Where is san francisco in which country. San Francisco - history, geography, interesting places of the city
San Francisco is a city and main port on the Pacific coast of the United States, California, the center of a large urban conurbation, historical capital California. Located in western California, on a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate. The population is 843.3 thousand people (2013, the population of Greater San Francisco is 7.2 million people).
Despite the fact that European expeditions (F. Drake, J. R. Cabrillo, S. Biscaino) visited here in the 16th century, they did not notice the convenient San Francisco Bay because of the fog. The ships of the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola were the first to visit here. In 1776, the military fort Presidio de San Francisco ("garrison of St. Francis of Assisi", operated until 1994, then a museum) and the mission "San Francisco de Asis" (another name "Dolores") were founded. The first civilian settlement, Yerba Buena, was founded in 1835 by an Englishman, Captain W.E. Richardson. During the Mexican-American War, it was captured by the Americans and renamed San Francisco (1847).
In 1848, the first gold was found in Northern California, soon the "gold rush" (1849) began, as well as the discovery of the Comstock silver vein in 1859, which contributed to the very rapid development of the city. In 1848-1870, the population of the city increased by 187 times (in 1848 the population was 800 people, and in 1870 - 150 thousand people). The population of San Francisco, like California as a whole, grew even more after the completion of the construction of the Pacific railway in 1869, which connected the West with the center of the country.
In April 1906, an earthquake struck the San Francisco area, after which a fire raged for several days. As a result, about 700 people died, the city center was destroyed, and a residential area of Victorian private houses was damaged. During the Great Depression, the city was replenished by immigrants from other states. During the Second World War, the city became the center of military shipbuilding, shipyards were built, which employed about 500 thousand workers. In the summer of 1945, the San Francisco Conference took place, which created the UN.
By the end of the 20th century, environmental problems worsened in the city, as well as overpopulation problems, real estate prices rose sharply (one of the most expensive cities in the country). In the 1960s, San Francisco was the center of rock and jazz, the city became one of the centers of the hippie, beatnik, pacifist movements; "psychedelic" or "California" rock was born here.
Golden Gate Bridge
Among the attractions: the Golden Gate Bridge over the strait connecting San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean (span length 1281 m), height 67 m above sea level makes it possible to swim by any sea vessels(the symbol of California, built in 1937), the business part of the city with skyscrapers (Downtown), including the Bank of America skyscrapers, the Pyramid, the Embarcadero Center, consisting of four skyscrapers, and sculptural compositions (including avant-garde fountain of Vaillantour).
Neighborhoods on the hills of Knob Hill (originally the quarter of the gold miners), Telegraph Hill (the first telegraph office in the West opened here in 1853), Russian Hill (The roller coaster, the quarter of writers, here is the most winding Lombard Street in the world) and Twin Peaks (from here you have a beautiful view of Downtown and bridges).
Lombard street
The hotel I booked for a few nights was located near one of San Francisco's most striking landmarks - Chinatown, and, of course, I spent the evening of my first day in “the most European city in the USA” among the continuously trading, chewing and hurrying somewhere Chinese. I highly recommend tasting the roast duck at one of the many eateries there - before going to San Francisco, I heard that the Chinese there are especially good at this dish, and its taste is not inferior to the duck bought somewhere in Shanghai or Guangzhou. I confirm that the dish is excellent, subsequently I dined exclusively in Chinatown and precisely with duck. The block and the place itself are extremely curious, and it begins with the "Dragon Gate" (Dragon Gate), a gift to the city of San Francisco from the government of Taiwan, made in classic Chinese style and installed at the southern end of the block, near Bush Street.
The image of the dragon will haunt you everywhere in Chinatown - and indeed without it, any place on the globe where the Chinese live compactly is unthinkable, be it the Chinatown of San Francisco, Paris or Bangkok. All Chinese, regardless of where they live, consider themselves descendants of the Dragon - “long tik chuan ren”, and in general, according to legend, the Chinese nation and its culture were formed around the Dragon (“Long”), which is considered the embodiment of power, perfection, greatness and divine favor. Unlike European dragons and their Russian deviations such as the Serpent-Gorynych, which were distinguished by extremely bad habits, the Chinese Dragon is wise and noble, the Chinese revere him very much and build beautiful temples in his honor.
The central artery of Chinatown San Francisco is Grant Avenue, along which most of the local attractions are located, such as St. Mary's Square (St. Mary square - north of the Dragon Gate), St. Mary's Cathedral and Portsmouth Square (Portsmouth square ).
It is Portsmouth Square that is the symbol of "Chinese life" in San Francisco: old people play Chinese chess there, people of all ages do Tai Chi gymnastics. In the center of the park there is a copy of the Goddess of Democracy in memory of the students' protests suppressed by the authorities of communist China on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. A little away from Grant Avenue is the Tin How Temple, it was not so easy to find it, and in the process of searching for it, I encountered an unusual moment for America: people in the USA in general and in San Francisco in particular are very friendly and always ready to help the tourist. Which, unfortunately, I cannot say about the Chinese inhabitants of San Francisco's Chinatown. For a long time I could not find the Tin Hao temple among other picturesque Chinese houses and decided to ask the local people where to look for it. Three times I turned to Chinese passers-by with a request to show me the way, and all three times I was not only not shown, but not even particularly honored with an answer. The natives only screwed up their already narrow eyes contemptuously and ran further on their Chinese affairs, without even turning their heads in my direction and without listening to the end of the question. Everyone looked as if he was at least Confucius, and I was a bucket of garbage - and not local. Perhaps I didn’t formulate the request correctly and it shouldn’t have started with the phrase “excuse me sir, would you help me ...” - they probably decided that I would start begging for money from them. As a result, I did find the temple itself, but the refusal of the local residents not only to show the way, but even simply to answer, was very dissonant with the attitude of other residents of the city of San Francisco - both Euro-Americans, and African-Americans, and especially Latinos (the latter are just the same ready to take you by the hand to where you need to go). By the way, regarding the wording of the question: indeed, you shouldn’t say “Would you help me” - in the States, people are really scared of this, they checked it in different cities, it’s better to immediately “Please tell me where ...”
