San Francisco - the beautiful city on the Bay
San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Of the great bay cities - Hong Kong, Sidney, Manila, Singapore, New York, Rio, Naples -it's maybe the most beautiful of all. A mild climate, cosmopolitain people from all over the world and an incredibly gorgeous setting distance it from even its closest rivals.
It's America's Pacific capital. Art, wonderful architecture, music of every sort - opera, pop, symphonic, rock - fantastic food, some of the best local wines in the world, old-style banking and modern electronics, big film-makers and small post-production studios, record companies, chic clothing manufacturers, the American West and the Pacific East -
San francisco is a crossroads of many things and many diverse people happily living side by side, feeling no compulsion to change the others or to be changed by them. San Francisco is on the northern end of the peninsula which has, to the west, the Pacific Ocean, to the north, the straits into San Francisco Bay called the Golden Gate and, to the east, San Francisco Bay.
The city is about seven miles long and seven miles wide, some 49 square miles, which may be compared to the roughly 46 square miles of Manhattan. San Francisco itself has a population of some 800,000 people. But the Bay Area is enormous - over 50 miles long and almost 20 wide, with a total population of over 5,000,000 around the two sections of the Bay - San Francisco Bay to the south and east of San Francisco itself, and San Pablo Bay to the north.
- Golden Gate Bridge - the most famous bridge in the world and symbol of San Francisco, can't miss this one
- Twin Peaks - great view of the city
- Coit Tower - another great view and painted murals
- Lombard Street - the crookedest street in the world
- Cable Car Ride - provides for a fun and authentic ride uphill and downhill
- Fisherman's Wharf - interesting, bustling, great for daytime walk and sightseeing, don't forget to try a fish bisque in a bread bowl
- Alcatraz - distinctive former prison with the best view of the San Francisco city line
- Ghirardelli's Square - beautiful shopping mall and the best ice-cream in town
- Golden Gate Park - spacious park with a Chinese Tea Garden, museums and so much more
- Palace of Fine Arts - museum and the outside rotunda and pond make for the most romantic site in San Francisco
- North Beach - great selection of restaurants, great area for going out in the evening
Golden Gate Bridge
For centuries explorers repeatedly missed the opening between the narrow straits leading from the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay; the area had to wait even longer for a name. This was finally conferred by John C. Fremont in 1848. He recalls his christening in his Geographical Memoir of California: "To this gate I gave the name "Chrysophlae" or Golden Gate, for the same reason the harbor of Byzantium was called "Chrysoceras" or Golden Horn". Golden Gate refers both to a natural, and to a man-made wonder.
The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County. Designed by engineer Joseph Strauss, the bridge was opened to traffic in May 1937, a prosiac use for such a poetic structure. The Golden Gate Bridge was built to withstand gales, strong currents, and its central section rises 260 feet above the water in order to allow Navy battleships to pass under it if necessary, while over 100,000 cars pass over it every day.
At 4,200 feet, the bridge is one of the world's longest. Despite the statistic, a clear image of a graceful orange-red single span is what remains impressed on one's consciousness. When the fog rolls in, as it often does, only the 746-foot towers remain visible above the mist.
Coit Tower
Coit Tower has an interesting story behind it. The money used to build the Tower was a bequest from San Francisco eccentric Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a fan of firefighters, so much so that she became an honorary member of Knickerbocker Engine Company 5. Lillie always wore the badge the firemen gave her, and generally attended the annual firemen's banquet.
The tower which was erected in 1933 at the summit of Telegraph Hill is 210 feet high and appropriately resembles a fire-hose nozzle. Murals of contemporary California working life of the 1930s decorate the inside walls, and an elevator takes the visitor up to an observation platform and a view of the Bay. The architect of City Hall, Arthur Brown Jr., designed this San Francisco monument.
Twin Peaks
The best vista of San Francisco can be had from the summit of the city's second and third highest hills - Twin Peaks. The 360° panorama is spectacular to say the least. And in the distance one can catch a glimpse of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a silvery span that is the world's longest steel bridge, and an impressive sight.
