- a city that grew out of “Good Grass”.
Located in western California, the administrative center of the district of the same name. The largest commercial, financial and industrial city in the American West. The epicenter of the 19th century gold rush. The capital of all informal youth movements of the 20th century.

San Francisco. What enthusiastic epithets were bestowed upon him! Beautiful, dazzling, mysterious... Experts say: San Francisco is the most picturesque city in America. Solid and reliable, with many banks and corporations, and at the same time free and rebellious. It was sung by the convinced romantic Jack London as “the worldwide port of residence for romantic adventures.” And Robert Stevenson noted: “This is the city of Gold, into which adventurers are carried by all the winds of heaven. I am amazed that the charm of a thousand and one nights became a reality within the lifetime of one generation.”

By American standards, San Francisco is not very big. Bounded by the ocean and natural terrain, it covers an area of ​​122 square meters. kilometer And in terms of population (730 thousand) it is not among the ten largest cities in the United States. But, nevertheless, with the suburbs of the Santa Clara Valley and the city of San Jose, San Francisco forms a huge metropolis (6.3 million people). Silicon Valley, where engineers and programmers work and new “high” technologies are created, is located right within its boundaries. The center of the US electronics industry produces a fifth of the world's electronics.

The city is located at the very tip of the peninsula and is surrounded on three sides by the ocean. But San Francisco can be called a resort conditionally. It is washed by the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. Thick fog envelops the city every night, and cool sea breezes disperse it only in the morning. There is no cold winter here, but there is no really hot summer either. The temperature throughout the year stays within +20° C. Mark Twain said about the local weather: “The coldest winter of my life was in the summer in San Francisco.” Romantics call San Francisco the city of eternal spring, and skeptics call it eternal autumn.
“Frisco”, “City”, “City by the Bay” - these are the nicknames the Americans awarded their favorite. And if California in America is called the “Golden State,” then San Francisco can be called the “Golden City.” Much in it, one way or another, reminds us of a noble metal. Golden Gate Bay, the bridge that connects the peninsula to the mainland is the Golden Gate. The beautiful city park is also called “Golden Gate”.

But don’t forget that the city’s history began much earlier than the Gold Rush. The first to visit here, in 1542, were the ships of the Portuguese Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who served the Spanish crown. In 1579, the famous English pirate F. Drake sailed off these shores. But the first settlement was founded only in 1775, when Spanish sailors discovered a bay with a convenient bay. They founded Fort Presido and the village of Yerba Buepa in this place, which translated meant “Good Grass.” It was from this “Good Grass” that the future city actually grew. Later, the tireless Spaniards missionaries built a church, which received the name of St. Francis of Azis. In 1848, Mexico lost the war with the United States and gave them the upper part of California, which included a small coastal village. The Americans began to call the town the same as the church - San Francisco.
The city began counting down its prosperity on August 19, 1848. It was on that day that the New York Herald newspaper published a sensational report: a gold deposit had been discovered in California, on the Sacramento River. This information was later confirmed by US President James Knox Polk. From that time on, settlers began to arrive in the small town with a population of five hundred people in search of fortune. In 1849, the city was inhabited by more than 10,000 adventurers, and in 1850 there were already one hundred thousand. Not only Americans came here for good luck. Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Greeks, Filipinos, Scandinavians, Mexicans, this is not a complete list of nationalities. All of them settled in their communities around the city, forming a kind of conglomerate. Now, traveling around San Francisco, you can find yourself in amazing places where residents religiously preserve the traditions of their native places.

Chinatown - Chinatown of San Francisco. This is one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia with more than 60 thousand people, and the largest in America. Walking through the streets of the quarter, you plunge into the unique atmosphere of a Chinese city - numerous pagoda-shaped buildings, ethnic restaurants, and souvenir shops. All inscriptions on cafes and shops are duplicated in Chinese and made in oriental style, and the houses of residents are painted in colors that, according to legend, should bring good luck to their owners. Red gives happiness, green - longevity, yellow promises the owner a good fate, and black - money.

Describing the history of San Francisco, one cannot help but touch upon the “Russian question” in North America. One of the 42 hills on which the city is located is called Russian Hill. Here in the middle of the 19th century. The graves of Russian seal hunters working for the Russian-American Company were discovered. And not far from Yurod, if you go north along Freeway No. 1, there are the restored remains of the wooden fortress Fort Ross, founded by Russian settlers in 1812. It is sad to realize that it was from the Russians that the enterprising American Sutter bought the land on which, eight years after the sale, gold was first discovered. Now the “Russian quarters” are located in the Richmond area. Russians, like other ethnic groups of emigrants, try to preserve their identity. There are Russian restaurants, Russian cinemas showing exclusively Russian films, Russian newspapers, many of which are delivered from Moscow.

California also attracts Americans with its own lifestyle, which is so different from other states. Not only emigrants from abroad move here, internal immigration is strong here. The incredible mixture of races and peoples in the city created here an extraordinary freedom of morals and tolerance for other people's way of life. For its free inhabitants there are absolutely no strict Puritan traditions. The city's bars have become legendary. The weakness of local residents for strong drinks was emphasized by “Mr. San Francisco” - Herb Kane, a famous local historian who devoted his entire life to studying his city: “San Francisco learned to drink during the days of the gold rush and has been improving in this quality throughout its life.” And in the 50-60s of the XX century. San Francisco became the capital of the world counterculture, challenging the morals and tastes of the world of well-fed and limited ordinary people.

Young rebels Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg created the philosophy of the “beat generation” in the 1950s and its new values, among which motorcycles, alcohol, poetry and jazz came first. You can go to City Light, where Allen Ginsberg read Howl. Or visit City Lights in North Beach, the former headquarters of the Beats. It is now one of the richest and most interesting bookstores in the United States.
Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, from which a generation of hippies came to roam the world. Compared to the more aggressive beatniks, the “flower children” preferred passing cars, drugs, oriental teachings and rock. The hippies staged a half-million-strong Summer of Love here in 1967, the culmination of their movement. Now the area for tourists has been put into museum order. One of its attractions is a wildly colored psychedelic bus, which was driven across America by Ken Kesey, the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was elevated to a cult by Hollywood Czech Miklas Forman.

One of the symbols of free America - the famous jeans - was born here. Gold mining work pants from Levi Strauss have become the iconic clothing of a rebellious generation. Mass fashion for them came with the beatniks, from the Hollywood images of James Dean and Marlon Brando. Against the backdrop of all the ups and downs, the history of this clothing is very indicative. She was working-class, then rebellious, and now the average American or European cannot imagine his life without comfortable casual trousers.
San Francisco is still one of the world leaders in the non-standard approach to life. The city is the most famous center of the civil rights movement for sexual minorities. On Christopher Street, seven-color flags are hung in the windows of many houses to ensure that no one doubts the sexual orientation of their residents.