Returning to the Tin Hao Temple - this is the oldest Chinese temple in the United States, it was erected in honor of the safe arrival of the first Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. The temple is really tiny and not easy to find, the western wall is decorated with gilded wood carvings in honor of Ting Hao, God of Heaven. Numerous paper lanterns hang from the ceiling of the temple - it is believed that while the lantern is burning, it brings health and happiness to the person in whose honor it was lit. The exact address of the Tin Hao Temple: Waverly place, 125.
In the north, Chinatown is bounded by Broadway Street - unlike its New York namesake, filled not with music halls and neon lights, but mostly establishments and characters, to one degree or another related to the semi-legal sex services : porn cinemas, strip clubs and street prostitutes (often being police officers and delivering their unlucky clients not to “numbers”, but directly to the police station). Other San Francisco Broadway establishments include the Hustler Club, founded by the famous Larry Flynt, and the Stinking Rose Restaurant (Stinking Rose, 325 Columbus avenue), which is soaked through with the smell of garlic.
Graffiti in Chinese:
Sights of San Francisco, day two
Russian Hills, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge, West Paris, Fishermans Wharf, Telegraph Hill, Filbert Street.
My second day in San Francisco started with a walk around the area Russian Hills— it was the closest attraction of the city to my hotel. One of the most striking features of the city of San Francisco is its relief, namely the famous steep hills on which the city is built:
In the Russian Hills area, you can see this feature of San Francisco in all its splendor, and not even particularly bothering your legs: one of the branches of the legendary San Francisco cable tram, the Powell-Hyde line, runs along Hyde street:
on which you can get to the picturesque Lombard street, known as crookedest street - "the most winding street in the United States": 
The street really meanders like a snake crawling along the ground, and along its entire length it is literally immersed in greenery. Absolutely all visitors to San Francisco consider it their duty to walk or drive along this famous street - and I did not violate this rule.
An obligatory shot for all those who came to the city of San Francisco for the first time is “cable tram with Alcatraz Island in the background”:
Going down Lombard Street, I came to the intersection of Columbus avenue and Beach street, where I was tempted to rent a bike and ride it to one of the most recognizable symbols of San Francisco and the USA in general: Bridge Golden Gate (Golden Gate):
San Francisco Landmarks: Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world from its construction in 1937 until 1964, its length is 1970 meters, the height of the supports is 230 meters above the water. The first twelve hours after its opening, the Golden Gate Bridge was provided exclusively to pedestrians, and then, at the signal of President Roosevelt, motor vehicles were allowed to enter the bridge.
The six-banded red giant is notable for many things - and, among other things, is known as one of the most popular places on Earth to settle accounts with life. On average, every two weeks, someone decides on such a radical way to get rid of life's problems, and, according to unofficial data (official statistics were stopped in 1995, when the number of suicides reached 1000), over more than 70 years of its existence, the Golden Gate Bridge has become springboard to better world for more than 1300 people.
The fall from the bridge lasts 4 seconds, the body enters the water at a speed of 120 km / h, which causes it to receive multiple injuries, often incompatible with life. According to information for 2006, of all those who jumped from the bridge, only 26 people survived, all of them entered the water feet first. Another curious fact from the “life” of the Golden Gate Bridge: on May 18, 2004, a deer crossed the bridge for the first time, paralyzing traffic on the bridge for twenty minutes with its act.
My bike ride to the Golden Gate Bridge, then along the bridge itself to the opposite bank and back to the rental point took exactly two hours with frequent photographing of the bridge, myself against its background, picturesque surroundings and cost me $16 (an hourly bike rental is $8 an hour).
But it is definitely worth it: firstly, it takes a very long time to walk there, and secondly, it requires a fair amount of physical fitness - the landscape there is green hilly. On the way back from the bridge to the bike rental point, I came across another San Francisco attraction called "Western Paris":
All this pseudo-antique beauty was built in 1915 specifically for the Panama Pacific exhibition, timed to coincide with the opening of the Panama Canal.
After handing over the bike, I walked around the area Fisherman's Wharf, where he completed another mandatory item of the San Francisco visit program: he dined on the pier with the famous Clam chouder soup: this is the famous American thick rich seafood soup. Fisherman's Wharf- This is another attraction of San Francisco; in its western part, it is represented by the so-called Fish Alley (Fish Alley), where in numerous fish restaurants you can taste everything that can be prepared from seafood harvested in this part of the world.
On the waterfront east of Fish Alley, you can visit a US Navy transport and a World War II submarine that have been turned into public museums:
and in the building of one of the port facilities there is an exhibition of antique slot machines - many of them are quite playable, although the inscriptions warn to be careful with them, because "most of them are older than you will ever be":
After the slot machines, I reached the "rookery of sea lions" - these animals were given several wooden platforms near one of the piers, and on these platforms they bask in the sun, entertaining the walkers.
