SERVICES/FAQS TRIP IDEAS NEIGHBORHOODS OCEAN BEACH Along Great Highway at the western edge of San Francisco. On the westernmost edge of the city is an area of sand and surf that has long been a favorite with tourists and sunset watchers. Swimming and wading at this beach are strongly discouraged because of strong currents and frigid waters. Seal Rocks are small, stony islands just offshore at the foot of Point Lobos Ave.; except for a few loners, most of the sea lions have departed for cozier quarters at PIER 39. OLD ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL 660 California St. at Grant Ave.; 415-986-4388. Old St. Mary’s is the city’s first cathedral. Erected in 1854, it is diagonally across from St. Mary’s Square, where a statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, by sculptor Beniamino Bufano, presides. ORACLE PARK 24 Willie Mays Plaza, Third and King streets. Home to the San Francisco Giants, this award-winning waterfront ballpark offers behind-the-scenes tours year-round and local favorites such as crab dishes and Mission-style burritos at concession stalls during home games. PALACE OF FINE ARTS Dogpatch is home to several excellent bars and restaurants, as well as the Museum of Craft and Design. SACRAMENTO STREET Baker St. on the eastern edge of The Presidio. Built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, The Palace of Fine Arts was created to showcase works of art. Now, the soaring central rotunda, which was inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, is what visitors come to see. THE PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO Northwest corner of San Francisco; main gate at Lombard and Lyon streets. Founded in 1776, the Presidio served as a military garrison under the flags of Spain, Mexico and the U.S. before it became a national park in 1994. Its long history is reflected in many ways: 17th century cannons, a diversity of architectural styles, and a forest planted in the 1880s. Within the boundaries of this 1,480-acre (599 hectares) preserve are the Walt Disney Family Museum, the Presidio Officers’ Club, San Francisco National Military Cemetery and Fort Point. The Presidio is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Sacramento St. between Broderick and Spruce streets. 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. ST. MARY’S CATHEDRAL Lombard Street PORTSMOUTH SQUARE Kearny St. between Clay and Washington streets. Commander John B. Montgomery disembarked from the sloop Portsmouth to raise the U.S. flag on this spot on July 9, 1846, claiming possession of San Francisco (then Yerba Buena). California’s first public schoolhouse stood here, Black pioneer William A. Leidesdorff opened the city’s first hotel (City Hotel) at the corner of Clay and Kearny streets, and a monument to Robert Louis Stevenson was erected in 1897. Now, it’s the heart of Chinatown and is a popular gathering place for neighborhood residents. West of Arguello Blvd., between the Presidio and Golden Gate Park. 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. 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, particularly along Clement St. RUSSIAN HILL POTRERO HILL 16th St. to Cesar Chavez between U.S. 101 and I-280. Within the city’s “sunbelt,” Potrero Hill takes advantage of its sunny outlook with outdoor film series and numerous sidewalk cafés. It is also one of the few areas to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire. One of 12 historic districts in the city, the neighboring area known as 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. St. Mary's Cathedral Svetlana Day, Adobe Stock; Getty Images; Shutterstock RICHMOND DISTRICT 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 create a multicolored cruciform.
San Francisco Travel Planner's Guide 2023 TPG: Page 18