San Francisco is located in a seismically dangerous area and does not have the San Andreas Cleft running underneath it. Now Oma “behaves” relatively calmly - 100 shocks per month with a force of less than 1 point. In modern houses such small tremors are almost unnoticeable. You notice them only when the paintings on the walls periodically change their position. But there were times when the elements showed themselves in all their power. Strong earthquakes were recorded here in 1812 and 1865. From 1849 to 1852, San Francisco experienced major fires caused by underground vibrations six times. In 1906, it was almost completely destroyed by a strong earthquake and the subsequent large fire. But the city was always rebuilt. It is no coincidence that its coat of arms is decorated with the legendary Phoenix bird, reborn not from the ashes, but from a ring of flame. After the last destruction, restoration proceeded at a truly “Stakhanovite” pace. Already in 1915, San Francisco was restored to such an extent that it was able to host the international exhibition “Panama International”.
The city's desire for constant development is characterized by the fact that during the Great Depression, when the United States was going through hard times, an ingenious project was implemented here, which has now become a symbol of San Francisco - the Golden Gate Bridge. This is one of the longest (total length - 2730 m, central span - 1280 m) and beautiful bridges in the world. It spans the bay and connects the city to the mainland. It has six lanes of car traffic, and for walkers there are two pedestrian paths. If you look down from the bridge at the fog swirling below, you get a fantastic feeling of flying. The romantic image of the bridge and the strait of the same name was sung by Jack London: “The Golden Gate actually turned golden in the rays of the setting sun, and behind them the immense expanses of the Pacific Ocean opened up. Behind them are the Pacific Ocean, China, Japan, India, and... Coral Islands. You can sail through the Golden Gate anywhere, to Australia, to Africa, to seal rookeries, to the North Pole, to Cape Horn.”

The history of the bridge's creation is very interesting. People began to think about the need for its construction at the very beginning of the 20th century, when cars appeared in the lives of city residents. The initial estimate for the project was $100 million.
The amount was indeed very substantial, so such projects were not taken seriously. But Joseph Straus, an experienced engineer, said that he would meet the construction cost of 27 million. By the way, the actual estimate did not exceed the promised one by much - by 8 million. Construction began in 1933, and in 1937 the bridge was inaugurated. From now on, you can get into the city directly from the mainland by paying $3 per car. And at the entrance to the bridge stands a bronze figure of engineer Joseph Straus, protecting his brainchild from all sorts of harm.

In some ways the city is typically American, in others it has its own unique features. Repeatedly rebuilt after fires, each time it became a little different, reflecting the inclinations and tastes of its architects. The main street of San Francisco is Markst Street. It was drawn by the Irishman Jasper O'Farrell diagonally to the already laid streets, taking the Parisian Champs-Elysees as a model. As elsewhere, the city center is decorated with huge skyscrapers made of glass, steel and concrete. For example, the office of the Transamerica Corporation, built in 1972, is a pyramidal building 260 meters high. Or a complex of five skyscrapers - the Embarcodero Center, designed by D. Portman.

John Marshall Square, named after the carpenter who first discovered gold, is home to the San Francisco Civic Center. The majestic gray granite buildings, built in a classical style, were declared a national landmark in 1978. The City Hall building (Town Hall), built in 1915, is also located here, a source of special pride for the townspeople. The dome of the Town Hall is modeled after the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the main Catholic church. It has a height of 102 m and is 4 m higher than the Washington Capitol.

Despite its business pace, San Francisco is conducive to leisurely walks. It is very good to walk here on foot or on special excursion trams - cable cars. The city even has a museum dedicated to the townspeople's favorite species of granporga. The tram climbs along the “humpbacked” streets with the help of steel ropes. The elevation changes in the hilly terrain are practically not felt here. On the contrary, every new turn in the road reveals another facet of the beautiful city. Almost all of modern San Francisco was built before 1935. Since the 50s of the XX century. Gelstio construction in the city, limited by the natural topography of the area, was reduced. In the 90s, a moratorium on the demolition of any buildings was declared. Therefore, houses built in the Victorian style are being replaced by buildings in the neoclassical style. Further on you can see luxurious Italian mansions and Moorish turrets - the Palace of Fine Arts, a community center, a Morris store. From the height of the Coit Tower you can admire the opening panorama of the city with its attractions - Telegraph Hill, Fort San Francisco, Historic ships.

There are a lot of museums in the city, and they all differ in variety - from serious academic to interesting everyday ones: the Museum of Asian Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. M. H. de Young Memorial Museum of Art, Wells Farto Historical Museum, Maritime Museum, Wine Museum. They exhibit collections of antiques and works of art, including ancient Indian ones.
There are more than 140 theaters in the city, the most famous of which are the Opera House, the Alcazar Theater, the Orpheum Theater, as well as concert halls - the Curran, Little Fox, and On Broadway.

San Francisco is a major center of science and education. The most famous educational institutions are the University of San Francisco, the Department of the University of California, San Francisco State University, and the Conservatory. The California Academy of Sciences, founded in 1853, is also located here. It operates the Morrison Planetarium and the Steinhart Aquarium, which are open to tourists.
A distinctive feature of the city can be called its streets. Some of them have a slope of up to 35 degrees. Cars park at an acute angle to the sidewalk, otherwise they will roll away, despite the most reliable brakes. Lombard Street, located on Russian Hill, is considered the steepest and most winding street in the world. Built in the 20s of the 20th century, it became one of the symbols of the city and is included in the Guinness World Records. The circular hillside gives the street a broken outline. Without zigzags, the descent on the slope would be like moving along the chute of a ski jump. Except without snow.

Quite dense development still provides space for flowers and trees. There are more than 130 parks in the city.
Among them is the most (local Golden Gate) National Recreation Area. The powerful green area is the pride of not only the residents of San Francisco. It is the largest urban man-made park in the United States, it covers an area of ​​411 hectares. It is difficult to imagine that such beauty was created in a “bare” place. The park was laid out on a sandy section of the seashore. The sand was reinforced with grass, and the territory was fenced off with a rampart from winds from the Pacific Ocean.
Here all the lakes, waterfalls, green valleys and hills were created by the caring hands of man. Walking along the paths of the park (their total length is 43 km), you can go to the Rhododendron Valley, where the most significant collection of these plants in the world is collected, or visit the elegant Japanese Garden with a traditional Japanese house for tea ceremonies, and your feet will lead to the exquisite Garden of Aromas , or the Biblical Garden.

