicyclists have gotten violent. If your car is surrounded by bikes, definitely do not move until they have passed or they might feel threatened.

Bay to Breakers. Third Sunday in May. An annual footrace that is one of the largest in the country. The route runs from Downtown to Ocean Beach. Many runners do the whole thing in costume, wearing anything from elaborate costumes to wearing almost nothing at all, lending a party atmosphere to the event.

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Second Sunday in June. Participants (which often include world champions and Olympic medalists) swim 1.5 miles through chilly waters, bike 18 miles, and then run an extra 8 miles. The course winds its way throughout the city, but the transition and finish line is at Marina Green in the [[San Francisco/Golden Gate|Golden Gate]] area.

Fleet Week, Fisherman's Wharf. Usually held in the first week of October, it's a tribute to the men and women in the armed forces. A flotilla of Navy ships dock on the Wharf in parade fashion, and there are many free Deck tours available from crew members. There are also several air displays by the Navy flyers.

Sunday Streets. An approximately monthly event rotating through various neighborhoods where the local main street is closed to car traffic for a pedestrian street fair.

The Bay Area has several professional sports teams, although most of those teams play in nearby San Jose and Oakland rather than San Francisco itself. The National Football League's San Francisco 49ers moved from Candlestick Park (which has since been demolished) in San Francisco to Santa Clara in 2014.

The San Francisco Giants are the city's Major League Baseball team, playing their home games at the lovely Oracle Park (recently renamed from AT&T Park) in SoMa and commanding a large and devoted fan base. With the Niners' move to Santa Clara, the Giants are the only team in America's major sports leagues playing in the city itself—at least until the 2019–20 NBA season, when the Golden State Warriors will move from their longtime home in Oakland to the new Chase Center, located on the Mission Bay waterfront a few blocks south of Oracle Park. As far as college sports go in San Francisco, the only NCAA Division I program in the city itself is the San Francisco Dons, representing the University of San Francisco and playing various college sports including baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball at their campus in Western Addition. The San Francisco State Gators, an NCAA Division II program, play various college sports including baseball, basketball and soccer at their campus near Lake Merced.

San Francisco is a hotbed for underground music; a highly diverse array of musical styles is represented (e.g., rock, pop, experimental, weird folk, and avant-jazz). Shows occur every night, with as many as fifteen small shows occurring each Thursday through Saturday night. Much of this activity is not always well covered in the mainstream media; useful community-driven resources for finding about local shows include the Transbay Calendar.

San Francisco is the arguably most expensive city in the U.S., and prices of many things, including groceries, restaurant meals and rent have even surpassed those of notoriously expensive New York City.

If you want it, chances are likely you can get it in San Francisco. There are a wide range of small and locally owned businesses throughout the city's neighborhoods; in fact, San Francisco has for the most part repelled the development of large chain retailers and big box stores that are common across America.

If it's tourist trinkets you're looking for, Fisherman's Wharf has the typical souvenir, T-shirt, and camera shops, along with plenty of specialty stores. However, San Francisco's most popular shopping area is Union Square, which has all the big national department stores (Macy's, Saks, Nordstrom, etc.) and plenty of fancy boutique stores, as well as a few shopping centers thrown in.

For small, upscale boutiques, Union Street, Fillmore Street, and Chestnut Street in the Golden Gate area are lined with unique and trendy places, and all three streets are among the best spots in the city to window shop. Nob Hill is also full of specialty places.

But if you don't have a luxury dollar to spend and still want to walk away with something unique, there are plenty of shops in Chinatown for you, selling Oriental handicrafts of all descriptions, and no chain stores in sight. Japantown also offers plenty of great shops selling authentic souvenirs, including the excellent Kinokuniya Stationery/Bookstore. The Haight is full of excellent independent record and book stores, with Amoeba Music dominating the scene.

San Francisco is a "foodie" city with a vast array of restaurants. In fact, San Francisco has more restaurants per capita than any major city in North America, with 1 restaurant for every 250 residents (in comparison, New York City has 1 restaurant for every 940 residents). The price range is huge, of course, and you can spend anywhere from a small fortune to a couple bucks for every type of cuisine. In addition to the range of ethnic restaurants you'd expect to find, bay area food culture focuses on "artisanal" food (see the Ferry Building) and fresh fruits and vegetables (see Alice Waters), drawing from the nearby farms in California.

One local specialty in San Francisco is the sushi burrito, which, as the name suggests, is a cross between a sushi and a burrito, and was invented by local fast-casual chain Sushirrito in 2008.

