San Francisco Highlights

It's been 3 months since we moved to the bay area and every month we visit San Francisco at least once because well, why not?! It's only 1 hour distance from our house with the train and it can be one of the best cities I have ever visited. I love it so much because of three reasons: it looks very much like Istanbul so I feel home at every corner, I love spending time on the sea side and it has amazing streets and architecture. I have been there three times so far and we are exploring it slowly. So unlike other cities, I will probably divide San Francisco highlights into two sections. Let's start!

1.  Golden Gate Bridge

Golden gate bridge is the most popular landmark of San Francisco and it looks almost identical to the bridges in Istanbul. I always wondered which came first and why they look so similar. But in the meantime, I always wanted to visit this city just to see the bridge closely. So, let me tell you the story behind it. 

In the 19th century, an explorer came to San Francisco and saw the San Francisco bay and coastal hills of San Francisco. The view suddenly reminded him another harbor: the Golden Horn from Istanbul (it was called Konstantiniyye at that time, even though western cultures keep calling it Constantinople).  In his memoirs, being inspired from the Golden Horn, he described this Californian bay as Golden Gate in Greek. he even used the term "a golden gate to trade with the Orient" as he opened trade lines through Pacific. So in the 20th century when they built the bridge to connect two main parts of the bay, they called it Golden Gate Bridge. So the name was never about the gold, the color of the bridge or any other detail - it was always about Istanbul. So at that time, Istanbul didn't have any bridges on Bosphorus and in the second half of the century, they managed to build an identical bridge - except the color. I should highlight the fact that the bridge in Istanbul was not built on the Golden Horn tough - let's discuss it in another post. 

The bridge is one of the longest suspension bridge and is painted with "international orange" color to make it highly visible by any ship passing from the Pacific. I cannot say if the color worked for sailors to recognize the bay or not, but it definitely made the bridge internationally famous and gorgeous!

There are many ways of getting the best view out of the bridge and the first one is to check out the visitor's center. It is super easy to reach with public transportation, there is a bus stop practically in front of the center and it is also easy to park if you come with your car. You can walk around and learn about the history of the bridge or just take photos. 

The bridge also has sidewalks for the visitors. Even though there was a time that pedestrians and bikers were asked to pay a fee to cross, it is for free now. You can cross the bridge on foot in about 1 hour. We didn't cross the bridge completely but a little but of exploration gave us some opportunities to take amazing shots of the bridge. 

If you are into hiking a little bit, you can walk up to the Marshall's Beach and it's definitely worth it! Make sure that the ground is not muggy and you have good shoes to climb up and down. Alternatively, there are Baker beach, China Beach, Marin Headlands and many more. They are still on my to-see list as well, I will write more later. 




Even though it's not that close, if you start exploring the beaches around the Golden Gate in the search for the best shot, you might consider visiting Golden Gate Park as well to visit either Japanese Garden or California Academy of Sciences, which is amaziiing! 

Inside, they have a sphere replicating the rain forest environment with perfect smelling plants and huge butterflies all around. Especially if you are traveling with children, you must go - they will love it. 

2. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier

Some say Fisherman's Wharf is extremely touristy and that is why I was hesitating to go in the beginning. But then, I thought "heey, why not!?" Anyways, we decided to visit it on our first trip to San Francisco so these are my ideas about the topic: 1) it's completely touristy and 2) it was worth it.





The Fisherman's Wharf has many attractions during the day, street artists, sea food, activities, museums. Plus, it's on the seaside, so even if you are interested with any attraction, you will appreciate the sea smell and sunshine.

From the shore, you might follow the path to reach Pier 39, from where you can view Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge all together. Once here, take a walk around the Pier and spend some time observing the sea lion colony around. Pier 39 is also where Hard Rock Coffee San Francisco is located, so if you are into souvenir shopping, don't miss your chance.

3. Ferry Building and Farmer's Market

On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, they also open farmer's market to the public on the s shore side of the building. You might end up with some delicious tasting, shopping or in the worst case just sightseeing. Here, you will also have an amazing view of the Bay Bridge as well.