You can't miss the romantic Shakespearean Flower Garden. The author of such a “literary-botanical” masterpiece is Alice Eastwood. According to experts, she “created a collection full of poetic harmony.” There is a wall in the garden in which six bronze slabs with 88 quotes from Shakespeare are mounted. In the center of the wall is a safe containing a copy of a sculptural portrait of the great playwright, made from a death mask in 1620 by G. Johnson. This rarity (only two such portraits exist) was given to the garden by the residents of Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare died.
The Botanical Garden of the California Academy of Sciences is also located on the territory of the park complex. Here, the natural science collection contains more than 500 species of plants from all over the world.

Golden Gate Park is a favorite vacation spot for city residents. Here you can not only admire nature, but also have a festive picnic. Or listen to one of the many concerts organized right in the open air. And for lovers of roller skates, this is a traditional gathering place. But this park could not accommodate all the natural attractions of San Francisco. For example, in Sutro Park there is the End of Land, the westernmost point of the Earth's continental surface in the direction of its rotation around its axis.
If we talk about the nature of the city, we cannot fail to mention the majestic Pacific Ocean, its beaches and embankments. There is a constant surf here. Observing the endless distance, you detach yourself from everything earthly, from the worries and worries of the crazy rhythm of life. On the piers and jetties you can see rookeries of fur seals basking in the sun. City residents tell funny stories about how you can come face to face with these funny animals in the water. The beaches are located on Point Reyes, and although the water here is quite cool, there is no shortage of people wanting to swim and sunbathe.

The final touch of urban features is the local cuisine. Fast food restaurants are not particularly popular among city residents. Residents of San Francisco know a lot about the refined niche. Here they catch the most delicious crabs in the world, white sturgeon, and chikun salmon. The excellent restaurants on Rybachaya Embankment will not leave the most demanding gourmet indifferent.
Yes, San Francisco is one of the most beautiful and original cities in the United States. And Robert Stevenson very correctly said in his time: “San Francisco has only one drawback: it is difficult to leave.”

San Francisco is a city and main port on the Pacific coast of the United States, California, the center of a large urban conurbation, the historical capital of California. Located in western California, on a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Strait. Population 843.3 thousand people (2013, population of Greater San Francisco - 7.2 million people).

Despite the fact that European expeditions visited here back in the 16th century (F. Drake, H.R. Cabrillo, S. Biscaino), they did not notice the convenient San Francisco Bay due to the fog. The ships of the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola were the first to visit here. In 1776, the military fort Presidio de San Francisco (“Garrison of St. Francis of Assisi”, operated until 1994, then a museum) and the mission “San Francisco de Asis” (another name “Dolores”) were founded. The first civilian settlement, Yerba Buena, was founded in 1835 by Englishman Captain W.E. Richardson. During the Mexican-American War, it was captured by the Americans and renamed San Francisco (1847).

In 1848, the first gold was discovered in Northern California, followed by the Gold Rush (1849), as well as the discovery of the Comstock Silver Mine in 1859, which contributed to the very rapid development of the city. In 1848-1870, the city's population increased 187 times (in 1848 the population was 800 people, and in 1870 - 150 thousand people). The population of San Francisco, as well as California as a whole, grew even more after the completion of the Pacific Railroad in 1869, connecting the West with the center of the country.

In April 1906, an earthquake occurred in the San Francisco area, after which a fire began that raged for several days. As a result, about 700 people died, the city center was destroyed, and a residential area of ​​Victorian private houses was damaged. During the Great Depression, the city was replenished with immigrants from other states. During World War II, the city became a center of military shipbuilding; shipyards were built, employing about 500 thousand workers. In the summer of 1945, the San Francisco Conference was held, at which the UN was created.

By the end of the 20th century, environmental problems in the city worsened, as well as problems of overpopulation, and real estate prices rose significantly (one of the most expensive cities in the country). In the 1960s, San Francisco was the center of rock and jazz, the city became one of the centers of the hippie, beatnik, and pacifist movements; “Psychedelic” or “Californian” rock was born here.

Golden Gate Bridge

Among the attractions: the Golden Gate Bridge over the strait connecting San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean (span length 1281 m), the height of 67 m above sea level allows any sea vessels to sail (symbol of California, built in 1937), business part cities with skyscrapers (Downtown), including the Bank of America, Pyramid, Embarcadero Center, consisting of four skyscrapers, and sculptural compositions (including the avant-garde Vaillancourt fountain).

The hill districts of Nob Hill (originally a gold mining district), Telegraph Hill (the first telegraph office in the West opened here in 1853), Russian Hill (Russian Coaster, Writers' Quarter, home to the world's most winding street, Lombard Street) and Twin Peaks (from here you have a wonderful view of Downtown and the bridges).

Lombard Street

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History of the city of San Francisco

In March 1776, in the northern part of the peninsula, where the city of San Francisco is now located, the presidio was founded - the first Spanish military fort and the first Catholic mission - Mission Dolores. On forty unnamed hills grew the fragrant grass "Uerba buena", so the first settlement that arose here in 1835 was called - "Yerba buena" ("Good grass").

In 1846, this settlement was taken over by the Americans, who, in the hope of heaven's favor, renamed it San Francisco - in honor of Francis of Assisi. At first, only a few dozen people lived in the village, and its economic activity was less than in the Ross Fortress, founded 120 kilometers north by the Russian-American Company for the fishing of sea animals and the fur trade.

But Saint Francis did not disappoint: two years later gold was discovered here, and thousands of fortune-seekers rushed to the previously unknown Californian village with a population of only 500 people. If in 1848 only 15 ships visited the unknown port, then the next year - already 755. There was no railway here yet, but the adobe village with lightning speed turned into a city and soon became a port of world importance. Five years later, San Francisco already had 50,000 residents.

In order not to sleep in tents or under awnings, the settlers brought prefabricated houses with them: although there was plenty of forest around, people were in a hurry to search for gold. Several hundred ships on which the settlers arrived also served as housing, restaurants and even a prison.

"History of the City of San Francisco"

People of many different nationalities contributed to the development of San Francisco, and as a result of decades of the Gold Rush, it became a city of many religions, languages ​​and cultures.

The first urban plan for San Francisco was developed by the Irish engineer D.O. Farrell. He planned to create a large boulevard in the city similar to the Champs Elysees in Paris and therefore, despite numerous protests, he drew a wide Market Street diagonally to the already laid streets. It became the central thoroughfare of the city.