There is also a pier nearby, from which ferries depart, including to the famous Alcatraz island (Alcatraz), "America's most famous prison", a place that has been sung more than once in Hollywood films:
To the east of this pier is Fisherman's Wharf Market, famous for its seafood, fruits and vegetables (Pier 39).
Another attraction in the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf area is the Aquarium, located just west of Pier 41, and consisting of three parts: "Explore the Bay" (Discovery the Bay), "Under the Water" (Under the Bay) and "Touch the Bay" ( Touch the Bay). Its highlight is a huge transparent pipe through which visitors pass, while sea reptiles swim in schools from all sides. The people and the inhabitants of the abyss seem to have changed places there: people in the “aquarium” pipe, while the fish looks at them with pleasure from above, being in relative freedom.
My walk through Fisherman's Wharf went on to storm the steep Telegraph Hill, where we rise another attraction of this part of San Francisco - Coit tower:
The tower was built with money from Lily Coit in 1934. The lady was known for her panic fear that one day a grandiose fire “like in Chicago” could start in San Francisco, and an observation tower was vital for the timely detection of a fire. According to its original purpose, the Coit Tower is no longer used, but the views from it are amazing, which tourists from all over the world willingly use. True, I didn’t climb the tower itself - firstly, it was a pity to spend 12 bucks on it, and secondly, there was a long queue at the entrance. After Telegraph Hill, I decided to look at one attraction in the city of San Francisco - a picturesque Filbert street located nearby:
In fact, this is not quite a street, but rather a string of narrow wooden bridges winding between beautiful old mansions immersed in greenery.
Filbert Street is considered by many to be the most beautiful street in San Francisco. From my point of view, Lombard Street, which I have already mentioned, could well compete with Filbert for the title of “most beautiful” - but, be that as it may, both of them are among the main attractions of San Francisco.
Filbert street leads to Levi Plaza area, which owes its name to the "inventor" of jeans Levi Strauss. The history of jeans and Levi Strauss himself is quite worthy of a brief retelling. It began in 1829 in Bavaria, when a poor Orthodox Jewish family of immigrants from Western Ukraine the seventh child named Leiba was born. Even as a Strauss, Leiba was not eager to become a musician, but, like any decent Jew, he wanted to become a millionaire. In 1853, the young Leiba moved to San Francisco and shortened his name to Levi - it was this version of him that was destined to become a world famous brand. At the same time, California is in a gold rush, and Levy begins to sew from tent fabric (there was no other handy) durable overalls for prospectors; for his first jumpsuit, Levy was paid $6 in gold dust. According to one version of the origin of the name of his products, Levy ordered material for his pants in Italy, and the bales arrived in the States from Genoa marked "Genes" - for the Americans it sounded like "jeans". Currently, the Jewish Museum in Berlin houses Levi's 501 jeans, revered as one of the most valuable gifts of the Jewish people to the rest of humanity.
One of the most common types of residents of the city of San Francisco:
Sights of San Francisco, day three
Business District (Market Street and Embarcadero), Castro District, Twin Peaks Hills and Trans-American Pyramid.
The morning of my third day in San Francisco was marked by an exciting trip to another attraction of the city, which would be unforgivable to miss - old cable tram:
Before Streets Market I rode hanging on its running board - and not because there was no room inside, but because that is how it is customary to ride streetcars in San Francisco: tourists, and yuppies in office ties, and hippies in picturesque rags. The Negro conductor all the way good-naturedly quarreled with passers-by and, judging by their reaction, they were all his good friends.
Here on this platform the trams are deployed:
Along Market Street - this is essentially the central street that runs through the whole city from the embankment to Castro district- I walked to Embarcadero streets, there went to take a look at Hyatt Regency Hotel, famous for its revolving rooftop restaurant, was impressed by the bourgeois chic and moved on.
In the lobby of the hotel there is a model “Alcatraz prison with a section” - apparently so that the rich hotel guests do not forget that anything can happen in life and, as they say, “from the bag to the prison” ...
I didn’t get into the restaurant on the roof itself - my very worn jeans and worn-out sneakers did not correspond to the general atmosphere there. On leaving the Hayatt, I was overwhelmed by the desire to go to Alcatraz Island (Alcatraz) - initially, my plans to visit this San Francisco attraction did not appear, I am not a fan of prison romance and have not watched a single Hollywood movie about this legendary American prison. At pier 33 (where the boats leave for Alcatraz), I was predictably expected to announce that the island was closed due to a government shut-down. themselves and failed to pass a budget for the new fiscal year that began on October 1, and for this reason, almost all federally funded institutions (except those related to national security) were closed and their employees were sent on unpaid leave. In short, the trip to Alcatraz did not come true for me and I decided to look at another famous San Francisco attraction - Twin Peaks hills, and before that, take a walk around the global "mecca" of LGBT characters - the Castro district. But first my legs carried me to Embarcadero Center- a huge multifunctional retail, office, hotel and entertainment complex, consisting of eight buildings with a total area of 400 thousand square meters. meters.
Located nearby fountain by Armand Vellancourt Unfortunately, it has been turned off. When turned on, it resembles volumetric graffiti or stylized open square veins from which transparent blood flows:
Then the path lay to the hills of Twin Peaks, and on the way there was another attraction of San Francisco: the Castro district, known as the place of compact residence of "rainbow" characters and almost the world center of the subculture of sexual minorities. Getting there is quite simple - this is the end station of the MUNI metro lines K, L, M and T.