In San Francisco, you would be well-served by using an online restaurant rating website to find the best restaurants. Yelp.com, for example, is actively maintained by San Franciscans. All the best restaurants (and bars) are mobbed on the weekends, so you'll do well to check out the availability on opentable.com or similar websites.

Ethnic food and neighborhoods:

• You can still find some ethnic food districts in San Francisco. Some of these, like North Beach, have become museums for tourists, while others, such as the (Inner) Mission and Chinatown, are still strongly ethnic neighborhoods which maintain their native food culture. In truth, the food culture in the city is oriented less around ethnic districts than restaurant areas. In the Mission, for example, you will find not just Mexican food but rather excellent options of many kinds (e.g., Sushi, Indian, Italian, Thai, etc.)
• With the largest Chinatown in North America as well as one of the largest Chinese communities in the West, there are many exceptional restaurants serving dim sum and other Chinese delicacies found throughout the city. This localized Chinese cuisine has its feet in Hong Kong and America, and is different from what many visitors are accustomed to — it is common to hear complaints from Chinese visitors that Chinese food here is not like the food back home. There are several main types of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco: those primarily serving immigrants from Hong Kong ("Hong Kong style") which commonly have signs on the wall in Chinese characters, live fish and shellfish tanks and some exotic main ingredients, such as pig's blood or sea cucumber; those primarily serving San Franciscans who are not Asian immigrants ("California Chinese") which commonly have Westernized table service, low fat content and more emphasis on fresh vegetables; those primarily serving tourists or other people accustomed to Chinese food as it is commonly served in the United States ("Americanized Chinese"); and those primarily serving immigrants from other areas or a particular dietary need or interest (regional cuisines, vegetarian, Muslim). There may be some mixing between these various classifications and each category may influence the others, for instance, the Americanized dish known as Chop Suey is often not served even at Americanized Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, while Chinese vegetables such as bok choy and pea sprouts may turn up on your plate at California Cuisine style restaurants.
• San Francisco is also one of the best places in the nation for other Asian cuisine: Korean, Thai, Indian, and Japanese. Sushi is a local obsession. Japantown and the Richmond district have more than their fair share of excellent sushi chefs.
• Inexplicably to many locals, Fisherman's Wharf remains a popular place for tourists to find fresh but overpriced seafood, especially clam chowder and crabs cooked to order.
• For tourists, North Beach is the place to go for Italian food. Beware that the restaurants along Columbus, which are oriented toward tourists, will be overpriced. You can, of course, find great Italian and pizza all over the city.
• The Mission (birthplace of the mission style burrito) is great for Mexican and Latin American cuisine of all sorts.

San Francisco restaurants are also very corkage friendly. Average corkage fee appears to be in the $15 range, with some of the more pricey places charging $25–35.

Vegetarians and vegans will find SF a paradise, however contrary to popular belief the city has one of the lowest rates of vegetarian consumers in the nation.

With the largest [[San Francisco/Chinatown-North Beach|Chinatown]] in North America as well as one of the largest Chinese communities in the West, there are many exceptional restaurants serving dim sum and other Chinese delicacies found throughout the city. This localized Chinese cuisine has its feet in Hong Kong and America, and is different from what many visitors are accustomed to — it is common to hear complaints from Chinese visitors that Chinese food here is not like the food back home. There are several main types of Chinese restaurants in San Francisco: those primarily serving immigrants from Hong Kong ("Hong Kong style") which commonly have signs on the wall in Chinese characters, live fish and shellfish tanks and some exotic main ingredients, such as pig's blood or sea cucumber; those primarily serving San Franciscans who are not Asian immigrants ("California Chinese") which commonly have Westernized table service, low fat content and more emphasis on fresh vegetables; those primarily serving tourists or other people accustomed to Chinese food as it is commonly served in the United States ("Americanized Chinese"); and those primarily serving immigrants from other areas or a particular dietary need or interest (regional cuisines, vegetarian, Muslim). There may be some mixing between these various classifications and each category may influence the others, for instance, the Americanized dish known as Chop Suey is often not served even at Americanized Chinese restaurants in San Francisco, while Chinese vegetables such as bok choy and pea sprouts may turn up on your plate at California Cuisine style restaurants.

San Francisco is also one of the best places in the nation for other Asian cuisine: Korean, Thai, Indian, and Japanese. Sushi is a local obsession. [[San Francisco/Western Addition|Japantown]] and the [[San Francisco/The Avenues|Richmond]] district have more than their fair share of excellent sushi chefs.

