Page 82 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

SAN FRANCISCO
Known for decades as “everyone’s favorite city”
CABLE CARS have been
climbing San Francisco’s hills
since 1873 and are always a fan
favorite, above; looking down
Lombard Street, the
“crookedest street in the world,”
on Russian Hill, below.
IN JUST 49 SQUARE MILES, San Francisco
contains more scenic beauty, neighborhood
diversity, good food and range of arts and culture
than any U.S. city of its size. The landmark
Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Alcatraz and Fish-
erman’s Wharf are synonymous with the City by
the Bay, also known for an atmosphere of toler-
ance 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 resi-
dents 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 Endow-
ment for the Arts.
An influx of start-ups and young tech
workers has led to a boom in restaurants, bars
and nightlife, especially in the vibrant Mission
district and South of Market. In 2017, the city is
celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Summer
of Love counterculture movement with exhibi-
tions at museums, special events and concerts
that look back at the transformative time.
Among the offerings for tourists are walking
tours of the Haight-Ashbury district—currently
proposed for city landmark status because of its
historical significance—and a “Summer of Love”
80 2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
B Y L A U R A D E L R O S S O
art exhibit at the de Young Museum mid April to
mid August.
San Francisco firmly retained its place among
the country’s great cultural centers with the 2016
reopening of the architecturally-striking San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The doubling
of the downtown museum’s exhibit space made
room for The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection,
considered one of the world’s finest collections
of modern art.
On the western side of San Francisco, the Pre-
sidio continues its stunning transformation
from Army base to a vast national park filled with
historic sites, museums, artwork and miles of
walking and biking trails in forests and along the
bay. In 2015, the Presidio Parkway tunnels
replaced a highway eyesore and, in 2017, acres of
new landscaped areas, walking and biking trails
and a visitor center above the parkway are sched-
uled to open.
Renovated vista points and other areas have
recently made visiting the Golden Gate Bridge
more enjoyable. The Round House, an Art Deco-
style circular building, gives bridge visitors a
place to stop for food and drinks before browsing
the adjacent Bridge Pavilion that provides infor-
mation and exhibits. Meanwhile, on the Bay
Bridge, the permanent installation of 25,000 LED
lights that “perform” in patterns created by light
artist Leo Villareal continue to dazzle.
For trip planning, see sftravel.com.
ANDREY BAYDA/SHUTTERSTOCK; MARIO SAVOIA/SHUTTERSTOCK