to know her is to love her
by richiecdisc
San Francisco's Chinatown is the best in the US and like walking right into an Asian city sans flight. We arrived thinking we knew a thing or two about San Francisco. It was my fourth visit and my wife had been on one of those excursions as well. We only had two days to explore and knew mostly we would stick to some old favorites. What we enjoy most is walking around this great town with such varied architecture. Generally speaking, it's also a great climate for walking, not too hot, not too cold. So, we got into town early and though our room was not quite ready, they let us park in our underground spot and said to come back in a few hours. We headed out in our “city” clothes after a couple of months of camping and immediately realized it was roasting out. The combination of the heat and the steep inclines that the city if infamous for had us in a sweat in no time. Though we still enjoyed San Francisco, we made a mental note to not come in summer again.
A few weeks later after conquering the trails of Yosemite and relaxing in Sequoia National Parks, we decided to travel on the 4th of July. My cousin was camping with his family on the northern California Coast and we were going to meet them there. Surprisingly, there was no traffic and we figured we would stop in San Francisco's Chinatown for lunch. It was dead on our path and with the lack of cars on the highway, we were there in no time. The town was empty. I guess everyone was away for the holiday weekend so we got a spot within walking distance of our favorite restaurant and jumped out of the car in hot pursuit of Beef Chow Fun. We were coming from the mountains so we figured it would be warm in town and were wearing shorts. As we walked, we realized it quite windy and soon we were freezing. Minutes later, we laughed as we slurped hot tea in the little Chinese BBQ place we had eaten many times before. We may have known San Francisco better than many but there was still a lot to learn. That was okay with us, we wanted to come back and do just that. And next time, we're wearing layers.
Along the Embarcadero
by mydreamquest
If you go to the Embarcadero BART Station (Bay Area Rapid Transportation system, SF's underground train), walk to the end of market towards the Ferry building and turn left. From there, enjoy a nice walk along the Embarcadero. In the background in this picture, which I took today, after the giants game, is the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge. I've lived in San Francisco all my life. But I'd say being in Candlestick Park when Joe Montana threw that touchdown pass to Dwight Clark to beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-27, with 51 seconds on the clock.
Experiencing Chinatown
by meteorologist1
San Francisco's Chinatown, the largest outside of Asia, is for the most part similar to other Chinatowns in other cities. But this Chinatown is the most exciting and festive I believe. Stores after stores, restaurants after restaurants, the hustle and bustle. Local people come and go, doing their grocery shopping, living their lives. There are a lot of activities to do here. There are even official attractions like museums here too. There are a lot of lights at night. And I'm sure Chinatown is the most festive during the celebration of the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival).
Pier 39 has to have the most...
by nursenunez
Pier 39 has to have the most things to do. So many restaurants and shops. I enjoyed taking a cruise around the bay that takes you under Golden Gate bridge and around Alcatraz, lasts about 30 mins. The Bubba Gump Co. (named after a character in the famous movie Forest Gump) is a great place to eat looking over the Bay- absolutely gorgeous view. The Aquarium of the Bay is an awesome experience for children and adults- a must see. I really enjoyed the scenery and quiet atmosphere of being in Golden Gate park at the Japanese Tea Gardens. It was beatiful and so nice to sit at the little cafe and have Japanese green tea and cookies within the beauty of the gardens. It made me want to have one at home.
Take a boat trip around the...
by HelenW
Take a boat trip around the bay. You'll get a great view of Alcatraz and sail beneath the Golden gate Bridge, although the day that I was there I didn't get to see the top of it for the mist! Probably siting on the end of the pier eating a hot dog!! Sounds stange to you may be, but it just seemed to be so perfect.
Sausalito square?
Cramped quarters
The Other Side of the Ferry Building
Potrero Hill View toward San Francisco Bay
