Attractions in San Francisco
Asian Art Museum
Tea Garden Dr. off John F. Kennedy Dr., near 10th Ave. and Fulton St.,
The museum's collection includes more than 12,000 sculptures, paintings, and ceramics from 40 countries, illustrating major periods of Asian art. On the first floor are special exhibitions as well as galleries dedicated to works from Korea and China. On the second floor are treasures from Iran, Turkey, Syria, India, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Japan, Afghanistan, and Southeast Asia.
California Palace Of The Legion Of Honor
34th Ave. at Clement St.
415-863-3330 for 24-hr information.
Spectacularly situated on cliffs overlooking the ocean and the Marin Headlands, this landmark building is a fine repository of European art. The lower-level galleries exhibit prints and drawings, English and European porcelain, and ancient Assyrian, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art. The 20-plus galleries on the upper level are devoted to European art from the 14th century to the present. Two galleries are devoted to the Rodin collection, and a third with works by him and other 19th-century sculptors. An original cast of Rodin's The Thinker welcomes the visitor in the courtyard.
Chinatown
Delicious smells waft out of restaurants, fish markets, and produce stands. Good-luck banners of crimson and gold hang beside dragon-entwined lampposts, pagoda roofs, and street signs with Chinese calligraphy.
Grant Avenue and Stockton Street are the main thoroughfares and are lined with tearooms, shops and temples, Christian missions, Chinese schools, theaters, and grocery stores. Be sure to visit the district's narrow side streets also. At No. 56 Ross Alley west of and parallel to Grant Avenue between Washington and Jackson Streets visitors are welcome to watch fortune-cookie bakers in action. Three flights of stairs lead up to Tin How Temple, at No. 125 Waverly Place, where elderly ladies can often be seen preparing "money" to be burned as offerings to various Buddhist gods or as funds for ancestors to use in the afterlife. Visit Chinatown as you would like people to visit your home neighborhood. Be open to learning from those who welcome your presence, and leave an impression of warmth and good will behind.
Chinese Historical Society of America
644 Broadway, Suite 401
415-391-1188
Documents the role of the Chinese in the settlement of San Francisco and the West through a series of exhibits.
Cannery
415-771-3112
East side of the block bordered by Jefferson, Leavenworth, Beach and Hyde Streets
Formerly a Del Monte fruit cannery; it houses specialty shops, art galleries and restaurants, linked by arcades, bridges and balconies.
Ghiardelli Square
415-775-5500
Between Beach, Polk, Northpoint and Larkin Streets within walking distance of the Cannery and Fisherman’s Wharf, this 2.5 acre site houses the former Ghiardelli Chocolate factory, a woolen mill, apartments, and other buildings that have been refurbished to house specialty shops, bakeries and international restaurants. Many mimes and “human statues” perform next to the square.
The Metreon
415-369-6000
Daily 10-10
SONY entertainment center at Fourth and Mission Streets in Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The center features an interactive play space called: “Where the Wild Things Are”; an Adventure zone called Airtight Garage; and “The Way things Work in Mammoth 3-D”.
Coit Tower
Telegraph Hill Blvd., at Greenwich St. or Lombard St.
415-362-0808.
Admission charged. Daily 10-6:30.
Among San Francisco's most distinctive skyline sights, the 210-ft-tall Coit Tower stands as a monument to the city's volunteer firefighters. From the Tower there is a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the East Bay, and surrounding areas.
Inside the tower, Depression era murals depict economic and political life in California. The government commissioned the murals and paid 25 artists $38 a week each to paint them. The radical Mexican painter, Diego Rivera inspired the theme of the murals: the exploitation of workers. At the time they were painted, there was widespread friction between management and labor along the waterfront and elsewhere in San Francisco.
Golden Gate Bridge
Lincoln Blvd. near Doyle Dr. and Fort Point
415-921-5858.
Daily, 24 hrs for cars and bikes, 5 AM-9 PM for pedestrians.
Muni Buses 28 and 29 to San Francisco side.
The suspension bridge that connects San Francisco with Marin County impresses visitors and locals alike with its 750-ft towers, and simple but powerful Art Deco design. Nearly 2 mi, long, the Golden Gate was completed in 1937 after four years of construction, and was built to withstand winds of more than 100 mph.
This landmark is a symbol of San Francisco and the Bay Area. The Bridge is an architectural marvel, and is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. The two towers are purposely out of alignment in order to compensate for the curvature of the earth.
Because it is frequently gusty and misty , walkers should wear warm clothing. The bridge offers unparalleled views of the Bay Area.