Inexplicably to many locals, [[San Francisco/Fisherman's Wharf|Fisherman's Wharf]] remains a popular place for tourists to find fresh but overpriced seafood, especially clam chowder and crabs cooked to order.

For tourists, [[San Francisco/Chinatown-North Beach|North Beach]] is the place to go for Italian food. Beware that the restaurants along Columbus, which are oriented toward tourists, will be overpriced. You can, of course, find great Italian and pizza all over the city.

The [[San Francisco/Mission|Mission]] (birthplace of the mission style burrito) is great for Mexican and Latin American cuisine of all sorts.

The best way to find a good bar or club is to ask the advice of a local; but barring that a copy of The SF Bay Guardian or the SF Weekly or a quick search on yelp/google will help you find something suited to your personal taste.

The great diversity of nightlife in San Francisco, sometimes within one neighborhood, reflects the diversity of cultures there. Here's a sampling:

• If you want door-to-door bar hopping at friendly bars that serve PBR tall boys, definitely go to "Polk Gulch" in the Tenderloin and work your way north through bars such as Mayes and Hemlock.
• Head to the Marina for mid-20s to mid-30s professionals (and those visiting from Los Angeles) as well as a college atmosphere clubbing scene around super packed club/bars such as Circa.
• Are you into clubs? If you want to commit to a single venue for the night and club the night away, pay the necessary cover at high end clubs in South of Market (SoMa) such as The Grand and Manor West, where you can find left-over dot-commers and hipsters hanging out on the street. If you're in the mood for world class clubbing, Ruby Skye near Union Square is a must visit place; the SF equivalent of a Vegas club, but be prepared to buy tickets ahead of time and wait in line.
• The Castro primarily serves San Francisco's gay men, while Bernal Heights has some notable lesbian bars.
• The Mission offers a more down to earth vibe that still lets you get your dance on; a bonus with this is that you can end the night with a great burrito from one of the local Mission taquerias.
• With a large Irish population, San Francisco has a number of very good Irish pubs (e.g., Danny Coyle's in the Haight, Four Deuces in the Sunset, and many others). North Beach is home to several dance clubs and strip clubs.
• If you like soccer (football) and all things English, you should stop into the Kezar Pub, at the edge of the Haight-Ashbury District, or Lower Haight's Mad Dog In the Fog. The pub quiz and bar food are good. Swill some pints and stay in the dark. Good for an entire day's worth of drinking.

If you want door-to-door bar hopping at friendly bars that serve PBR tall boys, definitely go to "Polk Gulch" in the [[San Francisco/Civic Center-Tenderloin|Tenderloin]] and work your way north through bars such as Mayes and Hemlock.

Head to the [[San Francisco/Golden Gate|Marina]] for mid-20s to mid-30s professionals (and those visiting from Los Angeles) as well as a college atmosphere clubbing scene around super packed club/bars such as Circa.

Are you into clubs? If you want to commit to a single venue for the night and club the night away, pay the necessary cover at high end clubs in South of Market ([[San Francisco/SoMa|SoMa]]) such as The Grand and Manor West, where you can find left-over dot-commers and hipsters hanging out on the street. If you're in the mood for world class clubbing, Ruby Skye near [[San Francisco/Union Square-Financial District#Drink|Union Square]] is a must visit place; the SF equivalent of a Vegas club, but be prepared to buy tickets ahead of time and wait in line.

If you like soccer (football) and all things English, you should stop into the Kezar Pub, at the edge of the Haight-Ashbury District, or [[San Francisco/Haight|Lower Haight]]'s Mad Dog In the Fog. The pub quiz and bar food are good. Swill some pints and stay in the dark. Good for an entire day's worth of drinking.

San Francisco, despite being much smaller than New York City, sports more microbreweries. Anchor Brewing Company (makers of Anchor Steam, found throughout the US) is brewed on Potrero Hill, though it is generally not open to the public (tours are available by reservation). They maintain a beer garden at the Yard at Mission Rock, just across from the ballpark. Similarly, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers opens its doors on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, though its location in Hunter's Point makes it a long Muni ride if you're traveling without a car. The other microbreweries are housed in brewpubs:

• Beach Chalet & Park Chalet are at the Pacific end of Golden Gate Park, where you can enjoy a view of the ocean or sit in the lawn area.
• Pizza Orgasmica in the Richmond District specializes in California-style pizza.
• Magnolia Brewing Company is in the heart of the Haight, and operates a second restaurant down the street, The Alembic, as well as well as a barbeque joint with their beers in Dogpatch, Smokestack.
• Thirsty Bear in SoMa caters mostly to the happy hour crowd.
• 21st Amendment, also in SoMa, is three blocks away from the Giants' home at AT&T Park.
• Social Kitchen & Brewery is in the Sunset District, a block from Golden Gate Park.
• Southern Pacific Brewing Company is a large bar in the Mission District.
• Cellarmaker Brewing Company is a highly regarded brewery in SoMa, with an emphasis on hop-driven beers.

