Great architecture against clear, blue skies. by Girlbybay
I love wandering around on 'urban hikes' through all the diverse neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has unique archictecture and ethnic cultures. If you love Italian food and culture there's North Beach. It's tiny streets are full of great bakeries and coffee houses, plus an abundance of great Italian cafes. The Mission has tons of great and cheap taco stands and lots of lively street people. Chinatown looks like another country and you can walk around finding great dim sum and noodle houses. Or just try and guess what all the strange looking foods are hanging in windows or being haggled over by the locals. Then there's Pacific Heights and Russian Hill with their beautiful Victorian mansions and streets with great shops and restaurants. Cow Hollow and the Marina are fun places to shop and grab food, too. Noe Valley is tucked away in the sunny part of the city and has lots of little book stores, cafes and shops as well. There's the Haight, with it's street kids, funky clothing and jewelry shops. The Richmond is sometimes called New Chinatown and has a rich Russian community as well. No matter which neighborhood you visit - you'll be seeing the real San Francisco and not just what the guide books sell you.When I'm away, I miss the local corner stores, the unique mom&pop shops and just being able to walk around my neighborhood in Pacific Heights and find just about any type of food I could want and everything else I need as well. No cars needed here!