Lombard Street
The much photographed, "crookedest street in the world", Lombard Street, is found on Russian Hill (it received its name from the fact that a section was used as a burial ground for Russian sailors); the amazing hairpin curves are carefully landscaped with bushes and flowers, making a ride down it an esthetic experience as well as a trip to satisfy one's sense of adventure. Obviously, the hilly terrain of San Francisco caused no end of transportation problems, which the natives, ingeniously, were able to overcome.
Cable Cars
On August 1, 1873, the first San Francisco cable car wound its way up Nob Hill with its inventor, Andrew Hallidie, at the grip. Four years earlier, Hallidie, a Scottish engineer, witnessed an unfortunate accident which caused a team of horses and a carriage to roll backwards on a steep cobblestone city street. This prompted him to come up with a more humanitarian (and of great importance later: pollution free) method of getting around San Francisco.
An immediate success, the San Francisco cable car system expanded to include eight lines running on ten miles of track and 600 operating cars. The earthquake destroyed much of the network, which was never rebuilt. Yet, the cable car, an essential part of San Francisco life, continued to operate, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
Three lines exist today, the Powell-Hyde, the Powell Mason, the California, with 37 cars running on 17 miles of track, some on its place of origin, Nob Hill. The ride is a steady 9½ miles an hour, enlivened by the maneuvres of the grip man, who pulls a lever backwards allowing it, through a slot, to fasten a pincer-like hold on the continuously-running cable below street level. The cable is wound and threaded in the Cable Car Barn, Washington and Mason Streets, where the restored antique 1887 premises also contain historic cable car exhibits and memorabilia.
Clang, clang - you hear a gripman ring the bell in his own distinctive way, and you know a cable car is coming, doubtlessly packed full of people, some hanging on from outside. The system was completely refurbished from 1982 to '84, the cars given a new maroon and gold paint job. Yet some things never change: with no reverse built into the system cable cars have to be manually turned around on turnables at the end of the line.
Alcatraz
The freedom of the cable car ride provides a vivid contrast to an ominous-looking island in the background: Alcatraz. Though not in use as a federal penetentiary since 1963, the name is still enough to send chills down one's spine. The 1½ acres comprising the island is pure stone, hence the nickname "The Rock"; currents around it are strong and the water freezing cold. It was presumed no one could escape Alcatraz; and no one ever did, alive.
Alcatraz was turned into a maximum security prison in 1934, at the height of the gangster era. Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly and of course, the "Birdman of Alcatraz" were locked up in cells converted from military use. For Alcatraz's past has mainly been a grim one. It was the site of a U.S. Army prison during the Civil War, and the facilities were used for disciplinary purposes by the army once again during the Spanish-American War. San Franciscan prisoners were temporarily sheltered here after the earthquake.
In 1969, protesting Indians took over the island; they left in 1971. At the present time, Alcatraz is part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area, and can be reached by ferry for a guided tour. It is now a protected wildlife refuge, bringing to mind the day in 1775 when Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala discovered the Rock, christening it Isla de los Alcatraces (Island of the Pelicans). It has always been a lonely spot. Perhaps there could be no greater punishment in the world than viewing the whole city of San Francisco, so vividly alive, from behind prison bars.
Fisherman's Wharf
The feisty Dungeness crab is the logo of Fisherman's Wharf, and rightly so. Fresh seafood is what counts here: crab along with shrimp, abalone, squid, sea bass, salmon, mackerel and cod. This is what lures a small fleet of fishermen, many of whom are of Italian origin, to sail out from Fisherman's Wharf every morning at 3 am. When they return in the afternoon, there is often a crowd of onlookers to see what the catch of the day is. The colorful proceeding s are augmented by the presence of vendors who serve steamed, cracked crabs out of cauldrons, along with other walkway fish specialties.
