Page 78 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

AN ELEGANT ROW of
Victorian houses lines Steiner
Street at Alamo Square, above;
the Golden Gate Bridge at
sunset, below.
76 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E TO SAN FRANCISCO
No wonder it’s known as “everyone’s favorite city”
B Y L A U R A D E L R O S S O
IN JUST 49 SQUARE MILES, San Francisco
contains more scenic beauty, neighborhood
diversity, good food and range of arts and cul-
ture than any U.S. city of its size. The landmark
Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Alcatraz and
Fisherman’s Wharf are synonymous with the
City by the Bay, also known for an atmosphere
of tolerance that stretches back to the Gold Rush
when one of the largest migrations in human
history brought thousands west.
San Francisco is one of the great U.S. cities for
food and dining, with renowned chefs, a wide
variety of ethnic cuisine and restaurant-mad locals
spending more on eating out than residents of any
other American city. Culture is abundant, with
world-class museums, theater, opera, symphony
and ballet, helped by a public commitment that
pre-dates the National Endowment for the Arts.
There’s a renewed vitality in many parts of
the city: An influx of technology start-ups and
young tech workers has led to a boom in restau-
rants, bars and nightlife, especially in the
vibrant Mission district and South of Market
areas. The latest food craze is Off The Grid,
groups of mobile food trucks that serve up
gourmet food at historic Fort Mason on Friday
evenings and other spots around the city.
In the Presidio, the former military base
continues its decades-old transformation
into a diverse national park with museums,
attractions and miles of walking and biking
trails in the shadow of the Golden Gate
Bridge. At Fisherman’s Wharf, a makeover is
creating more attractive and pedestrian-
friendly streets.
Among the attractions that have opened
since 2012 are SFJAZZ Center at Civic Center, the
Exploratorium on the newly thriving Embar-
cadero, the wondrous Bay Lights installation on
the western span of the Bay Bridge (which runs
until March 2015), and visitors centers that
opened to much acclaim at the Golden Gate
Bridge and Lands End, the stunning windswept
overlook on the Pacific Ocean.
While the San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art is closed for an expansion and renovation
until 2016, art from its large collection will be
displayed at various venues throughout the city,
including at the de Young Museum, which is
showing 23 Henri Matisse drawings and paint-
ings through Sept. 7. Also at the de Young in
2014 is a retrospective of Georgia O’Keeffe’s
work Feb. 15-May 11. For trip planning, see
sanfrancisco.travel.
C A L I F O R N I A
PROCHASSON FREDERIC/SHUTTERSTOCK. TOP: KROPIC1/SHUTTERSTOCK.