14 . POINTS OF INTErEST | Never the same. Always San Francisco. POINTS OF INTEREST CONTINUED 20 49-MILE SCENIC drIvE This planned tour throughout San Francisco is best driven in a car. Follow the seagull signs for a scenic circuit of San Francisco that includes some of the city’s most popular visitor attractions and unique neighborhoods. Allow a minimum of three to four hours. Maps of the drive are available from the San Francisco Travel Association. 24 GrACE CATHEdrAL California and Taylor Streets, on Nob Hill, 415-749-6300. The seat of the Episcopal bishop of California, the cathedral is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture and the third-largest Episcopal cathedral in the United States. At the east entrance are exact replicas of the Ghiberti doors of the Florence Baptistry. 25 HAIGHT-ASHBUrY Haight and Ashbury Streets near Golden Gate Park Panhandle. Fifty years later, the “Summer of Love” lives on mainly in stores: vintage clothing, books and records are abundant along Haight Street, the neighborhood’s busiest stretch. Places of interest include 710 Ashbury St., once home to the legendary band the Grateful Dead; 112 Lyon St., where famous singer Janis Joplin lived (Note: these are private residences.) ; Buena Vista Park, with its views of the city; and, for architectural highlights, Masonic Avenue, Piedmont and Delmar Streets. 21 GOLdEN GATE BrIdGE Spanning the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Once called “the bridge that couldn’t be built,” today it is one of the seven wonders of the modern world. This magnificent span, perhaps San Francisco’s most famous landmark, opened in 1937 after a four-year struggle against relentless winds, fog, rock and treacherous tides. It links the city with Marin County and the Redwood Empire beyond. The visitor experience at the south end of the bridge was completely redesigned in May 2012 and includes a visitor center, café and more. Auto Toll $6.75 FasTrak/$7.75 Pay-By-Plate; No more manual cash collection; toll payment by FasTrak or Pay-by-Plate. For details, visit goldengate.org/tolls. 26 HAYES vALLEY Hayes Street west of Civic Center. A short distance from Civic Center is Hayes Valley, which boasts galleries, antique shops, restaurants and book nooks. Discerning shoppers will discover everything from rare William Morris wallpaper designs to found art rescued from the junkyard. The 700-seat SFJAZZ Center is the first concert hall of its kind in the western United States. Patricia’s Green, at Hayes and Octavia, is a neighborhood favorite with rotating temporary art installations, including some Burning Man favorites. 22 GOLdEN GATE NATIONAL rECrEATION ArEA In 1972 the United States Congress created a vast recreation area in San Francisco and Marin counties to protect coastal lands from development and to provide an urban park for the heavily populated San Francisco area. This is the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). Few urban shorelines contain this diversity: islands, redwood forests, a former federal prison, ocean beaches, retired military installations and historic points of interest. Across the Golden Gate Bridge, the GGNRA encompasses vast areas of undeveloped lands in the Marin Headlands as well as wildlife sanctuaries, picnic facilities and 100 miles of trails. Just beyond the GGNRA’s northern boundary is the 67,000-acre (27,114 hectares) Point Reyes National Seashore. To the south 4,700 acres (1,900 ha) in San Mateo County include Sweeney Ridge where in 1769 the first Europeans saw San Francisco Bay. Maps and information on GGNRA activities are available from Park Headquarters, Building 201, Fort Mason, Bay and Franklin Streets, 415-561-4700, or the Marin Headlands Visitor Center, 415-331-1540. 27 JACKSON SQUArE Jackson Street from Montgomery to Battery extending one block north and south. An authentic descendant of the rowdy Barbary Coast and Gold Rush era, Jackson Square has preserved handsome 19th-century buildings, which serve as showrooms for interior decorators, antique and art dealers. The alleys of this enclave invite a look at some alluring window displays and a stroll into San Francisco’s romantic, ornate past. Chic specialty shops and restaurants add to the charm. 29 JAPANTOWN Geary, Fillmore, Sutter and Laguna Streets. Visitors can take in Japan without a passport only 1.1 miles (1.8 km) west of downtown. Nihonmachi, as Japantown is known to the city’s citizens of Japanese descent, is one of only three in the United States. The Japan Center is a five-acre complex of shops, restaurants, sushi bars, movie theaters, art galleries, Japanese baths, a major bookstore and Peace Plaza. The plaza, crowned by a five-tier pagoda, is the main setting for such celebrations as the annual Cherry Blossom Festival (April), Nihonmachi Street Fair (August) and several smaller festivals. 28 JAPANESE TEA GArdEN Golden Gate Park, next to Music Concourse, 415-831-2700. Created in 1894 as a Japanese village for the California Mid-Winter Exposition, this four-acre exhibit (1.6 hectares) is one of the city’s most beloved treasures. Its Oriental landscaping includes a tea house, pagoda, Buddha, torii gates and several small pools, streams and bridges. In spring (late March and early April), cherry blossoms, azaleas and flowering shrubs enhance its tranquil beauty. The 9,000-pound Peace Lantern was presented by Japanese children in 1953 as a symbol of friendship. 30 LAKE MErCEd Southwest corner of the city. Adjacent to the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens and TPC Harding Park Golf Course, Lake Merced is a favorite place for fun and relaxation. Once an ocean lagoon before it was separated by sand dunes, the lake is now fed by freshwater springs. It offers the only trout fishing in San Francisco and is also popular for boating and sailing. 23 GOLdEN GATE PArK From Stanyan Street to the Pacific Ocean, between Fulton Street and Lincoln Boulevard, 415-831-2700. These magnificent 1,017 acres (412 hectares) were once an open expanse of dunes. Developed since 1871, Golden Gate is among the largest man-made parks in the world, offering miles of green lawns, bridle paths, lakes and flowers. Amid countless trees and 7,000 kinds of plants are paddock fields with bison, lakes for rowing, play areas and a treasure of varied attractions including the de Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco Botanical Garden, The National AIDS Memorial Grove, Sharon Art Studio and the restored 1912 carousel in Children’s Playground. Nearby, NOPA (short for north of the Panhandle) along the shoulder of UCSF medical school and hospital offers excellent dining options. 31 LINCOLN PArK West of the Presidio, bisected by El Camino del Mar. Main entrance at Clement Street and 34th Avenue. These 270 acres (109 hectares) of green provide an impressive northeastward view of the Golden Gate. Two-hundred-foot cliffs (61 meters) enhance the grandeur. The Legion of Honor’s art collection, the Holocaust memorial and the Lincoln Park Municipal Golf Course are the principal attractions. Breathtaking Views 1 ALAMO SQUARE • 9 CHINA BEACH 12 CLIFF HOUSE • 19 FORT POINT 31 LINCOLN PARK • 33 MARINA GREEN 40 OCEAN BEACH • 58 TELEGRAPH HILL/COIT TOWER 60 TREASURE ISLAND • 61 TWIN PEAKS sftravel.com Nader Khouri
San Francisco Travel Planner's Guide 2018: Page 14