Just a few steps away from the ferry building, you can reach Cupid's Span, where you might fall in love with San Francisco if you haven't so far!

4. Little Italy

Just as any American city, also San Francisco has a huge Italian neighborhood, which is the perfect place to eat. We highly recommend the sandwiches at Molinari Delicatessan, where you can find the most delicious selection of cured meats. Once here, check out the City Lights Bookstore, which has been operational since 1953.

Once here, you might want to check also the Union Square. I cannot say that this is the most touristic region in the city, but this is the best region if you are into shopping. 

Following the tourist guides, you can try grabbing the electrical tram - if you are willing to wait for almost an hour in the line! To me, that was insane!

5. China town

Shortly after Americans got California as the 31st state, they discovered that north California got the gold and started to mine it in the cheapest and the most profitable way possible. This is why they started to bring "cheap labor" all the way from China, who was forced to work in really bad life conditions with little profit. Shortly after, the gold reserves in the surface drained away, but the Chinese population remained. Since then, San Francisco is the home for the biggest Chinese population outside China, and maybe this is why Chinatown in San Francisco is spectacular! 

It's huge and completely dominated by the Chinese sings decorating the streets all around. You can just walk around to admire Chinese city walls, have Chinese food or even just snacks or do souvenir shopping - since you can find the cheapest options here! 

I live in Palo Alto and every weekend that I head to San Francisco, I see Chinese old ladies with empty shopping carts going to Chinatown in SF, presumably for weekly shopping. In US, doing quality shopping - especially for produce section is problematic and this is why I start feeling that Chinatown might be a good place for grocery shopping as well. If you enjoy having some fresh snacks in your backpack as you travel, you might consider getting your snacks while you are in the neighborhood. 

6. Architecture and Street Art 

I love cities with good architecture and that's how San Francisco literally stole my heart. Buildings are incredibly cute even in the whole city. This is why exploring the city with no certain indications feels amazing! However, there are certain landmarks that are worth visiting by intention. 

I guess the similarities of San Francisco with Istanbul are not only the bay or the bridge, but also the weird idea of putting a whole city on the hill. There are more than 50 hills on which the city is built and the crookedest street in the city and the world is Lombard Street. The street itself has about eight sharp turns and it is a pretty steep walk up to the top. But once you are on top, it shows how pretty the street is and how amazing San Francisco is with the Bay Bridge. Probably that's exactly why it became such a big touristic attraction. 

When I was a child, I remember watching this TV show "Full House" with the cutest twins and the cutest uncle Jesse. I remember nothing else, but I remember falling in love with the opening music, where the camera zooms in to a street with super cute houses and I was thinking like "woooow there are people living inside here!"

Why did I tell you this story: because I found that line of houses in San Francisco and they are called the Painted Ladies! These are colorful, Victorian houses and they are one of the most photographed places in San Francisco. The houses are located right next to Alamo Square, where you can also have a picnic or some sunbathing while appreciating the view. You will definitely love it. 

Fabio never understood why these houses on the Alamo Square were called painted ladies because according to him, all the houses on which murals were painted should have been called painted ladies. Which actually makes more sense, but then the whole city would have called painted ladies, because there are murals everywhere! 

It is true that murals are everywhere, but still there are certain neighborhoods you might want to visit just to see murals in particular. First, Mission District. 

The majority of the murals in San Francisco are literally located here, so try to visit the neighborhood by foot and keep exploring. In particular, head to Balmy Alley Murals and Clarion Alley Murals. In Precita Eyes Mural Arts center, you can find a map showing the exact locations of murals in the area. Keep in mind that this neighborhood is the Mexican neighborhood in town, so if you are craving for some Burritos or tacos, you might be in the right place. 

Another neighborhood in which murals are highly dense is Haight Ashbury. This neighborhood used to be the center of hippies back in the 60s and what's left for today is the hipster culture. Not that unique, but it's still worth a visit. You will be enjoying the murals as well, but also cute coffee shops and thrift stores. I cannot say that I am one of the vintage styled girls, but I believe it's worth a visit. 

Enjoy!

Labels: Highlights, San Francisco, United States