CHINATOWN, San Francisco

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Favorite thing: Portsmouth Square is a small, one-block square between Chinatown and the Financial District surrounded by Kearny Street, Washington Street, Clay Street, and Walter Lum Place. The square was established as the central plaza of the Mexican pueblo of Yerba Buena in the 1830s. It's modern name comes from the USS Portsmouth, the command ship that seized San Francisco in 1846 and whose captain raised the first US flag in the city on this site. Nearby Montgomery Street was named after the ship's commander, Captain John B. Montgomery.

The park has various markers and statues, including a landmark for the first public school in California, a marker for the Eastern Terminus of Clay Street Hill Railroad Company, a monument of the hoisting of the American flag, a memorial for Robert Louis Stevenson, and a statue of the Goddess of Democracy. The democracy statue is my favorite, as it is a replica of the democracy statue constructed by students at the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 in Beijing.

After its $3.9 million renovation in 2001, the park has become a center of daily Chinatown life. On any given day you will see dozens if not hundreds of local Chinese-Americans playing Chinese chess, cards, or just chatting away the day.

Under Portsmouth Square is a 500-space, four-story parking garage operated by the city.

In 2005 the Project for Public Spaces named Portsmouth Square the 8th best public square in America and Canada.

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Favorite thing: I stayed in Chinatown while here. What a great place to just walk around. The sights and smells (some good, some bad) The people in Portsmouth Square playing checkers or doing Tai Chi, the architecture..it's almost overwhelming. Go here, spend much time, and take in the culture.

Favorite thing: Apparently San Francisco has the largest population of Asian people outside of Asia itself.
So the China town to me was exactly what I'd would expect it to be.
The only problem is many tourists stay on Grant Street, where all the tourist tat can be found, my advice is at one block west onto Stockton here you will see a more authentic China Town.

Favorite thing: Unlike in Asia, you are expected to give a 10-15% tip at Chinese restaurants in San Francisco Chinatown and in USA. Unless, it is a quick take-away (to go).

Try these popular Americanized Chinese food:
1) Gong Pu Chicken
2) Mushi Pork (wrapping shredded meat and vegetables)
3) Chop Sui Yee (mixed leftover, recooked)
4) Lemon Sherbet (poor man's choice for ice cream)
5) Fortune cookies

Go for dim-sum too, just do not forget to tip when the bill comes to avoid angry faces.

There is convenient underground public parking near Chinatown.

Favorite thing: You can find the official entrance to Chinatown at the intersection of Grant and Bush streets. Its just a short walk from Union Square, so if you're staying in this area, its best to walk over, especially since the traffic is so bad. Several bus lines also run to the area.

Chinatown is a sprawling area that extends to the sidestreets bordering Grant Street. Here you will find a population of mostly Asians but also tourists and locals as well. There are tons of shops selling everything from touisty items to herbs and Asian statues. There are also numerous restaurants in the area, some of which are supposed to be pretty good and reasonable as well.

Despite the near grid lock of the pedestrian streets, I enjoyed Chinatown and would recommend at least a brief walk through of the area. Its great for window shopping and for finding interesting items to bring home, such as teas and herbs designed to cure all ailments, even those you don't know that you have.

Favorite thing: Visit Chinatown. Here you can see beautiful Chinese buildings and buy exotic Chinese products. See more at the travelogue.

Favorite thing: A place I always wanted to see. It was like I had expected it, all Asia stores (not only Chinese) and restaurants and bars and newspapers and signs and street lights and all that.

But somehow I didn't really get to love it, I didn't get to the heart of Chinatown. I felt more like an observer, watching locals and tourists buzzing around, day at night, always busy, always full of light and action and voices. A strange atmosphere. Different from all other streets and blocks in San Francisco.

So the city wouldn't be the same without these streets and buildings and people!

Favorite thing: The Chinatown gate.
I've seen some Chinatowns in the world but I must say I like this one.
It is not too crowded, and many fancy shops coloured the area.
It is very close to Union Square, just a couple of blocks away.
This is where I bought alle the accessories for my camera. From a typical chinese who was actually half-italian and whose son is married to a 100% italian woman too. Her name is Silvia (useful tip!)