Attractions in San Francisco

Sitting on 43 hills, and surrounded on three sides by water, San Francisco is ideally located so that almost every one of its streets ends or begins with a panoramic sea view. Some call it The City By the Bay, but to most of its residents, it is known simply as The City. Seldom has there been such a passion for preserving the past with its colorful legends and architecture as there is in San Francisco. Seven times, it has been rebuilt after fires and earthquakes; and seven times, it has been carefully and lovingly restored.

San Francisco is divided into six zones: Downtown, Midtown, Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest. Many of San Francisco's famous attractions, including North Beach, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and Union Square, are in its northeast quadrant. Golden Gate Park is in the city's northwestern section.

Bus:
If you do not want to wait in line for a cable car, you may wish to consider taking a Muni bus. You may board lines 15-Third or 30-Stockton at the corner of Kearny and Market Streets. Lines 15 and 30 travel through Chinatown and North Beach, two of San Francisco's most colorful neighborhoods. Line 15 terminates at Bay and Kearny Streets near PIER 39; line 30 operates on North Point Street from Columbus Avenue west to Van Ness Avenue and serves The Anchorage, The Cannery and Ghirardelli Square.

Alcatraz Island (Northeast)
The notorious former federal prison in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, is accessible to the public through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Blue and Gold Fleet.

Golden Gate Park. (Southwest)
John F. Kennedy Dr. west of Stanyan St.
The 1, 017 acre park contains a dozen artificial lakes; a world renowned collection of trees and other plants; miles of roads, bridle paths and foot trails. The park extends three miles from Fell and Stanyan Streets to the ocean. In addition to the Asian Art museum, there is a bison paddock, a restored Dutch style windmill, an equestrian center, a trotting track, tennis courts, archery fields, golf course, a polo field stadium, and an outdoor music concourse which offers concerts all year. The Visitor Center is located in a Beach Chalet on Great Highway and features murals with scenes of the city during the Great Depression, as well as mosaics and wood carvings.

Palace Of Fine Arts (Northwest)
San Francisco's rococo Palace of Fine Arts is at the western end of the Marina. The palace is the sole survivor of the many tinted plaster, lath and chicken wire buildings built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the world's fair that celebrated San Francisco's recovery from the 1906 earthquake and fire. The Palace of Fine Arts was recast in concrete and reopened in 1967. The massive columns, great rotunda dedicated to the glory of Greek culture, and swan-filled lagoon have been used in countless fashion layouts and films.

Exploratorium (Northwest)
Inside the Palace of Fine Arts is the city's science museum. The Exploratorium has a camera on top of their roof that brings live images from the Marina, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Palace of Fine Arts and many more attractions. Viewers have the ability to control the camera in order to view particular attractions.

San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art ( Southeast)
The architect Mario Botta designed the striking facility, completed in early 1995, which consists of a sienna brick facade and a central tower of alternating bands of black and white stone. Inside, natural light from the tower floods the central atrium and some of the museum's galleries. Works by Matisse, Picasso, O'Keeffe, Kahlo, Pollock, Warhol, and other 20th-century artists form the heart of the diverse permanent collection. Programming includes traveling exhibits and multimedia installations.