photo by gusto

Not many cities in the world make the heart flutter the way this one does. The city is 47 square miles in area, and covers the northern tip of a peninsula that is surrounded by the San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The San Bruno Mountain makes up the southern border and the Golden Gate strait and Marin County lie to the north.

The center of the city covers a series of steep hills, including Telegraph, Nob, Russian, and Rincon. Heights and peaks such as Potrero, Bernal, and Buena Vista dot the city’s outer limits. Several islands—Alcatraz, Angel, Farallon, Treasure, and Yerba Buena—lie within the city limits. The population is approximately 810,000, although it is closer to 6,700,000 for the major metropolitan area including Oakland and San Jose.

In 1776, Spanish officer Juan Batista de Anza founded a fort (presidio) here. Later that year, Father Junipero Serra established the nearby Mission San Francisco de Asis, now called Mission Dolores. By the time of the gold rush in the mid-1800s, San Francisco was a booming port and supply point, and was an early governmental and cultural center. By 1850 the city was incorporated.

The destructive earthquake of 1906 slowed growth, but the city was quick to rebuild. Another quake destroyed much of the city’s waterfront Marina district in 1989.

The city has a colorful history and culture, including the lawless Barbary Coast, a notorious saloon and red-light district along the piers in the gold-rush days; and North Beach, which is famous for its Beat Generation of the 1950s, Haight-Ashbury and the flower children of the 1960s and, since the 1970s, a thriving gay community.

“The City,” as the financial district is known, is the major financial trading center of the western United States. San Francisco is an international trade center and a home to apparel manufacturers and the information technology industry. Spillover from nearby Silicon Valley is changing the city’s landscape as escalating rents force businesses, the arts, and even longstanding restaurants to relocate.

The city’s most recognized landmark is the Golden Gate Bridge, which was opened in 1937 to reach Marin County to the north. Another landmark, the Bay Bridge, which opened in 1936 to connect San Francisco with Oakland, is one of the longest combination bridges (part suspension, part steel truss) in the world.

The city is divided into districts, and the Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, North Beach, Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Chinatown, Union Square, Mission, SoMa (South of Market), Japantown, Castro (known as a gay neighborhood), and Sunset districts are popular destinations for visitors. There are ferries from Fisherman’s Wharf to Alcatraz Island, the former maximum security prison that once held Al Capone and Robert Stroud, “the Birdman of Alcatraz.” Alcatraz is now a popular recreation area with a self-guided trail, cellblock tour, slide show, and other programs.

Golden Gate Park has artificial lakes, riding trails, a golf course, tennis courts, and a Japanese tea garden. It is also home to the De Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences, which includes the Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium and the Natural History Museum. The Maritime National Historical Park displays a coastal lumber schooner, a ferry, a tugboat, and a sailing vessel. The Fort Mason Center is a World War II embarkation point that has been transformed into a regional cultural center which has theaters, museums, galleries, and craft studios.

Some of the city’s many other notable attractions include the Civic Center with its War Memorial Opera House and Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, Cow Palace, the Exploratorium, the Palace of Fine Arts, the San Francisco Zoo, and the Pacific Bell Ballpark. Even more enticing than the shopping, which is some of the most interesting and unique in the nation, is the food. From freshly made tortillas served hot off the grill in the Mission to the most exquisite restaurant meal, San Francisco is a food-lover’s paradise. Freshly baked bread and premium specialty coffee are available just about every five blocks. Wine is equally as important, especially with America’s premier winegrowing regions so close by. Berkeley, just across the east bay and home of chef Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, is by some accounts the culinary seat of America.

The best way to explore San Francisco is on foot, walking up and down the hills in sturdy, rubber-soled shoes, or hopping on a cable car. The BART subway and MUNI buses run frequently and cover the entire region. Parking is extremely limited. It is advisable to dress in layers—the closer to the bay, the colder it gets, especially in the summer months when the temperature can vary as much as 20\260 to 30\260F depending upon where you are in the city. San Francisco International Airport and the smaller Oakland International Airport service the area, and San Jose International Airport is close—it is only about 45 miles southeast of San Francisco. Trains and buses also service the area. It is 6 hours from Los Angeles via US-101, or up to 12 hours along the more scenic Pacific Coast Hwy (Hwy 1). It is about 1 hour from Sacramento by I-80.