A city with heart
Outside the confines of the convention lies a legendary city you won't want to miss
By Julie C Northrup -- Industrial Distribution, 5/1/1999
For ASMMA/I.D.A. members who are setting foot on the grand peninsula of San Francisco for the first time, even the briefest stay will explain what Tony Bennett is crooning about in his legendary ballad. For those who have had the good fortune of a previous visit, this trip will likely reaffirm the seemingly indisputable notion that San Francisco is one of America's most beautiful and dynamic municipalities.In what has become the city's official ballad, Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," asserts that the glorious cities of Paris, Rome and Manhattan don't hold a candle to the "City by the Bay." A bold claim, to be sure, but it is one that has historically been backed up by a plethora of notable luminaries -- from singers to politicians to writers.
Officially founded in 1776 by Spanish monks and dubbed Yerba Buena -- meaning "good herb" -- the city was later annexed by Mexico and ultimately incorporated into the United States, as a result of the Mexican-American War, and renamed San Francisco. It was the infamous Gold Rush of 1848, however, that drew settlers to the area en masse and set San Francisco on the road to becoming the booming metropolis that it is today. And while these fortune-seekers did not hit gold in the literal sense, they did so in the proverbial sense.
San Francisco is unique in that its primary attraction is its unrivaled landscape. Its 46 square miles are spread over 43 rolling hills, flanked on either side by the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It is this same unique locale that is responsible for the temperate climate and notorious fog that veils the city during the morning and evening hours.
The city's meticulous preservation of its history lends an innate charm that is rare in this age of high technology. Perhaps the best evidence of this is the cable cars that "climb halfway to the stars," traversing the city's many colorful neighborhoods. Exquisite Victorian-era architecture dots the hills of the city, much of which has been painstakingly restored. There are some 14,000 of these treasures throughout the city, but The Alamo Square Historic District boasts perhaps the best display.
In fact, visitors needn't ever step indoors (except for nourishment in the top-rated eateries that proliferate the city, see page xx) to enjoy the best of what San Francisco has to offer. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge is a must, whether you have plans of traveling that way or not. The spectacular mile-long suspension bridge is one of the city's most well-known landmarks and offers breathtaking views. While the hilly terrain offers unlimited vantage points from which to view the city, Coit Tower, perched atop Telegraph Hill, offers the most encompassing.
Golden Gate Park -- a three-mile-long urban oasis -- and the Presidio -- a 15,000-acre park and military outpost -- provide ample space for biking, picnicking and the like. Fisherman's Wharf offers unlimited entertainment in a seaside carnival-like setting, complete with vendors and street performers. The best way to arrive here is via the palm-lined Embarcadero, which hugs the San Francisco Bay. Of course, no trip to San Francisco would be complete without a stroll down Lombard Street, touted as "the crookedest street in the world."
For visitors with a little extra time on their hands -- and the forethought to make ferry reservations -- a trip out to Alcatraz Island to view "The Rock" that housed such notorious criminals as Al Capone will not disappoint.
The best way to get a feel for this city and the ethnic diversity and cultural tolerance so characteristic of it, is to walk the streets of its varied neighborhoods: Union Square -- the real hub of the city; Financial District -- where the "suits" conduct the city's financial business during 9-5 hours; Chinatown -- 24 blocks of Chinese restaurants and shops; North Beach -- the city's Little Italy; Nob Hill -- the tony address in town; SoMa -- south of Market Street is the trendiest new spot for dining and night life; Haight-Ashbury -- the former playground of the 60s hippie movement remains a boisterous enclave; The Castro -- largely associated with the gay community and centered around lively Castro Street; Cow Hollow -- primarily residential with plenty of shopping and dining options; and Civic Center -- notable for the civic center, which includes City Hall and the Museum of Modern Art.
If it's shopping you're after -- or if you're just plain exhausted from scaling hills -- head to Ghirardelli Square, the Cannery or Pier 39. The former two are a revived chocolate factory and canning plant, respectively; the latter is an indoor/outdoor complex built on a former cargo pier.
And for a little culture, there's the renowned Exploratorium interactive museum; the California Academy of Science -- a world-class museum of natural history; and the top-rated San Francisco Zoo.
So, whether you're in and out of town for the convention or making a vacation of it, get out and experience a little of this great city while you can because once you've left, you'll be longing for more!
Top Attractions
Alcatraz Island
San Francisco Bay
(415) 546-2700
You can walk through the prison and grounds on a self-guided tour of this former maximum-security federal penitentiary. Seating on the ferries of the Red and White Fleet --(415) 546-2882 -- is in great demand and should be reserved in advance.
California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park
(415) 750-7145
One of the top museums of natural history in the country, the Academy includes the first-rate Morrison Planetarium, featuring star and laser shows; Steinhart Aquarium, with its 100,000-gallon Fish Roundabout, which is home to 14,000 creatures; and such exhibitions as an "earthquake floor," which enables visitors to ride a simulated California quake.
Asian Art Museum
Golden Gate Park
(415) 379-8801
With an estimated 12,000 works spanning 6,000 years, this is the largest museum outside Asia devoted to Asian art. The adjoining M.H. de Young Memorial Museum -- (415) 863-3330 -- is especially strong in American art, including works by Sargent, Whistler, Cassatt and Remington.
Coit Tower
Telegraph Hill
(415) 362-0808
To enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the bay, take an elevator to the top of this Art Deco monument, decorated with murals dedicated to the workers of California.
Exploratorium
3601 Lyon St.
(415) 563-7337
Kids and adults alike can enjoy this scientific museum that's part feast for the senses and part learning experience. Over 650 permanent exhibits explore everything from color theory to Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
Golden Gate Bridge
For the best view of this international symbol of San Francisco, see it from Lincoln Park Boulevard, on the western edge of the Presidio, or drive across the bridge to the parking lot on the Marin side.
Golden Gate Park
Runs east-west from Stanyan Street to the Pacific Ocean
(415) 558-3706
The best way to see this 1,000-acre park is by car. Don't miss the Japanese Tea Garden -- (415) 752-1171 -- a four-acre village of small ponds, streams, and flowering shrubs. Visitors especially enjoy paddle-boating on Stow Lake, the expansive picnic grounds, and the park's first-class museums.
Haas-Lilienthal House
2007 Franklin St.
(415) 441-3004
One of the most extravagant of the city's retinue of gingerbread Victorians. This 1886 Queen Anne structure features all of the requisite architectural characteristics and is furnished in period pieces. A former private residence, it now serves as a museum.
Lombard Street
Between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets
Cars line up to zigzag down this "crookedest street in the world," where pedestrians negotiate stairs instead of sidewalks.
Mission Dolores
16th and Dolores Sts.
(415) 621-8203
The sixth of 21 missions founded in California by the Franciscans and the oldest building in the city, this structure, dating from 1776, retains the appearance of a small-scale outpost, dwarfed by the towers of the adjacent basilica.
Presidio of San Francisco
Lombard and Lyon Streets
(415) 561-3870
This 15,000-acre park is headquarters for the U.S. Sixth Army. The hilly and wooded terrain provides the perfect landscape for outdoor activities such as biking and hiking.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 3rd St.
(415) 357-4000
SFMOMA moved into its stunning new Mario Botta-designed building in 1995. Early modernist works, photography and post-World War II California art are among the strengths of the permanent collection.
Listings compiled from Fodor's Travel Online Inc.
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