Personally, Castro didn’t impress me much, the district as a district - in the sense of “LGBT lawlessness”, some places in Amsterdam look more outrageous - only rainbow flags fly over almost every entrance, and one of them proudly flies on a tall flagpole, like a state banner:
The Castro district is also known for its eponymous cinema, where films are shown on hot topics for gays and lesbians, as well as the Asia SF restaurant, where you will be served by transvestite waitresses.
Quite curious, but if you have already visited Pattaya or some specific areas of Bangkok, you are unlikely to be surprised by anything there.
In general, the Castro district makes, oddly enough, a rather solid impression - even sex shops with all sorts of dildos and lubricants look respectable and bourgeois there. However, if you are extremely uncomfortable with the sight of men walking around the floor and flirting men, it is better not to go there.
After walking around the Castro district, I took bus 37 (the stop is located at the corner of Market and 16th streets) and drove it almost to the saddle between the two famous Twin Peaks hills - I don’t recommend going to this San Francisco landmark on foot, you will have to climb long and high , after such a walk, you won’t want anything at all.
Road to Twin Peaks:
By the way, bus and tram travel in San Francisco costs $2 and the driver does not give change from higher denomination banknotes, which is even written on the bus entrance. But the public transport drivers in San Francisco are quite good-natured people and when I tried to pay with a 10-dollar bill for lack of others, they just drove me for free. And one African-American tram driver was easily satisfied with a handful of change from my pocket in the amount of 1.80 bucks - there was no more, only the same ten ..
View of the city of San Francisco from the hills of Twin Peaks:
The view from the hills is beautiful, but, in addition to the city itself, it is also very clearly visible and smog above it:
On the way back, the story of ticketless travel was repeated: there was simply nowhere to change money on the hills. In principle, the bus driver was not particularly against my ticketless travel, but my conscience was already “tortured” (it tends to wake up if the drivers and conductors are normal people and do not rest against the horn - they say, “either pay or go on foot”) and I tried exchange money with one of the passengers - and in the process of this exchange I met a very sincere Mexican, Jose, who helped me with the exchange and also gave me a bunch of practical advice.
Having learned about my misadventures with their American government shut-down (in four days I planned to go to several national parks from Las Vegas and really hoped that this political problem of theirs would be successfully resolved by that time and National parks open again), he took out his iPad and all the way through Google tried to find something encouraging on this topic, but at that time there was no good news. But the very desire to help a stranger was pleasant and very different from the attitude of the inhabitants of Chinatown the day before. In conclusion, Jose took me to some bar to his friends, where the cashier exchanged another ten dollars for me. Then I took the MUNI metro to the Embarcadero station and walked for a couple of hours Financial District of San Francisco- Montgomery Street, Union Square.
In those parts is located Trans American pyramid (Transamerica Pyramid, www.transamerica.com), San Francisco's most unusual skyscraper and one of the city's most recognizable landmarks:
According to legend, John R. Beckett, President of Transamerica, once noticed that the pyramidal treetops in the city park allowed sunlight to penetrate to the ground and did not cast a massive shadow. Wanting to achieve a similar effect, he chose an unconventional pyramidal shape for the building of his company; as a result, the shadow from the resulting skyscraper is really very thin and, like a sundial, it goes around the surrounding neighborhoods like a clock hand.
Oddly enough, but in such a remarkable building there is no observation deck- an unthinkable commercial miscalculation for America, where it is customary to turn absolutely everything into "special coin". However, you can get a bird's eye view of the sights of San Francisco three blocks down Montgomery Street - on the 52nd floor of the Bank of America building there is a restaurant with a panoramic view.
The next day, I was due to take the bus to Los Angeles and, after having dinner on the now traditional duck in Chinatown, I decided to find the Greyhound bus terminal so that I would not have to look for it tomorrow with a backpack. The decision turned out to be very correct: judging by the information on the Internet, the bus terminal was supposed to be located at the corner of Mission and Fremont streets, but in fact there was a large fenced construction site. He was found a couple of blocks southeast - at the corner of Howard and Beale street.
Day Four, Moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles
I checked out of the hotel without incident in the morning and walked to the Greyhound bus terminal in half an hour, refreshing myself with a glass of Starbucks cappuccino along the way. Registration for the bus at the Greyhound is organized as at the airport (only without a personal search). Weigh luggage; if you drop off your suitcase luggage compartment, then they demand to pay extra - from the aunt, who stood in line for registration in front of me, they demanded to pay extra 5 bucks for a suitcase. I turned my 'suitcase on wheels' into a 'backpack' again and said it was mine. hand luggage I won't put anything in my luggage. My luggage was incredulously examined, but in the end the feint rolled, and the backpack rode in the bus next to me for free. I bought a bus ticket six months in advance and it cost $36 then. I suppose that directly on the day of departure it would be more expensive.
By the way, already being in the USA, I heard a couple of times good feedback about the bus company Megabus - they say, if you buy tickets for a couple of months, you can leave New York for Washington for almost $ 1. I haven't tested it myself yet, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of this information. It takes about 7 hours to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles, with stops for 20 minutes in Oakland, then half an hour in Avenal, and a couple of minutes in San Fernando.