Other destinations for beer drinkers include the City Beer Store and Tasting Bar on Folsom St in SoMa (your best bet for beer to go), the Mission's Monk's Kettle, and the famous Toronado Pub on lower Haight Street, which specializes in Belgian ales.

The surrounding Alameda, San Mateo, and Marin Counties also host many microbreweries worth trying. Many of these are accessible by BART. And although Santa Rosa is 45 minutes north of San Francisco, no beer lovers should skip the renowned Russian River Brewing Company in downtown Santa Rosa.

Beach Chalet & Park Chalet are at the Pacific end of [[San Francisco/The Avenues|Golden Gate Park]], where you can enjoy a view of the ocean or sit in the lawn area.

Pizza Orgasmica in the [[San Francisco/The Avenues|Richmond District]] specializes in California-style pizza.

Magnolia Brewing Company is in the heart of the [[San Francisco/Haight|Haight]], and operates a second restaurant down the street, The Alembic, as well as well as a barbeque joint with their beers in Dogpatch, Smokestack.

Thirsty Bear in [[San Francisco/SoMa|SoMa]] caters mostly to the happy hour crowd.

21st Amendment, also in [[San Francisco/SoMa|SoMa]], is three blocks away from the Giants' home at AT&T Park.

Social Kitchen & Brewery is in the Sunset District, a block from Golden Gate Park.

Southern Pacific Brewing Company is a large bar in the Mission District.

Cellarmaker Brewing Company is a highly regarded brewery in SoMa, with an emphasis on hop-driven beers.

The area codes for San Francisco are 415 and 628. You must dial 1+area code+number for all calls within the city (if you're using a mobile phone, the "1" is not necessary). For calls within the US or Canada, dial 1+area code+number (again, the "1" is not needed when using a mobile phone), and for international calls, dial 011+country code+city code(if applicable)+number. Pay phones are getting less and less commonplace as nearly everyone in San Francisco has a mobile phone. They only take coins and phone cards with a dial-to-use number. Local calls start at $0.50.

To get online, internet cafes are available at a sprinkling of city center locations. Many coffee houses and cafes also offer wireless connection for free or a small fee. Free access is available in Union Square. For a more scenic place to check your email try the Apple Store on Stockton at Ellis near Market in Union Square or any of the many public libraries, especially the main branch on Market near Civic Center station.

Blue mailboxes for mail such as letters and postcards are on many street corners. USPS post offices sell stamps and ship packages, and several private companies provide additional services.

A look at Stanley Robert's People Behaving Badly series will give you an inside look of usually petty crime in the city. However, it is very unlikely you'll encounter any violent or petty crime as long as you use your common sense and are vigilant.

The areas that one should be most cautious are in the neighborhoods of Bayview-Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Sunnydale, Ingleside, and Potrero Hill in Southeast San Francisco, as well as the Tenderloin, parts of Western Addition (including the Fillmore District), and parts of the Mission. San Francisco is still susceptible to violent crime, and most of these murders occur in the southeast, less economically fortunate, neighborhoods of the city. Gang violence touches even busy and thriving areas such as the Mission Street retail corridor, although most instances of violent crime are directed to specific targets and are not random acts. The SoMa district used to be somewhat dangerous; however, gentrification (something that has become fairly common and a social issue in SF) has transformed it into a rather hip and much safer neighborhood with plenty of art galleries and clubs. However, it is best to be careful even now.

San Francisco also has the largest homeless population per capita in the United States. If someone begs from you, you may either politely say you do not have any change or just keep walking, and he or she will generally leave you alone. The main homeless area is around 6th and Market, heading towards the Civic Center, and in the Tenderloin. Haight Ashbury also has lots of panhandlers, and the area near Golden Gate Park at the end of Haight Street near McDonald's is notorious for junkies and should be avoided at night.

Pickpocketing, purse snatching, and other forms of petty crime are common as with any other large city. Be especially cautious on crowded Muni trains and buses, in heavily touristed areas such as Fisherman's Wharf, and during the busy holiday shopping season.

