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Your Guide to San Francisco | National Geographic


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San Francisco is a rush a rush of art
flavors history and innovation it’s all
packed into a seven by seven mile square
between the Pacific Ocean and the San
Francisco Bay the city has long
attracted trailblazers and counter
cultures the Gold Rush immigration
beatniks hippies the LGBTQ community and
the tech industry have all fueled San
Francisco’s enduring influence on
American culture if you’ve seen a movie
set in San Francisco you’ve probably
seen Chinatown the Dragon Gate Arch at
Grant Avenue and Bush Street tells
visitors they’re entering America’s
oldest Chinatown in the mid-1800s the
lore of the gold rush and the
availability of work building the
Pacific Railroad drew large numbers of
today you can take in the scene on
packed grant Avenue and head to Stockton
Street for the authentic Chinatown
experience you can shop for traditional
Chinese ingredients sip a cup of
fragrant jasmine tea and eat at some of
the best Chinese restaurants in the
world
the Golden Gate Bridge might be the most
iconic San Francisco landmark but the
massive Golden Gate Park is one of the
most visited green spaces in the u.s. 20
percent larger the New York Central Park
it covers over a thousand square acres
in a near-perfect rectangle stretching
from the oceanfront west to the Haight
Ashbury neighborhood it includes
numerous Gardens the historic
Conservatory of Flowers and two
world-class museums the California
Academy of Sciences and the de Young
Museum of Fine Art it also has some
pretty unusual residence for the big
city a herd of bison buffalo have lived
in the park since the 1890s and the
tradition continues today with a small
group of six bison that spend their days
in a bucolic green pasture next to
Spreckels Lake keep going west and
you’ll find yourself at Ocean Beach at
the top of the 5-mile stretch of
shoreline quarters Lands End a national
park with otherworldly views on the
northwest coast of the city you can also
explore the modern ruins of the Sutro
Baths
when they opened in 1896 it was the
largest indoor swimming facility in the
world but the massive complex of
saltwater pools restaurants games and
even a museum burned to the ground in
1966 after you’ve climbed the crumbling
walls stairs and tunnels you can unwind
at the historic Cliff House restaurant
originally constructed in 1863 the
resort has been rebuilt three times over
the years today you can take in the
panoramic views in one of the two
restaurants that now occupy the
neoclassical structure the lure of the
city by the bay goes so much deeper than
its natural beauty san Francisco’s
diversity artistic spirit and innovative
drive all make it a rich source of
adventure for any free-spirited traveler
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