How to get to San Francisco from Moscow
Because direct flight Moscow - San Francisco does not exist in nature, then you can get to San Francisco from the Russian capital with only at least one transfer - most likely in New York, Washington, Atlanta or Los Angeles, Aeroflot or Delta airlines. The cost of a flight to San Francisco from Moscow depends on the season and is approximately $700 one way. The duration of such a flight will be about 20 hours (depending on the duration of the connection at the intermediate airport).
To search for cheap flights to the USA, you can use this search form:
If you have already arrived on the West Coast of the United States, then the most reasonable way to get to San Francisco is by Grayhound bus. Another way to get to San Francisco from any major locality The US train is the state rail operator Amtrak. More detailed information flight information and ticket prices can be obtained from the websites of the respective companies: www.amtrak.com and www.greyhound.com.
Life hack: how I save on hotels and insurance
In addition to traditional and well-known tools such as Booking or Hotellook, new online services have recently appeared that make life easier for the traveler and pleasantly save the thickness of his wallet. One of them - roomguru I use it all the time and recommend it to all my friends and family. This service compares prices for an object in 30 booking systems at once, and offers you the most interesting options. In addition, it tracks discounts and special offers.
As for a good working travel insurance, it was not easy to find it before, but now it has become even more difficult due to the constant fluctuations in the ruble exchange rate against world currencies. For the past few years, I have been taking out insurance for my travels through an online service - here you can compare the products of different insurers and choose what is best for you:
San Francisco Tours by Locals
View "the most European city» America can be done on your own or with an organized Russian-speaking tour. Your guides will be locals- photographers, journalists, historians - in love with their city and who know almost everything about it. You can find a list of all available author's excursions in San Francisco in the table below. By default, the window displays the first 3 excursions, sorted by reviews and popularity. To see all available options, click "View All".
At the booking stage, you will need to pay 20% of the cost of the tour - the rest is given to the guide before it starts.
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Your Roman Mironenko
San Francisco is known as a disco city, it is always young, bright, cheerful, it does not get tired of changing, the most open and good-natured people on earth live here. Whom you can’t meet here on the streets, all types, races, nations, cultures, religions, and indeed a lot of all kinds of weirdos. If you want to be very serious, then this is very easy to do here. It seems that the slogan of the city: live and let live, there is no more liberal and tolerant city in the world. Everyone knows that San Francisco is famous for its tolerance and attitude towards all minorities, including sexual ones, but now we will not talk about that. San Francisco magnificent city for people with a different mindset, a different vision of the world. San Francisco is a place of life for advanced designers, constructors, artists, filmmakers, in general, purely creative people, developers from Apple live here, the city is famous for the fact that Paul Breg, the founder of the raw food diet and medical fasting, lived all his life, although he did not become an absolute long-liver, nevertheless he gave the whole world a new look at human nature.
How do people live in San Francisco
San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California, after Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose, it is the 13th most populous city in the United States. San Francisco boasts several nicknames at once: "City by the Bay", "Fog City", "city that knows how", "Baghdad Bay", "Paris of the West". For 2016, San Francisco has the highest livability rating in the US, and San Francisco also ranks highest among other US cities in terms of quality of life, but there is also a small drawback in the form of a very high cost of living, including the cost of real estate. San Francisco is ideal for programmers, in the shadow of which people of other professions, not related to computer technology, will feel uncomfortable. 0.85 million people live in San Francisco, 4.6 million in the agglomeration.
San Francisco is at a latitude of 37 degrees, which is roughly the latitude of Cyprus. Here is an unusually favorable climate for life, especially for those who love warmth and a variety of fruits. Almost every second resident of the city is either a raw foodist or a vegetarian, it is no secret that the health of many immigrants in the United States worsens after arrival, the reason for this is a change in eating style, if at home a person ate very simple foods, carrots, cabbage, apples and semi-finished products were not available, then in the US, those foods that were not available at home became the main diet.
Since the 60s, San Francisco has become a city of cultural freedom, the hippie movement was born here, creating the phenomenon of cultural, social and political rebellion, the locals are very creative expression. In the 1980s, skyscrapers began to be built in San Francisco in the likeness of New York, even the term Manhattanization stuck to the city. Many San Francisco residents traditionally oppose any change to the city's landscape, saying that all modern infrastructure is killing the soul of San Francisco. At the same time, many homeless people appeared in San Francisco, this was facilitated by the deteriorating economic situation, a large number of people who fell victim to permissiveness, including alcoholism and drug addiction, the climate factor is also here, in San Francisco it is not cold, almost all year round You can sleep peacefully outside and not get cold.
Natural and climatic conditions, weather San Francisco
In San Francisco, despite the Mediterranean climate, it is rather cool in summer, this fact greatly distinguishes San Francisco, for example, from neighboring San Jose, where there is some transition to a continental climate. The weather in San Francisco is strongly influenced by cold currents Pacific Ocean, annual temperature fluctuations are insignificant.
San Francisco has its own unique microclimate, and this microclimate can also be unique for different areas of the city. The high hills of San Francisco are responsible for high dispersion, they also protect the city center from cold and windy weather, San Francisco is often shrouded in fog, when only the tops of the golden (red) bridge support and hills look out from under the clouds.
The big minus of life in San Francisco is the threat of earthquakes, at the beginning and end of the 20th century there were two powerful earthquakes, the first earthquake that destroyed the entire city was especially remembered. The 1989 quake had a magnitude of 7.1, while seismically resistant skyscrapers were not damaged, but all the roads were destroyed, so they had to be replaced or demolished.