Do not leave valuables in your vehicle, especially when parking on public streets. Car break-ins are very common in San Francisco, and any valuables in plain sight are in danger of being stolen. During your visit, you will probably see small piles of broken glass on sidewalks throughout the city, which are the result of such crimes. If you cannot carry all valuables with you, try to keep them in the trunk and park your vehicle in secure parking garages, which are slightly safer than street parking but are not completely free from crime either. Bicycle theft is extremely common so bikes should be securely locked to a sturdy surface, even if you're going to only be gone a minute.

Be careful to check for ticks after hiking in fields in the Bay Area. There is a high rate of lyme disease transmission in the Bay Area. If a bulls' eye rash develops at the tick bite site, immediately seek medical help and treatment with antibiotics.

Rogue waves can occur at Ocean Beach along the Pacific edge of San Francisco. It is not uncommon for unsuspecting tourists to be swept out to sea during high surf conditions. A good rule of thumb is to avoid facing away from the ocean. Strong currents are also a hazard for swimmers.

• San Francisco Chronicle. The main newspaper in San Francisco. $1.50 daily, $3.00 Sunday.
• San Francisco Examiner. A free daily newspaper.
• SF Weekly. A popular free-weekly distributed across the city.
• San Francisco Bay View. Politics, economics, and news from a progressive African American perspective.
• AsianWeek. A weekly paper, one of the largest English language publications for Asian-Americans.
• Bay Area Reporter. Free-weekly serving the LGBT community.
• San Francisco Bay Times. Another free-weekly LGBT newspaper.
• San Francisco Magazine. A monthly magazine devoted to Bay Area culture.

San Francisco Chronicle. The main newspaper in San Francisco. $1.50 daily, $3.00 Sunday.

San Francisco Examiner. A free daily newspaper.

SF Weekly. A popular free-weekly distributed across the city.

San Francisco Bay View. Politics, economics, and news from a progressive African American perspective.

AsianWeek. A weekly paper, one of the largest English language publications for Asian-Americans.

Bay Area Reporter. Free-weekly serving the LGBT community.

San Francisco Bay Times. Another free-weekly LGBT newspaper.

San Francisco Magazine. A monthly magazine devoted to Bay Area culture.

San Francisco is home to many people of different nationalities and language backgrounds. Therefore, many countries have established full service consulates (Consulates-General) in San Francisco to provide consular services for their nationals living in (northern) California and in the adjacent states in the northwestern part of the U.S. (or the entire west coast) as well as visa services for others seeking to visit their respective countries (if required). The Honorary Consulates are there for commercial and business purposes and offer limited or no consular services except in emergency situations. Most of the consulates are in downtown San Francisco and in the adjacent Pacific Heights & SoMa areas. They can also be located in other parts of town too:

• Australia Australia, 575 Market St Ste 1800, +1-415-644-3620.
• Belgium Belgium (Honorary), 1663 Mission St Ste 400, +1-415-861-9910.
• Brazil Brazil, 300 Montgomery St Ste 300, +1-415-981-8170.
• Cameroon Cameroon, 147 Terra Vista Ave, +1-415-921-5372. By Appointment.
• Canada Canada, 580 California St, 14F, +1-415-834-3180.
• Chile Chile, 870 Market St Ste 1058, +1-415-982-7662, +1-415-982-7665. M-F 9AM-5PM.
• China China, People's Republic of, 1450 Laguna St (Hwy 101 to Fell St exit, +1-415-674-2940. M-F 9AM-noon, 1PM-3PM.
• El Salvador El Salvador, 507 Polk St, Ste #280, +1 415-771-8524. Mon-Fri 07:30-14:00.
• France France, 88 Kearny St,Ste 600, +1-415-616-4906. Mon-Fri 09:00-12:00 for French nationals; Visa Section Mon & Wed 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-15:30 and Tue, Thu-Fri 09:00-12:30.
• Germany Germany, 1960 Jackson St, +1-415-775-1061. M-F 9AM-noon.
• Greece Greece, 2441 Gough St, +1-415-775-2102.
• Guatemala Guatemala, 544 Golden Gate Ave, +1 415-563-8319. Mon-Fri 08:00-14:00.
• Honduras Honduras, 870 Market St, Ste 875, +1 415-392-0076. Mon-Fri 09:00-15:00.
• India India, 540 Arguello Blvd, +1-415-668-0662, +1-415-668-0683.
  • Cox and King Global Services, 225 Bush St, Level 1, San Francisco CA 94104, +1 516-206-1483, +1 646-589-0888. The processing of Indian passports, visas, OCI cards, PIO cards and the renunciation of Indian citizenship has been outsourced.
• Indonesia Indonesia, 1111 Columbus Ave, +1-415-474-9571.
• Ireland Ireland, 100 Pine St 33F, +1-415-392-4214.
• Italy Italy, 2590 Webster St, +1-415-292-9210, +1-415-931-4924.
• Japan Japan, 275 Battery St, Suite 2100, +1-415-780-6000.
• South Korea Korea, Republic of, 3500 Clay St, +1-415-921-2251.
• Mexico Mexico, 532 Folsom St, +1-415-354-1732. Mexico maintains additional consulates in Calexico, Fresno, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Jose and Santa Ana.
• the Netherlands Netherlands, 1 Montgomery St Ste 3100, visiting address 120 Kearney St Ste 3100, +1 415-291-2033.
• New Zealand New Zealand (Honorary), +1-415-399-1255.
• Norway Norway, 20 California St, 6th Floor, +1-415-986-0766.
• Peru Peru, 870 Market St, Ste 1075, +1 415-362-5185, +1 415-215-6668 (emergencias). Mon-Fri 09:00-14:00.
• the Philippines Philippines, 447 Sutter St, +1-415-433-6666.
• Portugal Portugal, 3298 Washington St, +1-415-346-3400.
• Russia Russian Federation, 2790 Green St, +1-415-928-6878, +1 202 939-8907. Closed till further notice. Due to tensions between U.S. and Russian relations they have closed the consulate in San Francisco.
• Spain Spain, 1405 Sutter St, +1-415-922-2995, +1-415-922-2996.
• Switzerland Switzerland, 456 Montgomery St Ste 1500, +1-415-788-2272.
• Taiwan Taiwan, Republic of China (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office), 555 Montgomery St, Suite 501, +1-415-362-7680.
• Tonga Tonga, 1350 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 610, Burlingame CA 94010 (One Bay Plaza Bldg, +1-650-685-1001.
• the United Kingdom United Kingdom, 1 Sansome St Ste 850, +1-415-617-1300.
• Ukraine Ukraine, 530 Bush St, Suite 402, +1-415-398-0240, +1-415-690-0460 (emergencies only). Some of the countries maintain a consulate in both Los Angeles and San Francisco while others have a consulate in one city or the other.

Australia Australia, 575 Market St Ste 1800, +1-415-644-3620.

Belgium Belgium (Honorary), 1663 Mission St Ste 400, +1-415-861-9910.

Brazil Brazil, 300 Montgomery St Ste 300, +1-415-981-8170.

Cameroon Cameroon, 147 Terra Vista Ave, +1-415-921-5372. By Appointment.

Canada Canada, 580 California St, 14F, +1-415-834-3180.

Chile Chile, 870 Market St Ste 1058, +1-415-982-7662, +1-415-982-7665. M-F 9AM-5PM.

China China, People's Republic of, 1450 Laguna St (Hwy 101 to Fell St exit, +1-415-674-2940. M-F 9AM-noon, 1PM-3PM.

El Salvador El Salvador, 507 Polk St, Ste #280, +1 415-771-8524. Mon-Fri 07:30-14:00.

France France, 88 Kearny St,Ste 600, +1-415-616-4906. Mon-Fri 09:00-12:00 for French nationals; Visa Section Mon & Wed 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-15:30 and Tue, Thu-Fri 09:00-12:30.

Germany Germany, 1960 Jackson St, +1-415-775-1061. M-F 9AM-noon.

Greece Greece, 2441 Gough St, +1-415-775-2102.

Guatemala Guatemala, 544 Golden Gate Ave, +1 415-563-8319. Mon-Fri 08:00-14:00.

Honduras Honduras, 870 Market St, Ste 875, +1 415-392-0076. Mon-Fri 09:00-15:00.

India India, 540 Arguello Blvd, +1-415-668-0662, +1-415-668-0683.

• Cox and King Global Services, 225 Bush St, Level 1, San Francisco CA 94104, +1 516-206-1483, +1 646-589-0888. The processing of Indian passports, visas, OCI cards, PIO cards and the renunciation of Indian citizenship has been outsourced.

India India, 540 Arguello Blvd, +1-415-668-0662, +1-415-668-0683.

• Cox and King Global Services, 225 Bush St, Level 1, San Francisco CA 94104, +1 516-206-1483, +1 646-589-0888. The processing of Indian passports, visas, OCI cards, PIO cards and the renunciation of Indian citizenship has been outsourced.

Indonesia Indonesia, 1111 Columbus Ave, +1-415-474-9571.

Ireland Ireland, 100 Pine St 33F, +1-415-392-4214.

Italy Italy, 2590 Webster St, +1-415-292-9210, +1-415-931-4924.