For a pleasant evening out, the area is alos lined with fine seaffod restaurants. Fisherman's Wharf has gotten somewhat commercial in recent years as souvenir shops, craft stands and other tourist attractions have moved in. But a certain atmosphere remains alive as you watch the fishermen tie up their boats.
Ghirardelli Square
On the waterfront, smart developers successfully converted reminders of an industrial past into profitable and enjoyable marketplaces. The outstanding example is Ghirardelli Square. This red brick structure was the site of a woolen works until an Italian immigrant, Domenico Ghirardelli, turned it into a chocolate factory. In the 1960s it was completely renovated so that the original premises could house modern shops, restaurants, cafés, theaters, and exhibitions.
The fairytale atmosphere is heightened by the presence of a clock tower, illuminated at night, which overlooks all, including a host of strolling mimes, street musicians, puppeteers, jugglers et al., who provide on the spot entertainment. And huge bars of Ghirardelli chocolate (now made elsewhere in California) are still for sale. Go to Gihrardelli's Café and try their famous ice-cream. It's delicious! Other shopping attractions on the waterfront include: the Cannery and Pier 39.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Panama-Pacific International Exhibition (1915) was San Francisco's way of celebrating closer ties with the East Coast, Europe and the rest of the world thanks to the opening of the Panama Canal. Forty-three states and 25 nations participated in the events, which was held on what became known as the Marina, a former cove filled in with land not far from the Presidio.
An enterprising architect, Bernard Maybeck, designed a Roman rotunda supported by Corinthian columns expressly for the Exposition. This became known as the Palace of Fine Arts. After having been extensively restored in the 1960s, it stands like a dream vision overlooking a swan-filled lagoon. The Palace of Fine Arts is the location of the Exploratorium, a science museum with over 600 hand-on exhibits especially popular with children.
Golden Gate Park
It was a question of mind over matter. For over 50 years, from 1890 to 1943, intrepid John McLaren worked on turning 1,000 acres of sand dunes into the verdant Golden Gate Park. He personally planted grass, flowers, and trees (including redwoods) to create arboreta and botanical gardens out of a desolate landscape.
In the green setting that McLaren created, nearly every kind of sport imaginable can be practiced: cycling, horseback riding, boating, fishing, tennis, baseball, golf, soccer, even bowling and bocce. Man-made attractions also enrich the landscape, like the Conservatory of Flowers, an intricate Victorian greenhouse made in Dublin, shipped in crates around Cape Horn, and assembled in San Francisco. The Conservatory shelters tropical plants and frequent flower shows.
Publisher Michael de Young left his mark on the Golden Gate Park early in the twentieth century by spearheading a drive to establish a museum which, appropriately, is called the M.H. de Young memorial Museum. Through its exhibits, the museum chronicles art in Western civilization from antiquity up to this century. A wing of the building houses the Asian Art Museum, which owes its existence to Avery Brundage, who donated his extensive collection of Asian art to San Francisco in 1966.
Another pull to the east can be experienced in the park's Japanese Tea Garden. Small bridges gracefully arch over goldfish-filled ponds here, in the vicinity of bonsai and other exotic plant species, plus, of course, cherry trees. A squat bronze Buddha, cast in China in 1790, contemplates the peaceful surroundings which are completed by the presence of a Japanese tea house.
North Beach
North Beach can be described as a mixture of Little Italy (with 100,000 residents of Italian origin), and New York's Soho (writers, poets, musicians and artists of various nationalities, some of whom specialize in San Francisco's distinctive wall murals). Many people frequent the district's jazz clubs, cabarets, and bistros in the evening. The name "North Beach" derives from the fact that it was once bordered by an inlet of the San Francisco bay.
Today, it is known for its gastronomic delights; a host of delicatessens have sprung up, wonderfully stuffed with prosciutti, provoloni, salami, mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oils and wines. Local bakeries are renowned for their sourdough bread. Typical of San Francisco, this is a crusty loaf made from flour and liquid fermented until sour. If that weren't tempting enough, local cafés are redolent with espresso, cappuccino, and Italian pastries.