Jobs and vacancies in San Francisco
Since the 1990s, since the birth of the Internet, San Francisco has already become the birthplace of Internet companies, web developers, programmers, and Silicon Valley is also nearby, characterized by a high density of high-tech companies associated with the development and production of computers and their components. By the way, a series of the same name has now been released, so those who want to find work in San Francisco should definitely watch it, if you look like the heroes of the series, then you can safely go to San Francisco, employers are waiting for you there with open arms.
The decomposition of technical specialists and computer scientists led to the fact that ordinary people who were employed in other less profitable sectors of the economy slowly began to move out of San Francisco, and only programmers can afford to live in the city a little more, since the cost of a square meter of housing or rent such housing is approaching the central streets of Manhattan. The city today is unlikely to be able to accommodate everyone, San Francisco is surrounded by water on one side, and Mount San Bruno on the other, which leads to higher property prices.
A great contrast is made by various homeless people and beggars, they flock to the city because of the attractive climate, and the authorities do not fight this phenomenon, fearing to lose the image of a free and tolerant city. A big minus of life in San Francisco emerges - street crime, theft, car break-ins.
San Francisco began as a city of adventurers obsessed with the glitz of the Gold Rush and the opportunity to get rich instantly. From a small settlement of Yerba Buena, it has grown to a large modern city which today attracts thousands of tourists.
Unfortunately, everything that was built before 1906 has practically not been preserved. As a result of a large-scale earthquake, the old San Francisco ceased to exist. But gradually a new one began to appear - with magnificent squares, business districts and huge parks.
There are many in the city amazing places- this is Pier 39 with a colony of California lions that settled right in the city, and a mysterious prison island, and a group of miraculously surviving Victorian mansions. In a word, everyone can find an attraction to their taste.
The best hotels and hostels at affordable prices.
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What to see and where to go in San Francisco?
The most interesting and Beautiful places for walks. Photos and a short description.
The main transport artery of Northern California and a recognizable symbol of San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge was opened to traffic in 1937. The design fell in love not only with motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Many filmmakers have filmed the Golden Gate in their films. Grandiose flying spans of red color can be seen in the films "Interview with the Vampire", "Terminator 4", "Superman" and others. The bridge was designed by D. Strauss, I. Morrow and C. Ellis. The length of the structure is 2737 meters, the width is 27 meters.
Former prison on an island in San Francisco Bay. This place became famous for the fact that well-known and especially dangerous criminals were kept under the strictest guard. Until the closure in 1963, not a single person managed to escape from Alcatraz and survive. In 1969, the island was occupied by Indian leaders who protested against the government and believed that the Americans had occupied their rightful lands by force. Alcatraz has now been turned into a museum.
Historic public transport that began operating in 1873. The cable car moves like a funicular along cable car, that is, the engine is not in the car itself, but in the depot at the substation. Now this transport is used more as a tourist attraction, but the system is capable of carrying up to 7 million passengers a year. In the middle of the 20th century, there was a serious struggle to preserve the historical line, as a result, after several reconstructions, it was decided to leave the tram.
One of the central squares of San Francisco, located in the district of the same name. It is surrounded by huge shopping centers, boutiques, hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, salons and galleries. Life here is in full swing around the clock and does not stop for a minute. The square is the starting point for exploring the city; locals arrange dates and business meetings here.
A picturesque street, or rather, a 400-meter section of the highway, located on the Russian Hill. Lombard Street is famous for being in the shape of a winding ribbon that descends to the highway at a rather steep angle. For cars, this is a rather difficult section of the road, for tourists it is an interesting sight like an attraction. The pavement of the street is made of red brick, green lawns are planted along the edges.
A city park with a rather vast territory (the area is about 400 hectares), which starts in the city center and ends on the ocean coast. Inside there are artificial lakes, hills, islands, waterfalls, dunes, plains, and there are also several museums. The park has all the conditions for sports, walking, cycling and just a relaxing holiday. In terms of attendance, the Golden Gate is second only to New York's Central Park.
A group of Victorian houses that survived the 1906 earthquake. The attraction is located on the territory of the elite urban quarter of Nob Hill. The name "Painted Ladies" was given to the houses due to their architecture and bright exterior painting, which B. Kardum worked on in 1963. Picturesque wooden facades of buildings are decorated with balconies, towers, verandas and other architectural delights.
Tourist port area, which became famous for the abundance of fish restaurants, shops, museums. Ferries to Alcatraz leave from here, as well as a cable car line. During the Gold Rush, Fisherman's Wharf became a habitat for unfortunate gold miners who began to fish for a living in order to somehow feed themselves. The area is home to the Marine Historical Park.
A marina with a wide range of entertainment options, a popular vacation spot for visitors and residents of San Francisco. Pier 39's main attraction is the California sea lion rookery. Special wooden platforms have been built for animals in the water, on which they rest and bask in the sun in whole flocks. In total, about 1,500 lions live in the pier area, they first appeared in the bay in 1989.
Bright and colorful Chinatown with traditional red lanterns and pagodas. Chinatown is not only a place of residence for immigrants from the Middle Kingdom, but also a popular tourist attraction. The area began to take shape in the middle of the 19th century, it became home to numerous Chinese refugees from Guangdong. Over more than 150 years of history, the quarter has grown and acquired its own infrastructure.
A small urban area where a large number of representatives of sexual minorities live. On the streets of the quarter, rainbow flags of the LGBT community are hung everywhere. Local attractions are dedicated to the history of the emergence and development of the gay movement, as well as its struggle for equality. There is the "Museum of LGBT History", the famous gay club "Twin Peaks" with glass walls, the park "Pink Triangle".