In 1856, the French architect Verseman transported the house from his homeland and built several more in San Francisco based on its model. Houses from Holland, England, Scotland appeared in a similar way; spacious buildings for restaurants in the 1850s were imported from Belgium, and granite houses were built exclusively by the Chinese, since only they could read the instructions attached to the stone blocks arriving from China.

Rich citizens usually invited world-famous architects to build their mansions. The city grew, developed and became more beautiful; magnificent buildings of public institutions and hotels, industrial corporations and banks were erected in it. Moreover, not only gold, but also silver, discovered in 1859 in the neighboring state of Nevada, ended up in the banks.

Architecturally, San Francisco was a bizarre mixture of old and new buildings. Many of them were built without any consideration for possible natural disasters, and yet the San Andreas Fault runs near the city - a kind of giant “scar” stretching through heterogeneous natural areas.

Since its founding, San Francisco has experienced many earthquakes, some of which even caused minor destruction. But none of the city residents thought about a serious danger.

In the early morning of April 18, 1906, there was also no sign of trouble: the weather the day before was fine, the warm evening attracted masses of people to the parks and theaters, restaurants and cafes were full of visitors even after midnight. Meteorologists predicted clear, calm weather, and the day promised to be cool. But at 5:11 am local time the first blow was heard, from which many residents woke up; it was followed by the second - the strongest and most destructive, after which there was a whole series of tremors, but weaker.

A terrible roar and crack of bursting buildings, like a crushing tornado, swept through the streets. The underground shock, which lasted only 40 seconds, shook multi-storey buildings, heaved alleys, broke power lines, burst gas and electrical pipes... The asphalt warped, cobblestones flew out of the pavement, tram rails were torn, carriages and cars overturned. A giant cloud of dust shot up into the sky and obscured the sun. The sudden darkness enveloped all of San Francisco, and only the bright glow of the fires flashed brightly and alarmingly. A beautiful city, located in a cozy green bay, the resort city turned into flaming ruins in a matter of seconds...

In memory of this earthquake, every year on April 18 at 5:11 a.m., residents of San Francisco gather at the “Lotta Fountain” located on Market Street.

"History of the City of San Francisco"

According to a long-standing tradition, they go to paint the “golden hydrant”, through which water was continuously supplied for three days to extinguish the fire.

The city was revived very quickly, and already in 1915 it hosted the Panama-Pacific Exhibition, held in honor of the opening of the canal. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first high-rise buildings began to be erected in San Francisco, many of which still adorn the city center today. The heart of the financial district is a forest of skyscrapers built from glass, steel and concrete. One of the symbols of the city was the building of the Transamerica Corporation - a pyramidal structure built in 1972.

The symbol of the city is the elegant orange-red Golden Gate Bridge, spanning the Golden Gate Strait - the longest suspension bridge in the world. It opened to traffic on May 27, 1937, creating a direct route between San Francisco and Marin County. That’s when those who insisted that such a bridge was impossible to build fell silent.

And the construction of the bridge was truly difficult: there were even accidents with workers who, in the most difficult conditions, struggled for 4 years with floods, fast currents and thick fog to build this 1,730-meter-long bridge. The most difficult task was laying the foundation for the southern piles of the bridge, but the builders coped with this task...

Golden Gate was painted from the very beginning with orange-red paint, which is always used when constructing steel structures.

"History of the City of San Francisco"

Such paints contain a lead component, which protects the steel from rust; in addition, the color of the bridge is clearly visible in the often thickening fogs.

North of Golden Gate is the famous San Francisco Park, whose first architect was W.H. Hall. After him, the park was looked after by the Scot D. McLaren, who planted about 2 million trees here and created many attractions in the park. He even developed special rules of conduct, for example, he forbade workers to wear gloves and smoke while working. D. McLaren was completely indifferent to park sculptures, and if they were installed, he tried to quickly hide them behind overgrown bushes.

The city park was built on sand dunes, and everything in it - hills, waterfalls, valleys, lakes, islands - was created by human hands. In the Golden Gate oasis there are, for example, several gardens at once - the Biblical Garden, the Garden of Aromas and others. There is also a Shakespeare Garden in the park, where trees that are mentioned in the works of the great English playwright are specially grown.

San Francisco, by the standards of Europe and Asia, is a very young city; its oldest stones are no more than 200 years old. Today's San Francisco is changing and becoming prettier, and at the same time the city carefully preserves the memory of times past. Here they try to preserve not only ancient houses, but even their individual details, for example, the facades of buildings damaged by earthquakes and fires.

In 1978, the San Francisco Civic Center, built in a neoclassical style, was declared a national landmark.

Several buildings made of gray granite are picturesquely located around the square of J. Marshall, the carpenter who first discovered the gold mine.

If you enter San Francisco from the south, the urban changes here are immediately noticeable. The plum and apricot orchards have disappeared, and entire villages of caravans line the road. Relatively few skyscrapers were built in the city, and when constructing modern buildings, architects tried to combine their architecture with the traditional style of the Spanish period.

San Francisco has changed less than other American cities in recent decades. This is a city of white two-story mansions built in the style of Victorian architecture. It seems that they all look alike, but in reality there are no similarities. When you look at San Francisco from Twin Peaks, almost the entire city appears in the clear air: white, sparkling, with bays and bridges in its eastern part and with the foggy outlines of the ocean in the western part. It’s not for nothing that America’s advertising brochures say: “You will leave your heart in San Francisco!”

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One of the most beautiful and popular cities in the world among tourists is located in the state of California, USA. Despite the crowds and thanks to its location near the water, the abundance of parks and hilly terrain, you rarely see more than a few blocks at once. In San Francisco, you always feel as if you are in a small town, and not in the center of a metropolis where more than 4 million people live.

Video: San Francisco

Basic moments

Many famous films were filmed in San Francisco, some of the most recognizable being Escape from Alcatraz and The Rock. San Francisco consistently ranks among the most visited cities in the United States. Just one visit and you will remember the famous lines: “I left my heart in San Francisco.”

Quite compact and the fourth largest city in California, San Francisco occupies only 18 km², making it the most densely populated city in America after New York. Despite this, its location near the water, hills and many parks make the city seem not so small.

The main feature of the city is the frightening and charming steepness of the streets at the same time. The first time you find yourself in San Francisco, you will definitely ask the question “how can everything be built so vertically when you can’t find a horizontal section longer than 100 meters in the city?” This city is not located on the hills, no, it is located on earthen waves, some of which can easily compete in steepness with the sea’s “ninth wave”, leaving far behind the most sophisticated “Roller Coasters”. Renting a car will make you feel like a surfing hero.