Japan Japan, 275 Battery St, Suite 2100, +1-415-780-6000.

South Korea Korea, Republic of, 3500 Clay St, +1-415-921-2251.

Mexico Mexico, 532 Folsom St, +1-415-354-1732. Mexico maintains additional consulates in Calexico, Fresno, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Jose and Santa Ana.

the Netherlands Netherlands, 1 Montgomery St Ste 3100, visiting address 120 Kearney St Ste 3100, +1 415-291-2033.

New Zealand New Zealand (Honorary), +1-415-399-1255.

Norway Norway, 20 California St, 6th Floor, +1-415-986-0766.

Peru Peru, 870 Market St, Ste 1075, +1 415-362-5185, +1 415-215-6668 (emergencias). Mon-Fri 09:00-14:00.

the Philippines Philippines, 447 Sutter St, +1-415-433-6666.

Portugal Portugal, 3298 Washington St, +1-415-346-3400.

Russia Russian Federation, 2790 Green St, +1-415-928-6878, +1 202 939-8907. Closed till further notice. Due to tensions between U.S. and Russian relations they have closed the consulate in San Francisco.

Spain Spain, 1405 Sutter St, +1-415-922-2995, +1-415-922-2996.

Switzerland Switzerland, 456 Montgomery St Ste 1500, +1-415-788-2272.

Taiwan Taiwan, Republic of China (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office), 555 Montgomery St, Suite 501, +1-415-362-7680.

Tonga Tonga, 1350 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 610, Burlingame CA 94010 (One Bay Plaza Bldg, +1-650-685-1001.

the United Kingdom United Kingdom, 1 Sansome St Ste 850, +1-415-617-1300.

Ukraine Ukraine, 530 Bush St, Suite 402, +1-415-398-0240, +1-415-690-0460 (emergencies only).

Bikes can be rented from around the northern waterfront (Pier 41/Fisherman's Wharf/Aquatic Park area) or near Golden Gate Park for trips to Marin County via the Golden Gate Bridge. Stanyan near Haight at the end of the park has several good shops. Golden Gate Transit also sporadically serves the North Bay from San Francisco, and has bike racks on most buses.

• San Jose — The heart of Silicon Valley and the biggest city in Bay Area.
• Oakland — A diverse and vibrant city, Oakland was once considered San Francisco's "sister city," and has been regaining that title due to a general renaissance of the city. Although not a major tourist destination, it's worth a visit for its many distinct and charming neighborhoods.
• Berkeley — Home to the University of California, Berkeley is one of the nation's most progressive communities. Also a hub of liberal political activism for the past several decades. It is also home to quite a few superb restaurants.
• Sausalito — Enjoy a ferry ride across the bay to beautiful Sausalito where you can walk along the water and admire the San Francisco skyline. Stroll to the waterfront restaurants, shops, and galleries.
• Healdsburg — A charming Wine Country town located among some of California's greatest wine appellations: Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley and Chalk Hill. Relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere, with excellent restaurants, shopping and wine tasting. About 70 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Napa Valley — The main wine growing region in the United States, a trip to the many wineries makes for a fun day, while those wanting a longer adventure can relax in any one of the many spas, bed and breakfasts, or other lodging options.
• Muir Woods — A 560-acre forest of old-growth redwood trees located in Mill Valley just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods is a pleasant respite from the city, and accessible by Golden Gate Transit on summer weekends.
• Point Reyes National Seashore — Located just north of San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway (State Highway 1), Point Reyes is a beautiful seashore that is particularly nice to visit when gray whales are migrating along the coast, usually best in mid-January and then from March through May.
• Peninsula — Just south of San Francisco, the peninsula has excellent nature preserves.
  • Palo Alto — On the Peninsula south of the city, Palo Alto has some of the richest neighborhoods in all of California and makes for a beautiful drive with views of the coastline and magnificent mansions.
  • Burlingame — Another well off neighborhood on the Peninsula, Burlingame has a lovely downtown area with plenty of shops, dining and streets lined with cypress trees.
• Monterey — An otherwise quiet beach town home to one of the country's best aquariums.
• Santa Cruz — Located on the coast north of Monterey Bay, this funky town is home to surfers, the beautiful and tech-savvy University of California, Santa Cruz, and a popular boardwalk. The Santa Cruz Mountains north of town are a great place for outdoor recreation such as hiking, and home to misty forests of famous, enormous redwood trees.
• Vallejo — Home to a wildlife theme park, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
  • Livermore — A suburban city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Livermore Valley is "wine country", and produces some of California's best wines.
  • Pleasanton — City located near Livermore, with an abundance of upscale restaurants and wine country

[[Oakland]] — A diverse and vibrant city, Oakland was once considered San Francisco's "sister city," and has been regaining that title due to a general renaissance of the city. Although not a major tourist destination, it's worth a visit for its many distinct and charming neighborhoods.