The construction of the temple began in 1906 after an earthquake and continued for more than 50 years. Due to the seismic instability of the territory, the architect had to abandon additional elements of the facade decoration, as they could collapse during a natural disaster. The interior of the cathedral is made in neo-gothic style with numerous stained-glass windows, frescoes and massive bronze gates.
The building is located on the shore of an artificial lake. It is not a palace in the literal sense, the construction is an open arched white stone colonnade surrounded by a picturesque park. In fact, the Palais des Beaux-Arts is a more durable replica of the 1915 exhibit called the Tower of Gems. The design was so loved by the people of San Francisco that they called it a palace and decided to keep it for the city.
The largest museum on the West Coast of the United States and the second most popular in the entire country. It exhibits works by contemporary artists who worked in the XX-XXI centuries. Among the exhibits there are works by Pollock, Klee, Matisse, Saarinen, Warhol and other eminent masters. The gallery was opened in 1935, in 1995 an original modern building was built for it according to the project of M. Bott.
An interactive exposition founded by the experimental physicist F. Oppenheimer in 1969. Some visitors call it the "Mad Scientist Museum". Oppenheimer himself could not hold academic positions after being accused of un-American activities. He took a job as a high school science teacher. At this time, he made many experiments to study the properties of the environment and materials, which became the blanks for the future museum.
The exposition is located on the territory of the Golden Gate Park. Its founder was M. de Young, a journalist for a local news agency. The exhibition halls house a collection of objects and works of art belonging to the period of the 17th - 21st centuries. - paintings, clothes, furniture and more. Basically, the exhibits were collected on the territory of the Northern and South America, Africa and Asia-Pacific.
Museum natural history, which is also a serious scientific organization. The academy was founded in the middle of the 19th century. The team is engaged in educational work, organizing exhibitions and conducting scientific research in various fields, which include marine botany, ichthyology, ornithology, paleontology, anthropology and other disciplines.
The exposition is housed in a building that previously belonged to the Public Library. The museum presents exhibits brought from various parts of the Asian region. The gallery also has a shop where you can buy jewelry, Chinese porcelain, silk and various antiques. On the territory of the museum are held free tours accompanied by a guide.
The museum was opened to the public in 2009 thanks to the efforts of the daughter of a famous cartoonist. The building is located in the Presidio Park. Here is a collection of personal belongings of W. Disney, his sketches and sketches, models and other exhibits. One of the walls of the building where the exhibition is located is made of glass. Thanks to this, you can admire the picturesque views of the San Francisco Bay.
Museum under open sky in the bay. It includes several objects: a library, the museum itself, a marina and a visitor center. The exposition is devoted to the history of shipbuilding and navigation, as well as some events of the US naval history. On the pier you can look at the historical ships of the XIX-XX centuries. The museum library contains old documents - drawings, archives and maps.
The building of the city hall of 1915, built in the elegant architectural style of the Beauzar, designed by A. Brown, Jr. The structure is crowned with a monumental dome, the interior is dominated by marble decoration, statues of the mayors of San Francisco are installed in the corridors. Excursions around the City Hall are organized for tourists, or you can go inside on your own - admission is free on weekdays.
The largest market in San Francisco, which is very popular among tourists. Retail space located in the building of the ferry station, which is located in the central part of San Francisco. In addition to shops with a large selection of drinks and quality products, the market has cafes, counters with ready-made food and outlets with products from local farms.
Skyscraper-pyramid, the most high building in San Francisco. The building was completed in the 1970s. The tower reaches a height of 260 meters, it contains 48 floors, where offices and various commercial premises. Every day, 1.5 thousand people come to work here. Tourists cannot climb to the top of the tower, as only the first floor is open for free access.
The building is located on top of Telegraph Hill. The tower is architectural monument difficult period in US history - the Great Depression (1930s). Inside, the walls of the buildings are painted with frescoes showing the current topics of those years: economic difficulties, unemployment, social protest. There are even drawings showing sympathy for communist ideas.
Shopping center and entertainment complex located in the central part of San Francisco. The interior of the building is made in a somewhat pompous style for such a place, many of the structures are decorated with gilding and finished with marble. More than 170 shops of the highest price category and several expensive restaurants are located inside the mall. Westfield opened in 1988.
Baseball stadium, which is located in one of the suburbs of San Francisco. It is an important sports facility and a popular tourist attraction. The arena is home to the San Francisco Giants (a member of the US Major League Baseball). AT&T Park is not only capable of hosting matches, it is also great for concerts, festivals and other large-scale social events.
Garden in a traditional Japanese style, located within the city park "Golden Gate". In 1894, it was a temporary exhibit at the World Exhibition, but then turned into a permanent garden. M. Hagiwara, an emigrant gardener from Japan, took care of the park for a long time. Thanks to his work, visitors can admire picturesque alleys, pagodas, streams, cherry blossoms, arched bridges and stone statues.
A hill with an observation deck offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. On the slopes is nature Park. It is best to come to the site before sunset. At this time, the sun's rays flood San Francisco with golden light and bright reflections play in the waters of the bay. According to many tourists, no skyscraper observation deck can compare with Twin Peaks.
A beach on the Pacific Ocean, located in the western extreme part of the Golden Gate Park. Stretches along the beach highway Great Highway. The water in this place is quite cool, and in summer there can be fogs at a temperature of only 9 ° C. It is better to visit the beach in late autumn or early spring. Ocean Beach is the most attractive for surfing, but there are often dangerous currents here.