You can safely forget about the gas pedal in San Francisco; the main thing is to take care of timely braking. You have to brake often. You can start laughing, since the figurative meaning of braking willy-nilly will accompany you, especially the first hours of getting to know the city and its habits as a driver.

Whether you're looking for sightseeing, dining, culture and history, exercise, or simply enjoying the views, you'll love San Francisco.

San Franciscans openly love their way of life, and at every turn you find confirmation of their assurances that this is “the city everyone loves.” The very location on the hills around the bay makes it an unusually cozy place; There is an invigorating freshness in the air, and even the sea fog covering the city gives it not an ominous, but a romantic coloring, while the haze creeping over Twin Peaks, enveloping the Golden Gate Bridge or Golden Gate Park creates a bewitching view.

Psychedelic drugs, innovative technologies, gay rights, environmental movements, freedom of speech and gastronomic experiments have all become commonplace in San Francisco a long time ago. After one hundred and sixty years of ups and downs, the favorite pastime of the locals has become the Rebel Run with very liberal views on clothing, gay pride parades and idleness on Baker Beach on hot sunny days. It’s not customary to be shy here: in a crowd of eccentrics of all stripes, no one will notice traces of a swimsuit. Goodbye, prohibitions. Hello San Francisco.

Sights of San Francisco

All the sights of San Francisco

Story

Until 1848, the tables of the inhabitants of the Mexican settlement of San Francisco included, at best, oysters and acorn bread - but only a year and a few gold nuggets later, these tables were already laden with champagne and Chinese stew. Thanks to gold discovered in the neighboring foothills of the Sierra Nevada, a coastal village with eight hundred inhabitants turned into a port city of one hundred thousand, where miners, swindlers, prostitutes and honest people tried to earn their conscience - and only luck could tell who was who. A friendly bartender might slip drugs into your glass and you'd wake up a mile offshore, on some ship that was taking you off to slavery in Argentina.

By 1850, California had been taken from Mexico and hastily annexed to the United States, and San Francisco attempted to subjugate two hundred saloons and an untold number of brothels and gambling establishments. When Australia flooded the gold markets in 1854, panic ensued and an absurd fury descended upon the Chinese community of San Francisco. From 1877 to 1945, the United States had anti-Chinese laws that limited the rights of Chinese Americans to live and work in Chinatown. The main way to pay off debts was to build railroads, dangerous because of the bandits and thieves who mined the tracks, blew them up with dynamite to clear the way to the Golden West, and built magnificent mansions in Nob Hill above Chinatown.

The city's considerable ambitions and more than 20 theaters were destroyed in 1906, after an earthquake, when a terrible fire claimed the lives of three thousand people and left one hundred thousand homeless. Much of the city turned to dust - including almost all of Nob Hill's mansions. Theater companies and opera divas performed downtown among the smoldering ruins, beginning a tradition of free public concerts in parks.

In the 1930s, ambitious public projects continued as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and government-funded muralists brought influences from leftist politics into painting, as can be seen in some 400 murals in the Mission District.

The Second World War brought global changes to the city. Women and African Americans working in the San Francisco shipyards sparked a new economic boom. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Emergency Order 9066 authorized the forced removal of the city's historic Japanese American community. What followed was a forty-year trial that ended with an unprecedented apology from the American government. San Francisco became a testing ground for civil rights and free speech when, in 1957, beat poet Lawrence Ferlingeggi fought a court ban on the publication of Allen Ginsburg's marvelous, incendiary work, Howl and Other Poems.

US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) hoped that an experimental drug called LSD would turn test subject Ken Kesey into a fighting machine, a fighter without rules, but instead, the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest got his friends hooked on LSD and thereby ushered in the era of the psychedelic 60s. The "Summer of Love" meant freedom in food, love and music in the Haight-Ashbury until the '70s, when enterprising gay hippies founded the Castro (Castro) gay community. In the 1980s, San Francisco witnessed the devastating toll of AIDS, but the city rallied and showed the world how to treat and prevent the disease.

In the mid-1990s, geeks and cyberpunks gathered in San Francisco. They created the Internet, giving rise to the dot-com boom - until the bubble burst in 2000. However, San Francisco loves risks and continues to launch new ideas. And while recession reigns elsewhere, the city is developing social media, mobile applications and biotechnology

What to see and try

San Francisco's forty-three hills and over eighty museums will keep your feet and your imagination busy with (literally) breathtaking scenery. The 11.2 x 11.2 km city is built on a conservative plan, but its main street, Market Street, heretically diagonal. All downtown attractions are located near Market Street, but be very careful and prudent, especially around the South of Market areas (SoMa) and Tenderloin (between 5th St and 9th St). The main historical attractions are located in the Mission district, and the most interesting of the newest ones are in Golden Gate Park.

San Francisco's Chinatown, the largest Chinese community outside of China, begins at the entrance to the ornate colored gates at Bush and Stockton streets. There are a great variety of tea shops and groceries, shops selling the most incredible trinkets, pharmacies, restaurants, bakeries, flower stalls and markets where they sell animals, a veritable sea of ​​​​people splashing around and a cacophony of exotic sounds and aromas raging.

Not far from Chinatown is North Beach, which is called “Little Italy”. Poets Alan Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac loved to come here and perform at the City Light bookstore. There is Washington Square Park with a wonderful church, street fairs, and many restaurants with authentic Italian cuisine and coffee shops where you can refresh yourself before continuing your walk.

From nearby Fisherman's Wharf, where sea lions can be seen, ferry rides to Alcatraz, the world's most secure prison where the world's hardest criminals were once imprisoned, and a visit to historic Angel Island, home to a national park. From here you can also go to two fashionable coastal resorts - Sausalito and Tiburon.

On the slope of Russian Hill is located one of the most crooked streets in the world - Lombard Street. The slope of this small and winding street is 27%, so traffic is one-way and limited to eight kilometers per hour.

The Embarcadero, a tree-lined, palm-lined boulevard near the new ferry building, is home to organic fairs, some of the most incredible restaurants, bars and shops, all somewhat reminiscent of European train stations. Stop here and spend the morning sampling the best local cheeses, fruits and breads before heading to Golden Gate Park. Often shrouded in fog, the park is famous for its beautiful botanical garden, ponds and lakes. Golden Gate Park is home to a museum and one of the best botanical gardens in the world, and is a great place for a picnic. A herd of bison also lives here.

