Never the same. Always San Francisco. | POINTS OF INTErEST 17 Lombard Street Oakland Bay Bridge SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE Opened six months before 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, was 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 San Francisco’s first African-American mayor. Auto toll collected westbound only. SIGMUND STERN GROVE Sloat Blvd. and 19th Ave. RICHMOND DISTRICT Northwest corner of the city between the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL Geary and Gough streets (Cathedral Hill), 415-567-2020. In the Richmond, it’s 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. Many cultures inhabit the Clement St. shopping sector. On Geary Blvd., Russian bakeries offering piroshki stand alongside 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. 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. Music among the trees is the lure of this restful glen. During summer Sunday afternoons, this natural amphitheater, sheltered by eucalyptus, redwood and fir trees, becomes “Nature’s Music Box” and is the setting for free performances from opera to hip-hop. SOUTH BEACH Eastern waterfront south of Ferry Building. SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Van Ness Ave. between Grove and McAllister streets, 415-552-8338 (tour information). This mixed-use waterfront neighborhood has plenty to observe and explore. Among the most prominent landmarks in the area is AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. Kayak tours from South Beach Harbor and a 700-slip marina encourage bay adventures. RUSSIAN HILL Shutterstock.com; San Francisco Travel Association; © Kyle Jeffers 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 St., known as “the crookedest street in the world,” with eight hairpin turns in the single block between Hyde and Leavenworth streets. SACRAMENTO STREET Sacramento St. between Broderick and Spruce streets. The San Francisco Performing Arts Center encompasses the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, War Memorial Opera House and the Veterans Building, and is one of the largest performing arts centers in the U.S. 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. Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall (2,739 seats), home of the San Francisco Symphony, hosts all types of musical performances. Herbst Theatre (892 seats), on the ground floor of the War Memorial Veterans Building, is suitable for both theatrical and musical offerings. Tours available. SOUTH OF MARKET (SOMA) South of Market St. and east of Division St. 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. SUNSET DISTRICT Southwest corner of the city, south of Golden Gate Park and north of Sloat Blvd. Many of the shops, galleries and boutiques along this browsable stretch occupy turn-of-the-century buildings. Interspersed among apparel, antique, art, gift and home furnishing outlets are coffeehouses, snack bars and a movie theater. The same vision that transformed Golden Gate Park into a green oasis influenced the transformation of the Sunset in the early 1900s. 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 streets right on the edge of the Pacific, is a good spot to relax and watch coastal swells. SF War Memorial veterans Building sftravel.com
San Francisco Travel Planner's Guide 2019 TPG: Page 17
