Never the same. Always San Francisco. | POINTS OF INTErEST . 17 48 rICHMONd dISTrICT Northwest corner of the city. In the Richmond District it is possible to shop in a Russian grocery, sip a beer in an Irish pub and have dinner in a Chinese restaurant, all within walking distance of one another. Myriad cultures inhabit the Clement Street shopping sector. On Geary Boulevard Russian bakeries offering piroshki adjoin Greek delis and kosher meat markets. With an estimated 35 percent of the city’s Chinese Americans residing in the area, Chinese food markets, restaurants and dim sum parlors are abundant. 49 rUSSIAN HILL Between Nob Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf. Country-like lanes and panoramic views of San Francisco Bay lace beautiful Russian Hill. It takes its name from the Russian sea otter and seal hunters who were active in California waters in the early 1800s. Today it is one of San Francisco’s most prestigious addresses. It’s also home to Lombard Street, known as “the crookedest street in the world,” with eight hairpin turns in the single block between Hyde and Leavenworth. 50 SACrAMENTO STrEET Sacramento Street between Broderick and Spruce. Outer Sacramento Street has carved out a colorful identity all its own since the early days when it was reminiscent of Union Street. Many of the shops, galleries and boutiques along this browsable, seven-to eight-block area occupy turn-of-the-century clapboards. Interspersed among apparel, antique, art, gift and home furnishings outlets are coffeehouses, snack bars and a movie theater. 53 SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE Opened six months before its counterpart, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge has connected the city with Oakland and the East Bay since 1936. In 2013 a $6.4 billion construction project was completed, replacing the east span of the bridge with the world’s largest self-anchored suspension span. The Bay Lights, a glittering 25,000 LED-light installation, were added to commemorate the bridge’s 75th anniversary. This incredible structure, one of the longest steel bridges in the world, spans eight miles (13.3 km) across the bay via Yerba Buena Island. In 2013 the western span of the bridge was named the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Bridge in honor of the former San Francisco mayor. Auto Toll $4–6 collected westbound only; subject to change. 51 ST. MArY’S CATHEdrAL Geary and Gough Streets (Cathedral Hill), 415-567-2020. St. Mary’s, an edifice of striking contemporary design (not to be confused with Old St. Mary’s in Chinatown), is one of the city’s architectural glories. Its exterior is Italian travertine, approached via spacious brick plazas. Inside, stained-glass windows divide the ceiling and extend down the four sides of the cathedral to form a multicolored cruciform. 52 SAN FrANCISCO PErFOrMING ArTS CENTEr Van Ness Avenue between Grove and McAllister Streets, 415-552-8338 (tour information). San Francisco Performing Arts Center encompasses the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, Harold L. Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall, War Memorial Opera House and the Veterans Building and is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The War Memorial Opera House (3,126 seats) is the home of the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Ballet, and hosts major opera, dance and performing arts groups on tour. Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall (2,739 seats), home of the San Francisco Symphony, is available for all types of musical performances, from the world’s leading orchestras to instrumental soloists. Herbst Theatre (892 seats), on the ground floor of the War Memorial Veterans Building, is suitable for both theatrical and musical offerings. Tours available. 54 SIGMUNd STErN GrOvE Sloat Boulevard and 19th Avenue. In 2005, the completion of a $15 million renovation project designed by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin added a terraced concert meadow, state-of-the-art sound system, improved access for patrons with disabilities and resurfaced trails to “nature’s music box.” Music among the trees is the lure of this restful glen. On summer Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m., this natural amphitheater, sheltered by eucalyptus, redwood and fir trees, is the setting for free opera performances, ballet, symphony, jazz and pops concerts. 56 SOUTH OF MArKET (SOMA) South of Market Street to the Bay, Division, 13th Street to Channel Street. SoMa includes two square miles of nightclubs, fashionable restaurants, experimental theaters and galleries. Major points of interest in this area include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Moscone Center, Children’s Creativity Museum, the Contemporary Jewish Museum and Metreon. See Yerba Buena Gardens for additional information. 57 SUNSET dISTrICT Southwest corner of the city, near Golden Gate Park and north of Sloat Boulevard. The same vision that transformed Golden Gate Park into a green oasis influenced the transformation of the Sunset in the early 1900s. Now Sunset magazine is hailing the area for its new restaurants and “surfing vibe.” There are some serious coffeehouses to take the chill off after a stroll along Ocean Beach, and La Playa Park, a sliver of green between Kirkham and Judah right on the edge of the Pacific, is a good spot to relax and watch coastal swells. 55 SOUTH BEACH Northeastern waterfront south of Ferry Building. Since 1981, this area has been transformed into a mixed-use waterfront neighborhood that includes the rehabilitation of some of San Francisco’s oldest warehouses in the South End Historic District and the construction of more than 2,500 residential units. Among the most prominent landmarks in the area is AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, which opened on April 11, 2000, at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. Kayak tours from South Beach Harbor and a 700-slip marina encourage bay adventures. Can Balcioglu sftravel.com
San Francisco Travel Planner's Guide 2018: Page 17