On the edge of the park is Haight-Ashbury, another colorful area where hippies of the 1960s and 1970s made free love. Teenagers and organic café regulars still hang out here, so a walk around the Haight feels like traveling back in time.

Another well-known district is the Castro, home to much of the city's gay population, and is also known for its abundance of cafes and many small art galleries.

In front of the Letterman Digital Arts Center is Marina Green, a location famous for its golf courses, running trails and beautiful beach, which offers the most spectacular views of the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

Be sure to visit Alcatraz Island and the prison that is said to be impossible to escape from. Be sure to take a ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, just go there on a sunny day.

The Museum of Modern Art is housed in a stunning building in the South of Market, while the Palace of Fine Arts is in Pacific Heights and also houses a popular science museum. The Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park is interesting for its European paintings. Other museums include the Museum of the African Diaspora, the History of San Francisco, Crafts and Folk Art, Mexican, Chinese, and Jewish Culture.

Take a ride on the cable cars—starting at Fisherman's Landing or Union Square and ascending to the wealthy mansions of Nob Hill.

Other attractions include the luxury Fairmont, Huntington and Mark Hopkins hotels, fine boutique shopping in the Marina/Cow Hollow area, and Fillmore Street, which goes up, up, up - past the mansions of the rich and famous. city ​​residents.

The best way to see the city from afar is to take the scenic Mile 49 Highway, passing through parks and beaches to discover many historical and scenic attractions. You should also definitely take a ride on one of the famous trams, so don't forget to bring your camera!

Hills of San Francisco

San Francisco is famous for its 40 hills. Getting to know Nob Hill (by cable car from Powell Street or California Street)(by bus) and Russian Hill (on a cable car) will give you a complete picture of the past and present luxury of wealthy citizens.

The majestic Victorian buildings of the Nob Hill residential area, where the nabobs, that is, the nouveau riche, lived, were destroyed by the 1906 earthquake, sparing only the luxurious brown sandstone mansion of James Flood, which now houses the prestigious Pacific Union Club. You won't get there, but you can (with a sedate look) check out two notable hotels: Fairmount and Mark-Hopkins. The latter houses a bar with a 360-degree view; ordering an overly expensive drink is worth the view, especially at sunset, and the bartenders will not let you down with a cocktail.

The climb to Telegraph Hill is justified by the breathtaking view from the observation deck of Coit Tower. The tower, built in 1934 in honor of the firefighters of the local fire station with money bequeathed by the local widow Lillie Hitchcock Coit, was supposed to resemble a fire hose in its appearance.

Russian Hill is not as luxurious as the other two, but its gardens and neat houses look very nice. The name comes from the Russian colony that settled here. The humpback streets of San Francisco reach their highest point on Lombard Street, between Leavenworth and Hyde streets. Once you've navigated the dizzying ups and downs of the winding street with its seven hairpin bends, you won't mind that it's the world's crookedest street.

A convenient means of transportation through the hills of San Francisco is the famous cable car. This is the most pleasant form of transport in the city, since from here you can admire the local views slowly unfolding before you. Night trips are especially romantic. The routes are shortened at this time, and the night environment is especially enchanting. Cars run until 22.00.

The funicular first started operating in 1873, and one of the carriages of that time is now in the Cable Car Museum (Cable-Car Museum; Washington and Mason streets), which is also the control room of the operating cable car. The hand-built carriages are constantly being refurbished and repaired, so don't be surprised if a line doesn't work. It is forbidden to enter the ice cream car due to the shaking of the road, so as not to dirty the passengers.

Festivals and events

Chinese New Year Parade

Chase a 200-foot dragon and see costumed dancers and kung fu kids in February. Details at www.chineseparade.com

San Francisco International Film Festival

Every April, stars and directors begin their premieres at the country's oldest film festival. Details at www.sffs.org

Rebel Run

Take part in the race (in a suit or naked) from the Embarcadero to Ocean Beach on the third Sunday in May as runners in pink make their way. Registration for the race will cost $44-48. More details at www.baytobreakers.com

Carnival

Are they Brazilians or fake tan and oil? Shake things up at the Mission the last weekend in May. More details www.carnavalsf.com

Gay Pride in San Francisco

One day for pride is not enough: June begins with the International LGBT Film Festival (International LGBT Film Festival; www.frameline.org) and ends in style with the Dyke March (Dyke March; www.dykemarch.org) on “Pink Saturday” of the last weekend and a crazy gay pride parade for thousands of people (www.sfpride.org).

Do not miss

• Coit Tower.
• Cable trams.
• Drive to Auckland across the bay.

Should know

• Don't call the city "Frisco", the locals don't like it.
• San Francisco is considered the gay capital of the world.

Hotel deals

Excursions from San Francisco

Bay area

North of San Francisco, at the southern end of Marin County, are two cute port towns, Sausalito and Tiburon, accessible either by car via the Golden Gate Bridge or by ferry. The quietest of them is Tiburon, although it also has a vibrant Mediterranean atmosphere. Nearby, you can see the famous giant sequoias that stand like a wall in Muir Woods National Park. Some trees are a thousand years old and reach 75 meters in height.

Vinogradarsky region

Wine lovers will love driving through the vineyards of Napa Valley and along the Sonoma Valley, hidden behind the Mayacmas Mountains. Napa, located less than 50 miles northeast of San Francisco, lies between the Mayacmas and Howell mountains, stretching from Napa in the south to Calistoga in the north. The main road through the valley is Highway 29. The Silverado Hiking Trail, which runs parallel to the highway, is a slower, quieter, more scenic route. The wineries offer tours and wine tastings in the cellars, as well as picnics among the vineyards. The largest wineries are Sterling, Mondavi, Martini, Beaulieu and Beringer in the Napa Valley, as well as Sovereign and Sebastiani in the Sonoma Valley.

Homesick French wine lovers might want to visit the Domaine Chandon vineyard, owned by the renowned Moët et Chandon winery. Small, family-run wineries offer exceptional wine tastings in their showrooms in a relaxed atmosphere. Napa Valley Information Bureau (Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau; 1310 Town Center Napa; men.: 707-226-74-59; www.napavalley.com) will provide you with maps and necessary information. The best restaurants in this area are usually closed on Tuesdays.

From San Francisco, head south on Highway 101, ending at Castroville on Pacific Coast Highway 1. (Pacific Highway, Route 1), and you will find yourself in Monterey - the ancient Spanish and Mexican capital of Upper California. The local bay was discovered back in 1542, but began to be populated only in 1770, when the Franciscan monk Junípero Serra founded a mission here under the protection of the garrison of the fortress of Governor Gaspar de Portola. Monterey was a windswept region where disease was rampant, so Portola advised handing it over as divine punishment to the Russians, who also laid claim to Monterey. But the Franciscan Serra was not afraid of adversity, taking up the conquest of the wild places of Monterey. His statue stands guard on Corporal Ewing's route.