[[Berkeley (California)|Berkeley]] — Home to the University of California, Berkeley is one of the nation's most progressive communities. Also a hub of liberal political activism for the past several decades. It is also home to quite a few superb restaurants.

[[Sausalito]] — Enjoy a ferry ride across the bay to beautiful Sausalito where you can walk along the water and admire the San Francisco skyline. Stroll to the waterfront restaurants, shops, and galleries.

[[Healdsburg]] — A charming Wine Country town located among some of California's greatest wine appellations: Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley and Chalk Hill. Relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere, with excellent restaurants, shopping and wine tasting. About 70 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

[[Napa Valley]] — The main wine growing region in the United States, a trip to the many wineries makes for a fun day, while those wanting a longer adventure can relax in any one of the many spas, bed and breakfasts, or other lodging options.

[[Muir Woods]] — A 560-acre forest of old-growth redwood trees located in [[Mill Valley]] just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods is a pleasant respite from the city, and accessible by Golden Gate Transit on summer weekends.

[[Point Reyes National Seashore]] — Located just north of San Francisco along the [[Pacific Coast Highway]] (State Highway 1), Point Reyes is a beautiful seashore that is particularly nice to visit when gray whales are migrating along the coast, usually best in mid-January and then from March through May.

[[Peninsula (Bay Area)|Peninsula]] — Just south of San Francisco, the peninsula has excellent nature preserves.

• [[Palo Alto]] — On the Peninsula south of the city, Palo Alto has some of the richest neighborhoods in all of California and makes for a beautiful drive with views of the coastline and magnificent mansions.
• [[Burlingame]] — Another well off neighborhood on the Peninsula, Burlingame has a lovely downtown area with plenty of shops, dining and streets lined with cypress trees.

[[Monterey (California)|Monterey]] — An otherwise quiet beach town home to one of the country's best aquariums.

[[Santa Cruz (California)|Santa Cruz]] — Located on the coast north of [[Monterey (California)|Monterey Bay]], this funky town is home to surfers, the beautiful and tech-savvy University of California, Santa Cruz, and a popular boardwalk. The Santa Cruz Mountains north of town are a great place for outdoor recreation such as hiking, and home to misty forests of famous, enormous redwood trees.

[[Vallejo]] — Home to a wildlife theme park, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

• [[Livermore]] — A suburban city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Livermore Valley is "wine country", and produces some of California's best wines.
• [[Pleasanton]] — City located near Livermore, with an abundance of upscale restaurants and wine country

• Yosemite National Park — Tours from San Francisco make for a wonderful day trip, although you will spend around 10 hours travelling for less than 4 in the park. Make sure to visit the amazing Giant Sequoias.
• Lake Tahoe — Buses and one Amtrak train per day link the Bay Area to nearby Truckee, and as with Yosemite, travel even by car to and from would consume much of the day. However, the spectacular alpine setting and winter ski and snowboard options surrounding the Lake make Tahoe an unforgettable destination.
• Sacramento is a nice city to visit, and is only a 1 1/2 hour drive without traffic, which is unlikely.
• You can also head down Highway 1 or 101 down the Coast and more interesting sites leading to Los Angeles will be seen.

[[Yosemite National Park]] — Tours from San Francisco make for a wonderful day trip, although you will spend around 10 hours travelling for less than 4 in the park. Make sure to visit the amazing Giant Sequoias.

[[Lake Tahoe]] — Buses and one Amtrak train per day link the Bay Area to nearby Truckee, and as with Yosemite, travel even by car to and from would consume much of the day. However, the spectacular alpine setting and winter ski and snowboard options surrounding the Lake make Tahoe an unforgettable destination.

[[Sacramento]] is a nice city to visit, and is only a 1 1/2 hour drive without traffic, which is unlikely.

You can also head down Highway 1 or 101 down the Coast and more interesting sites leading to [[Los Angeles]] will be seen.

• You can also head up 101 to the Pacific Northwest, head east into Nevada, and get on a flight virtually anywhere at SFO Airport.

You can also head up 101 to the [[Pacific Northwest]], head east into [[Nevada]], and get on a flight virtually anywhere at [[San Francisco International Airport|SFO Airport.]]