San Francisco, it’s one of those cities that they write songs about, and for good reason too. It’s uniquely different to other places, filled with history and culture the city has a super chilled out vibe. There’s so much to do in San Francisco you can spend a whole week here and only scrape the surface.
The city has many different areas to visit; from obvious tourist attractions like a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the city’s famous piers through to strolling along the streets for underground art galleries, great food and funky shops in different suburbs like Chinatown, the hippie-centric Haight Ashbury region and gay mecca, the Castro.
The Golden Gate Bridge is one of those great feats of human engineering, up there with the Empire State Building and the Eiffell Tower. The best part of when you visit this area though is a walk along the coast line on top of the steep cliffs with the cold wind blowing through your hair. Walking back towards the city along the side of San Francisco Bay will take a few hours but there’s great views to take in.
A walk along the city’s forty plus piers reveals a wealth of things to see, start at Fisherman’s Warf and take in a traditional seafood meal and some of the city’s famous clam chowder. Down at Pier 39 you’ll find a host of tourist attractions, but the best one is a natural phenomenon. There’s a rule that says marine vessels must give away to sea creatures. At Pier 39 the expensive private boat docks have been taken over by hundreds of sea lions who sprawl out over the docks sunbathing.
A quick trip on a ferry into the middle of San Francisco bay will take you over to Alcatraz. A tour around the formal maximum security prison comes with an amazing audio tour recorded by former inmates and guards. It really brings the prison to life. Visiting Alcatraz was a profoundly moving experience that makes you question the role of a prison in society.
The Castro is one of the queerest places on the planet. A walk along Castro Street is a must for every gay person. Visit Harvey Milk’s old camera store, which is now the Human Rights Campaigns shop filled with cool political t-shirts. There are bars to hang out in, great coffee shops, book shops and an awesome cinema.
The Haight Ashbury district is where the hippy movement kicked off in the 60s. It’s filled with great record stores filled with rare vinyl, second-hand clothes stores packed with retro fashion and some of the most talented buskers you’ll come across. At the end of the Haight Street is the humungous Amoeba Records, one of the biggest music stores in the world, If you’re a music lover, you’ll want to bring a spare suitcase for your purchases.
The Chinatown region is one of the oldest in America, a walk through the vegetable market is a must. Grab some dim sum at one of the old restaurants in this area. Many still have old private wooden booths that were first constructed over a hundred years ago. Walk a little further and you’ll discover the legendary City Lights Book Store, spiritual home of the beat writers of the 50s. The surrounding area included bars where Jack Kerouac and his mates created their first works.
There are so many great things to eat in San Francisco. A trip to a traditional American Diner is something you’ll want to do more than once. They really have those places like in the movies where you grab a booth or a seat at the counter and the waitress continually refills your coffee. There’s great seafood everywhere, so try out a massive Italian seafood soup filled with crabs, clams, mussels, squid, pasta and tomato soup. Head down to the old Ferry Terminal, which has been converted into a food paradise with restaurants from many different nations, we tried some Argentinian pastries and a Mexican hot cheese and chilli dip.
Public Transport makes it really easy to get around. A seven day pass will let you catch street cars, buses, tube trains and cable cars for free. Catching a cable car up to the peak of Nob Hill is an experience you have to take in. If you’ve booked into a hotel at the top of the hill, you’ll need to anyhow, walking up the steep hill is harder than an hour at the gym.
Graeme Watson visited San Francisco in March 2013.