In the city, you can take a guided tour of the historical buildings of the old city, following specially installed signs, including the period of Mexican rule in the 19th century. and the beginning of American rule. Here there are two-story houses with a balcony, combining features of both adobe Spanish buildings and wood-clad American colonial-style buildings: this mixture is called the “Monterey style”. At the Monterey Chamber of Commerce (380 Alvarado Street; tel: 831-648-53-60; www.mpcc.com) you can get a map showing the main buildings.

Visit the Larkin House Museum (Jefferson and Calle Principal streets), place of residence of the first (and the last one) US consul in Mexico's Alta California in the 1840s. Thomas Oliver Larkin, and the Robert Louis Stevenson House Museum (530 Houston Street), the hotel where the writer lived while working on Treasure Island. On Church Street you will find the site of the mud-brick church of Friar Serra; in the building built in its place in 1795, the Royal Fortress Chapel, otherwise known as the Cathedral of San Carlo Borromeo, is now located. To the left of the altar is a statue of the Virgin Mary from the 18th century. from Spanish Mexico.

Closer to the water on Customs Square stands the Pacific House with a nice shady courtyard planted with flowers and fenced off with arcades, as well as the customs house itself (1827) - the first federal building on the Pacific Coast.

The First Theater in California has a more pronounced American look. (First Theatre; Scott and Pacific streets)- a cabin built from pine in 1847 by Jack Swan as a saloon with furnished rooms of dubious purpose above. Visitors were attracted (and attract) Victorian melodramas, but there are no rooming houses anymore.

Fisherman's Wharf, like the landmark of the same name in San Francisco, is the same collection of shops and restaurants on a pier, only the boats bob closer. The fish here is always fresh, but it won't change the shabby appearance of Cannery Row. From 1921 to 1946, it was the premier sardine production site in the entire Western Hemisphere, but by 1951 there were no sardines in these waters. Today, the wooden cannery buildings made famous by John Steinbeck house restaurants, fashion stores and art galleries.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a great success. (tel.: 831-648-48-00; www.mbayaq.org), containing the inhabitants of the bay. In the 4.5 million liter aquarium of the Outer Bay exhibition hall (Outer Bay) spectators are surrounded inside and out by barracudas, Californian triple-tooth sharks, anchovies and graceful jellyfish. During feeding, divers put on a diving suit and, once underwater, tell visitors something through a microphone.

A little further on is a toll scenic road that winds its way through the Monterey Peninsula. (27.5 km) where it is prohibited to ride a motorcycle. However, you can go straight south to Carmel - a wonderful resort town that was once an artists' colony. This is a place created for relaxation and shopping.

Just outside the city is the entrance to Cape Lobos State Wildlife Refuge, a collection of intricate weathered rocks, tiny beaches and dramatic cliffs. To the southeast of the city lies the restored mission-fortress of Carmel in the form of the church of San Carlo Borromeo de Carmelo, where the Rev. Father Serra is buried. The coastal road from Carmel to Big Sur is only 30 miles long, but takes an hour of careful driving to complete, with each hairpin turn revealing another scenic view.

The Town of Big Sur and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park offer excellent opportunities for outdoor recreation, camping, hiking and fishing on the Big Sur River. This place, where writer Henry Miller was born, allows for privacy.

The road winding along the rugged coastline will take you 105 km to San Simeon, where newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, immortalized by Orson Welles in his cinematic masterpiece Citizen Kane, built his dream home, called Hearst Castle. (Hearst Castle; guided tours, advance reservations recommended; tel.: 800-444-44-45; www.hearstcastle.org). Hearst himself called the 50 hectares of land with a castle, guest palaces, terraces, gardens, Roman baths, his own menagerie and tennis courts an “estate.” Construction began in 1919 and was still not completed when the tycoon died in 1951.

The estate, with an area of ​​110 thousand hectares, is located among hilly terrain at an altitude of 500 m above sea level. After leaving your car in the parking lot, you board a tour bus that takes you past the zebras, maned rams and goats grazing on the slopes - all that remains of Hearst's menagerie.

Architect Julia Morgan of San Francisco built the "manor" according to Hirst's instructions as a "convenient showcase" for his art collection. The scope of the collection itself becomes clear even at the sight of a 30-meter swimming pool with a Greek colonnade and a cast of the Florentine statue of David by Donatello on two baroque Venetian fountains of the 17th century. Above the huge main entrance stands an authentic 13th-century statue. Madonna and Child.

Information

Emergency and medical services

American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine; tel: 415-282-9603; www.actcm.edu; 450 Connecticut St; 8:30-21:00 Mon-Thu, 9:00-17:30 Fri & Sat) Acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic (Haight Ashbury Free Clinic; tel: 415-746-1950; www.hafci.org; 558 Clayton St) free doctor visits by appointment; drug and alcohol addiction support and mental health services.

Pharmaca (tel: 415-661-1216; www.pharmaca.com; 925 Cole St; 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am Sat-Sun) Pharmacy and naturopathic medicines.

Police, fire and ambulance (tel.: 911) San Francisco General Hospital (San Francisco General Hospital; ER 415-206-8111, 415-206-8000; www.sfdph.org; 1001 Potrero Ave) Open 24 hours. Trauma and Violence Rehabilitation Center (Trauma Recovery & Rape Treatment Center; tel: 415-437-3000; http://traumarecoverycenter.org) 24/7 hotline. Walgreens (tel: 415-861-3136; www.walgreens.com; 498 Castro St; 24 hours) Pharmacy with branches throughout the city (see website).

Internet

There are free Wi-Fi hotspots scattered throughout San Francisco - find your nearest one using www.openwifispots.com. Free signal in Union Square, most cafes and hotel lobbies.

Apple Store (www.apple.com/retail/sanfran cisco; 1 Stockton St; 9.00-21.00 Mon-Sat, 10.00-20.00 Sun) Free Wi-Fi and internet terminals.

