World Country Guide

San Francisco Bay Area

The compact region of the San Francisco Bay Area combines the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the big city with the wide open spaces of the country. Here, visitors can hike and explore redwood parks or ocean beaches, and take in opera, ballet and exotic dining experiences.
San Francisco is situated on a 120 sq km (46.6 sq mile) peninsula bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north by the Golden Gate Strait and from north to east by San Francisco Bay. This provides one of the world’s finest landlocked harbours. The Bay is spanned by two landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. It is also graced by four islands – Alcatraz, Angel, Yerba Buena and Treasure. The city’s history is a mixture of Spanish colonialism and rowdy US romanticism. The first European settlement on the site of the present city was established in 1776. It kept the name Yerba Buena until 1847, when it was officially christened San Francisco. The city is built on a series of hills – more than 40 of them – so that almost every other street points the way to a panoramic view of the Bay. The principal hills, which earned it the Roman sobriquet of the ‘City of the Seven Hills’, are Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, Twin Peaks, Mount Davidson, Rincon and Lone Mountain.
One of San Francisco’s principal attractions is its network of 130-year-old cable cars, the USA’s only mobile National Historic Landmark. In the San Francisco Cable Car Museum, visitors can view the actual cable-winding machinery as it reels 17km (11 miles) of steel at a steady pace of 15km (9.5 miles) per hour. Visitors might be surprised that the Golden Gate Bridge is not actually gold at all. It is painted orange, is resistant to harsh weather conditions and is at its most visible through fog. The 1017 acres of Golden Gate Park encompass meadows, lakes, rose gardens, an arboretum, a rhododendron dell, an open-air music concourse, a children’s playground, a buffalo paddock and the tallest artificial waterfall in the West. The park is also home to the California Academy of Sciences, which includes the Natural History Museum, the Morrison Planetarium and the Steinhart Aquarium. The Cartoon Art Museum, the only one of its kind in the USA, displays rotating exhibitions of art from comic books, with approximately 6000 original pieces in its permanent collection. Most of the city’s museums are free at least one day each month. Other sights include Fisherman’s Wharf, with its bay-view restaurants and Pier 39’s resident sea lions; Alcatraz, once the site of the USA’s toughest maximum security prison, and now a National Park; Chinatown, the most concentrated Asian enclave outside Asia; the pagoda-crowned Japan Center; Ocean Beach; and North Beach.
The cultural scene includes the US$44-million Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, which is devoted to showcasing the work of artists from the multi-cultural community and features diverse programmes of dance, theatre, music, film, installations and festivals. The new Rooftop at Yerba Buena Gardens includes a restored 1906 carousel and Zeum, a high-tech, hands-on arts centre for children. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, was the first museum on the West Coast solely devoted to 20th-century art. The city offers its own ballet and opera companies, as well as a symphony orchestra and dozens of live theatre groups, including the perennially popular American Conservatory Theater. For visitors seeking peace and quiet, San Francisco’s Russian Hill, with its historic brown-shingle houses, sweeping views and botanical treasures offers an ideal getaway. Telegraph Hill, crowned by Coit Tower, is laced with stairways.
There is a limitless variety of ethnic, US, health food and international cuisine in San Francisco. For a treat, sample fresh crab and shrimp at the seafood houses that line the famous Fisherman’s Wharf. There are also numerous ‘fast food’ restaurants.
The Orpheum Theater offers light opera. Geary Theater is the home of the American Conservatory Theater, which also stages special performances at Marines Memorial Theater. Curran and Golden Gate Theaters show major Broadway productions. The San Francisco Symphony performs in the magnificent new Louise M Davies Symphony Hall, while popular music concerts are given in the Civic Auditorium in July. The San Francisco Ballet also performs in the Opera House during the December holiday season. The San Francisco opera season, one of the most outstanding in the country, runs from mid-September to November.
This is a great city for nightlife, boasting everything from strip joints to chic piano bars, elegant supper clubs and live music venues. The city also has a lively gay scene.
