San Francisco is a tourist’s delight for those seeking a mixture of old and new. One of the best examples of that contrast is Union Square. Built in 1847, the square was designated from the outset as a public plaza. A $25 million renovation, completed in 2002, has brought the area to its current high […]

From its magnificent bayside vistas to the intimate cafes, San Francisco offers a visit par excellence. Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge may be the city’s two most well known attractions – and well deserving of their reputations – but the city at the lower edge of Northern California offers much more. Rides on […]

At over 1,000 acres Golden Gate Park is larger than Central Park in Manhattan. And, no less impressive too! In one of the busiest cities anywhere, visitors can enjoy archery, basketball, biking, skating and a host of other activities. There are tennis courts, a golf course, even fly-casting pools. Or you can take a break […]

Chinatown isn’t San Francisco’s only culturally distinct neighborhood. From an area uptown near the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets sprawls “The Haight”. Several blocks of record shops, restaurants, antique stores and more, it still bears the look and feel of the mid-60s ‘Hippie Revolution’. Parts of The Haight have changed little since 1967 and […]

In 1937, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in the White House. That simple action officially announced an event much of the world was already anticipating: the opening of The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. After four years of construction and a cost of millions of dollars and many lives, one of […]

One of the most popular tourist destinations in San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf alone has enough to see and do to consume the entire vacation. The area is one of the stopping points of the famous cable car rides and houses a Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, the Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39, […]

There are over six million people in the San Francisco area, with 750,000 in the Bay Area itself. Nestled within that vast sea of individuals is a conclave known around the world as Chinatown. Most large U.S. cities (and many outside) have a ‘Chinatown’. But, including even New York, the most authentic is unquestionably that […]

San Francisco is, intentionally no doubt, one of the most eccentric and mixed metropolis on the planet. The town is heavily populated with residents strongly opposed to anything commercial. Yet, it is also home to corporate headquarters of one of the world’s largest banks (Bank of America) and several other mega-companies. Nowhere is this split […]

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor is an art experience inside and out. Housing a fine collection, the museum is located on a stellar site with breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay. Re-opened in 1995 after a two-year, $35 million renovation, even the building itself is a work of art. Inside there […]

Visitors to San Francisco have a choice of three major options when seeking an aquarium. Fortunately, there’s no way to go wrong – all three are terrific. Aquarium of the Bay The Aquarium of the Bay, first opened in 1996, houses dozens of exhibits holding thousands of animals. There are hundreds of interesting species on […]