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No visit to San Francisco is
complete without visiting some of the most popular San Francisco tourist destinations. Here is a sampling of seven must-see places
you have to check out on your next visit:
1) California Palace of the Legion of Honor
Located at 34th
Avenue & Clement Street, The California Palace
of the Legion of Honor is an art experience you won't want to miss. First off,
there's the building itself. Built in
1924, the Legion of Honor is a three-quarter scale replica of the Palais de La
Légion d'Honneur in Paris, built to honor the
3,600 Californians who lost their lives on the battlefields of France
during World War I.
After being wowed by the building, you will probably want to
view the collection of Rodin sculptures, as well as some other notable
acquisitions, including Claude Monet's "The
Grand Canal, Venice," 1908 and El Greco's "St. John the Baptist,"
circa 1600.
2) Alcatraz
Who knew touring a former prison could become so popular?
Alcatraz is a an island a few miles off the coast of San
Francisco which had been used as a military prison in 1907, then as a Federal
prison in the 1930s, housing the most hardened criminals. Some of its most famous prisoners
include: George Kelly, bank robber and
kidnapper, also known as "Machine Gun Kelly;" Floyd Hamilton, driver
for Bonnie and Clyde; and Al Capone, Chicago
Mob Boss, known as "Scarface."
In 1973, Alcatraz was
incorporated into the National Parks system and became a tourist attraction.
Since then, over 14 million visitors have taken the 10-minute boat ride from
Pier 41 in San Francisco
to see 'The Rock'. Tickets generally
sell out, sometimes weeks in advance.
3) Chinatown
Chinatown is home to the largest Asian population outside China, and is located in an area near North Beach,
bound roughly by Grant Avenue
and Bush Street,
Broadway and Larkin Street. Here you'll find shopping and great food,
including Mee Mee Bakery at 1328 Stockton
between Broadway and Vallejo. Mee Mee's
is reputed to be the originator of the fortune cookie. For great seafood, one of your best bets
would be Yuet Lee at 1300 Stockton
Street, near where North
Beach and Chinatown
merge.
4) Golden Gate Park
You can easily spend an entire day at Golden Gate Park
– and you should. It's great to just go
there and walk, or sit and enjoy the day.
But, if you're into exploring, there's certainly enough for you to
explore, such as:
The Strybing Arboretum - 70 acres of gardens with trails, blooming
trees and redwoods, herbs, flowers and duck ponds.
Stow
Lake - where you can rent paddleboats and
bicycles.
Spreckels
Lake – where you can
watch the miniature radio-controlled boat races.
Bison Paddock – Located along John F. Kennedy Dr., the Bison Paddock is
an exhibit of the San Francisco Zoo where you can see, what else, bison!
5) Union Square
Union Square
is the place to go for serious shopping.
Bound by Stockton,
Powell, Post and Geary, several buses run to the area and it's a short walk
from many of the most commonly used hotels. There's also a BART and Muni (subway) exit at Market Street.
Or, you can stay at the Grand Hyatt on Union Square and just walk from your
room.
Everywhere you walk in the Union Square area you'll find store after
store after store, such as: Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue,
Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Giorgiao Armani, H&M, Hermes, Baccarat and Gianni
Versace.
6) Haight
Ashbury ("The Haight")
Well, it's not Union
Square, but it might not be what you'd expect
either. While Haight Ashbury was the
center of "hippiedom" in the 1960s, the Haight today is home to exclusive
boutiques, high-end vintage-clothing shops, hip clubs and cafés. No matter what you're into you'll find
something you like in the Haight, whether it's a hemp bracelet, collectible
kitchenware, punk t-shirts, skateboard gear, a Ben and Jerry's ice cream or a
vintage gown costing over $1,000.
While you're in the neighborhood you can walk by former
houses of 1960s musicians, including the former home of the members of the
Grateful Dead at 710 Ashbury, the former home of Janis Joplin at 112 Lyon, and
the former home of the Jefferson Airplane at 2400 Fulton.
7) Neighborhoods
on the Muni Metro and Bus Lines
Of course, San Francisco
is more than just popular tourist spots.
People actually do live there.
Why not go to some not-so-touristy areas located along the bus and Muni
Metro line routes and check out some really fun and unique neighborhoods, most
of which have their own shopping areas?
Neighborhoods you might want to visit and experience
include: the Castro, which is the predominately gay neighborhood with many
unique and fun shops along Castro
Street; Noe
Valley, a neighborhood of
Victorians with a great shopping district along 24th Street; and the Inner
Richmond, which many consider the "New Chinatown," with a great
abundance of good Asian restaurants.
You'll also find an old-time Irish pub, Irelands
32 at 3920 Geary Blvd.,
where you can enjoy live music any day of the week and live telecasts of
sporting events from Ireland.
Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of Top Vacation Spots and Destination Weddings
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