The city is noted for its art, jewellery and handcrafted items. The principal shopping district surrounds Union Square in the city centre. Others include Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery (trendy clothes, foods, art, kitchen imports); Union Street (boutiques, antiques, arts and handicrafts in restored Victorian settings); Pier 39, a shopping/restaurant complex on a long pier; Chinatown and Japantown; for a small town neighbourhood feel with local boutiques and cafes, the Noe Valley.
The city offers major-league baseball (April to September) and professional football US-style (September to December). There is thoroughbred, quarter horse and harness-racing at Bay Meadows Race Track and San Mateo (September to June) and thoroughbred racing at Golden Fields, Albany (winter and spring).
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) (website: www.flysfo.com) is located 15 minutes from the city centre. Car hire is available. The clean and efficient BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport System) operates four lines, joining San Francisco with Oakland, Berkeley, Concord and Fremont. San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) operates buses, cable cars and a subway/streetcar system. For more detailed information, see Travel in the general California section.
The following is a selection of special events occurring in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2005:
Feb 1-28 San Francisco Crab Festival. Feb 19-27 TulipMania, Pier 39. Mar 16-20 2005 San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, Cow Palace. Apr-Sep San Francisco Giants’ Baseball Season. Apr 1-30 Cherry Blossom Festival, Japantown. May Wells Fargo Spring Cup 2005 Regatta, Mission District. May 1 Cinco de Mayo Parade & Festival, Mission District. May 15 Bay to Breakers Footrace. May 28-29 Carnival (one of the largest annual events), Mission District. Jun 25-26 San Francisco Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/ Transgender Pride Celebration. Jul 4 Fourth of July Waterfront Festival, Pier 39. Jul 31 San Francisco Marathon. Sep Chocolate Festival, Ghirardelli Square. Sep 7-18 San Francisco Fringe Festival. Sep 16-18 Monterey Jazz Festival. Sep 17 Viva Las Americas (part of Hispanic Heritage Month), Pier 39. Sep 24-25 San Francisco Blues Festival. Oct-Nov San Francisco Jazz Festival. Oct 2 Castro Street Fair. Oct 8-9 Fleet Week San Francisco. Oct 10 Columbus Day Celebration. Oct 14-16 San Francisco Harvest From the Sea. Oct 30 Pumpkin Pandemonium, Pier 39.
San Francisco’s ‘automatic air conditioning’ (created by a unique combination of waters, winds and topography) makes it one of the coolest spots in California. The weather is spring-like all the year round. The summer fog usually clears by noon. Knitwear and light woollens suffice all year round.
In the northern Bay Area is Vallejo, California’s first capital, and a magnet for history buffs, sportspeople and nature lovers. The Naval Historical Museum is well worth a visit here, and the annual Whaleboat Regatta in October is a colourful calendar highlight. Nearby is Six Flags Marine World, a wildlife theme park featuring shows with whales, dolphins and tigers, as well as thrilling rides.
East of the Bay is Berkeley, home of the prestigious University of California, and cultural attractions such as the U C Berkeley Art Museum, Pacific Film Archive and Zellerbach Hall. A range of independent bookstores, cafes and nightlife caters for students and tourists alike. Moving south, Oakland is the centre of many activities in the Bay Area. Miles of waterfront, boating and breathtaking scenery from acres of hilltop parkland make up this charming city. Points of interest include the Oakland Museum of California, which retraces local history and colourful Jack London Square and Village, with their waterfront dining and shopping facilities.
Further south still, San Jose is noted for its year-round golden climate and offers unique visitor attractions, including the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, the bizarre Winchester Mystery House and The Tech Museum of Innovation, focused entirely on technology with four main galleries and an IMAX theatre. Just 50 minutes south of San Francisco, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is Santa Clara, known as ‘The Mission City’. Attractions here include Paramount’s Great America, an enormous theme park featuring rides and live entertainment. At the southern tip of the Bay Area is Santa Cruz, where points of interest include Felton Covered Bridge (the tallest covered bridge of its kind, built in 1892), Roaring Camp and the Big Trees Narrow-Gauge Railroad, which offers steam-train excursions. Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park houses a replica of the original 1791 mission. The Santa Cruz Boardwalk features the West Coast’s only beach amusement park, with one of the world’s top-10 rollercoasters.