A small beach 800 meters long, located in the northwestern part of San Francisco. It is great for hiking, barbecue or sunbathing, but the water is too cold for swimming. From the beach, the Golden Gate Bridge is perfectly visible, framed by picturesque coastal hills. Baker Beach is quite popular among nudists; the north side of the beach is specially reserved for them.
City of San Francisco, best known as a gem west coast, surrounded and washed by the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. The city is rightfully called one of the most beautiful places in the United States for travel lovers, as well as quality recreation. This interest is primarily due to geographical location, as well as natural features and rich history this edge. This city frightens and shocks someone, fascinates and drives others crazy. Nevertheless, there is no person on Earth who would be left indifferent by this magnificent city.
Climate in San Francisco
Going on a long journey to San Francisco, tourists often confuse it with another Californian resort - Los Angeles, located a little closer to the south.
Remember weather in this city are far from the resort, as in. The Mediterranean climate dominates here, which is characterized by predominantly rainy winters and rather dry summers.
San Francisco is surrounded by water on all sides, which is why the weather is largely influenced by cold currents. In summer, the average temperature is 24 C, closer to winter, the temperature is likely to drop to 10 C. The most abundant precipitation falls from November to March, snow is extremely rare here. The most favorable time for exploring the city is summer, late spring (May) or early autumn (until October).
Getting to San Francisco
Due to the cancellation of direct flights from Moscow, flights with transfers in other cities became the only way to get to San Francisco. In terms of saving money, transit routes through New York and Los Angeles will be the surest solution for you. The cost of a flight to San Francisco from the Russian capital varies from $600 to $700 one way. The duration of such a trip is at least 17 hours.
If you have already arrived in the USA or, then you can use the services intercity buses. The country is well developed bus service between settlements. The main Greyhound bus station is located at 425 Mission Street in San Francisco.
Another way to get to San Francisco from any location you need is by train. Trains of the state company Amtrak provide transportation throughout the country. However, keep in mind that there are no direct flights to San Francisco. You can get to the neighboring cities of Auckland and Emeryville.
Basic prices for travelers to San Francisco
The cost of 1 day of living in San Francisco, at first glance, may seem high (from $ 100), but, you see, life in this beautiful city is worth it. In addition to expensive pleasures, there is a huge selection of splendors that you get completely free of charge, such as the beauty of the city, frequent street festivals, green parks, open galleries and much more. For an experienced tourist, it will not be difficult at all to spend a great time with minimal cash costs.
Prices in hotels depend on the category. For example, if you want to stay in a luxury 5-star hotel, then be prepared to pay $ 200-1000 per night. A more economical option is hostels, the cost of one night is from $15 to $80.
Fare in public transport- $ 1.5, by taxi - $ 2.25 per mile (plus $ 3.5 for landing). Do you want to move freely around the city? Use the car rental service, it will cost you $40 plus gasoline (1l. $1). Be sure to have $4 with you just in case you have to park somewhere in the city, otherwise you will pay 7 times more for the wrong parking. Remember - saving often costs us more.
When shopping in San Francisco, be careful, because the amount on the price tag is excluding VAT (from 7 to 11%). This is a clever move to deceive a gullible buyer, especially a tourist. Be prepared for the fact that when buying clothes, household goods, and even in a cafe, you will have to add about 10% to the amount indicated on the check.
Do you think American prices "bite"? Not at all, especially if you fall on sale days. During this period, prices for most products are reduced by an average of 60%, the maximum price reduction is about 2 weeks before the end of sales.
What are the sights to see in San Francisco?
Acquaintance with the city must begin with a walk around downtown. There is a lot of traffic here and high skyscrapers, and crowds of people - everything is like in American films. In addition, the oldest and, perhaps, the largest Chinatown in America is seething in the city center! There is a special atmosphere here: the famous Chinese pagodas, exotic products in shop windows, narrow lanes.
Decided to take a break? Head to the museums of San Francisco. The most popular of them: the de Young Memorial Museum with a huge collection American painting, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Asian Art, which exhibits artifacts from most Asian countries, historical Museum Wells Fargo. And finally, the Golden Gate Museum-Park. You must visit it! Over 1700 plant species are represented here!
After visiting parks and museums, head to the main symbol of San Francisco - the Golden Gate. By the way, you can buy a cruise around it, as well as go to the island with the Alcatraz prison. These cruises depart from Pier 39, which itself is a landmark in the city. There is an incredibly large number of souvenir shops, restaurants, attractions and so on. entertainment. Nearby is the Aquarium of the Bay, an aquarium with over 20,000 different marine life.
You can complete your trip around San Francisco by visiting the most chic area of the city, Nob Hill, as well as the Russian Hill district, the peculiarity of which is that it is located on the very high point in the city.
Shopping in San Francisco
San Francisco is definitely one of the the best places to do shopping. Among trade and entertainment centers, first of all, it is worth noting one, Westfield is perhaps the largest complex, uniting over 170 fashionable and expensive shops such as Prada, Diesel, Gucci, Escada, etc. There are other options shopping centers: Crocker Gallery, Japan Center. In addition, it is recommended to visit the large Ferry Building indoor market and walk through the picturesque Chinatown area. The points with the highest concentration of stores are: Sacramento street, Hayes Valley, Fillmore, Union Square, Mission. However, here everyone will find something for themselves.
