Dear readers,
Today, I would like to talk to you about San Francisco, which I visited in September 2019, and is considered the technology center of the USA and the world.
San Francisco is a city located on a peninsula in the state of California. The city is divided into two parts: North and South San Francisco. On the eastern side of the peninsula lies the San Francisco Bay, while on the left or western side is the Pacific Ocean.
More than four million people live in the surrounding area. There are many other famous cities around San Francisco that are just as famous. Cities like Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara can be visited when going to San Francisco. You can rent a car from the airport to explore the surroundings of San Francisco. However, you don’t need a car to explore downtown San Francisco. In fact, it might be better not to drive because parking fees in downtown San Francisco are around $25. In some areas, you can park your car briefly in roadside parking spaces, but you need to go back every half hour or hour to extend your time.
San Francisco was founded towards the end of the 18th century by a missionary named Francisco. The first settlement started at the point where the Golden Gate Bridge begins today. The Gold Rush that started in 1848 boosted both its population and its fame. This city, which is an important city in the state of Columbia, hosts many significant companies. Many technology companies, such as Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter, are headquartered here or in the surrounding cities.
San Francisco is not an easy city to explore on foot. The city center is hilly, and you have to walk downhill towards the shore. Of course, there is a silver lining to every cloud. If you can climb those hills or take the nostalgic tram on California Street to get to the top, you will definitely enjoy the view. The fare for this tram is $7 and is collected by conductors inside.
Before I start describing San Francisco, I want to show you the places to visit with the maps below. In the first map, we can see San Francisco from a higher perspective. As shown, there are several important cities right next to San Francisco.
The map below also shows the places to visit in downtown San Francisco. I will mention many of these in this article.
Below is a beautiful settlement located north of San Francisco. This spacious geographical area, which includes Mill Valley and Muir Woods, features a city named Sausalito. Since I’m on the subject of this city, it is beneficial to provide some information. This city is a lovely, picturesque place across from San Francisco, with a coastline and fantastic photo opportunities.
Sausalito is a must-see. The city features a large port and beautiful cafes on Bridgeway Street.
Muir Woods is also located very close to Sausalito. In these woods, you can find trees that are over a thousand years old. However, if you plan to drive there, you need to reserve your parking spot in advance.
On the side of the woods facing the Pacific Ocean lies a wide beach known as Muir Beach, which is also worth visiting.
Now let’s talk about the heart of San Francisco. First and foremost, the Golden Gate Bridge comes to mind when one thinks of San Francisco. This is a red iron bridge, and there are several beautiful viewpoints where you can see this bridge. You can find these viewpoints especially on the peninsula I just mentioned. Immediately after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, there is a beautiful viewpoint on the right side. In front of this point, there are several viewpoints located on the slope.
Right across the Golden Gate Bridge, on the side facing the Pacific Ocean, you find several wide beaches. Ocean Beach is the most famous among them.
You can see that the city is laid out in a grid pattern, with streets running north to south and east to west. These streets mostly intersect at right angles. Therefore, you can often travel from the west side to the east side on the same street. However, as I mentioned above, the city center is generally hilly, making it difficult to walk.
Another beautiful spot in the city is Fisherman’s Wharf. This location, known as Fisherman Wharf, is very lively. Here, you can find many restaurants and cafes, a large park, a beautiful beach, and shopping options. If you want to eat fish, there are excellent restaurants here. Additionally, the famous Ghirardelli chocolates have their headquarters here, and there is usually a queue in front of it.
If you look across from Fisherman Wharf, you can see Alcatraz Island. It is known that many famous prisoners, including Al Capone, were imprisoned on this island. Moreover, this island has been featured in many films. It is now used as a museum, and you can get there with boats departing from Fisherman Wharf.
Another place worth seeing in the city is the San Francisco harbor. The harbor features an impressive tower and hosts many shops. Additionally, you can walk freely through the harbor and take photos of the Oakland Bay Bridge.
In the center of the city, you can find a beautiful city hall, which is a majestic structure. Although you may not go out of your way to visit this building, it is definitely worth a stop if you are nearby.
You can see various buildings in a row that offer a different architectural perspective throughout many areas of the city.
There is a Chinatown in the city center. You can stroll through this neighborhood, where Chinese dishes and products designed according to Chinese traditions are displayed, especially during midday. The shops close early, so the neighborhood becomes quite quiet in the evening. Below is the Dragon Gate, the entrance to Chinatown, along with a photo taken from the center of Chinatown looking towards the financial district.
Speaking of neighborhoods, we can’t overlook the Italian neighborhood. Known as Little Italy, this place is very charming. Especially for those who don’t want to eat meat abroad, Italian restaurants are always ideal. Their cafes are also nice.
At the top of the city, there is a beautiful church known as Grace Cathedral. Built in the early 1900s, this cathedral is the third largest among French Gothic cathedrals in the USA.
The busiest area of the city during the day is the Financial District. Many company headquarters are located here. You can find many bank branches displaying new technologies, coffee-dispensing robots, and countless technological products or services from companies like Amazon and Google. San Francisco is a large ecosystem where entrepreneurs coexist. Therefore, you can see an entrepreneurship center, Fintech, or a structure supporting technology on every street corner.
If you’re in San Francisco for shopping and looking for affordable options, you should either visit the outlets located in the city center or check out stores like Ross or Marshalls within the city. The Premium Outlets or Gilroy Outlet, located outside the city, offer shopping opportunities at very attractive prices. If you prefer to buy new season products rather than outlet or previous season items, you can check out the stores located on Grand Avenue or Market Street.
The most central area of the city, Union Square, is where all the shopping excitement is, with many shopping venues. For example, Macy’s is located here.
As you can see, San Francisco is an important center for history, business life, and the shopping world. If you want to visit it, I can say you need at least four days. You should definitely rent a car to visit the places I mentioned at the beginning of the article. While San Francisco is a city that can be easily explored by car, you might want to look for short-term free parking spots due to high parking fees. However, it is not very easy to find such spots in downtown.
I wish you all good travels!
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