San Francisco Main Library (http://sfpl.org; 100 Larkin St; 10.00-18.00 Mon and Sat, 9.00-20.00 Tue-Thu, 12.00-17.00 Fri and Sun) Free Internet access for 15 minutes; Wi-Fi is available in some places.

mass media

• KALW 91.7 FM (www.kalw.org) National Public Radio affiliate (National Public Radio, NPR).
• KPFA 94.1 FM (www.kpfa.org) Alternative news and music.
• KPOO 89.5 FM (www.kpoo.com) Public Radio; jazz, rhythm and blues, blues and reggae.
• KQED 88.5 FM (www.kqed.org) Branch of the National Public Radio and State Television Broadcasting (Public Broadcasting, PBS), podcasts and video streaming.
• San Francisco Bay Guardian (www.sfbg.com) The free alternative weekly covers politics, theater, music, art and film.
• San Francisco Chronicle (www.sfgate.com) Main daily newspaper; news, entertainment and events posters.

Money

Bank of America (www.bankamerica.com; 1 Market Plaza; 9.00-18.00 Mon-Fri)

Mail

Post office in Rincon Center (Rincon Center post office; www.usps.com; 180 Stewart St; 8.00-18.00 Mon-Fri, 9.00-14.00 Sat) Postal services plus historical frescoes.

Tourist information

San Francisco Visitor Information Center (tel.: 415-391-2000; www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com; lower level, Hallidie Plaza; 9:00-17:00 Mon-Fri, until 15:00 Sat-Sun)

Web sites

• Craigslist (http://sfbay.craigslist.org) San Francisco Resource; work, dates, free stuff, Buddhist babysitters and whatever.
• Yelp (www.yelp.com) Review site for shops, bars, services and restaurants. Join the local verbal battles.

Transport

Information about transportation routes in the Bay Area (Bay Area) and flight schedules can be found by calling 511 or visiting the website www.511.org.

Transportation from San Francisco International Airport

BART (www.bart.gov; one-way ticket $8.10). Fast, direct connections to downtown San Francisco.

SamTrans (www.samtrans.com; one-way ticket $5). The KX Express will take you to the bus station (Temporary Transbay Terminal) in about 30 minutes.

SuperShuttle (tel: 800-258-3826; www.supershuttle.com; one-way ticket $17). Door-to-door vans depart from the baggage claim terminal. Most areas of San Francisco are 45 minutes' drive away.

Taxi. The cost of a trip to downtown is $35-50.

Transport from Auckland International Airport

The cheapest way to travel from Oakland Airport to San Francisco is by BART. AirBART buses ($3) every 10-20 min. depart to Coliseum Station, where you can catch the BART train to downtown San Francisco ($3.80, 25 min.). The cost of a taxi ride from Oakland Airport to Oakland averages $25 and to San Francisco about $50-60. The cost of a trip to downtown in a multi-person SuperShuttle van is $25-30 (tel: 800-258-3826; www.supershuttle.com). Airport Express Buses (tel: 800-327-2024; www.airportexpressinc.com) follow the schedule every 2 hours. (from 6.00 to 0.00) from Oakland Airport to Sonoma County ($32) and Marin ($24) .

Vessels

Blue & Gold Ferries (www.blueandgoldfleet.com) depart Alameda - Oakland from Pier 41 (Pier 41) and ferry terminal (Ferry Building). Golden Gate Ferry (www.goldengate.org) go to Sausalito and Larkspur (Larkspur) in Marin County (Marin County), departing from the ferry terminal (Ferry Building).

Cars

Try not to drive in San Francisco: parking is harder than finding true love, and the meters are merciless. Downtown parking is located at the Embarcadero Center on Fifth Street. (5th St), Mission Street (Mission St), Union Square (Union Sq), Sutter Street (Sutter St) and Stockton Street (Stockton St). National car rental agencies have offices at the airport and downtown.

Public transport

To the municipal transport network MUNI (Municipal Transit Agency; www.sfmuni.com) includes buses, trams and funicular lines. Two cable car lines begin at Powell Street (Powell St) and Market Street (Market St), the third is on California Street (California St) and Market Street (Market St). A detailed MUNI Street & Transit Map can be downloaded for free from the website or purchased for $3 at a kiosk (Powell MUNI kiosk). The standard fare for a bus or tram ride is $2, for a funicular ride $6. MUNI Passport (for 1/3/7 days $14/21/27) gives the right to unlimited travel on all types of municipal transport, including the funicular; it is for sale at the San Francisco Tourist Information Center (San Francisco's Visitor Information Center) and at the TIX Bay Area ticket kiosk in Union Square. Seven Day City Pass (adult/child $69/39) gives the right to travel on municipal transport and to visit five attractions.

BART electric trains connect San Francisco to the east side of the Bay. They go under Market Street (Market St) and follow Mission Street (Mission St) and south to San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae (Millbrae), where they intersect with the CalTrain line.

The rate is approximately $2.25 per mile; the amount on the meter at the beginning of the trip is $3.50.

• DeSoto Cab (tel: 415-970-1300)
• Green Cab (tel: 415-626-4733; www.626green.com)
• Luxor (tel: 415-282-4141) Yellow Cab (tel: 415-333-3333)

Road there and back

By plane

San Francisco International Airport (San Francisco International Airport, SFO; www.flysfo.com) located 22.4 km south of the city center, next to the highway (Highway) 101. Accessible by Bay Area Rapid Transit. (BART).

By bus

Until the new terminal is completed in 2017, San Francisco Intercity will remain Temporary Transbay Terminal (Howard St and Main St). AC Transit buses depart from here (www.actransit.org) to eastern Bay Area (East Bay), Golden Gate Transit buses (http://goldengatetransit.org) go north to Marin and Sonoma counties and SamTrans (www.samtrans.com) carries passengers south to Palo Alto (Palo Alto) and on the Pacific coast. Greyhound buses (tel: 800-231-2222; www.greyhound.com) depart daily to Los Angeles ($56.50.8-12 hours), Truckee (Truckee) at Lake Tahoe ($33, 5.5 hours) and in other areas.

By train

Amtrak trains (tel: 800-872-7245; www.amtrakcalifornia.com)- this is not only a low emission of pollution into the environment, but also a quiet road to San Francisco and back. Coast Starlight sails an exciting 35-hour route from Los Angeles to Seattle with a stop in Oakland. California Zephyr is coming (51 hours) from Chicago via Rokis (Rockies) to Auckland. Both trains have sleeping cars and dining cars (bars) with large windows. Amtrak also includes free shuttle buses to the ferry terminal (Ferry Building) in San Francisco and the CalTrain station.

Cal Trains (www.caltrain.com; corner of Force Street (4th St) and King Street (King St)) connect San Francisco with Silicon Valley and San Jose.

Calendar of low prices for air tickets

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San Francisco is a large city on the west coast of the United States in the state of California. In terms of population, the city ranks 4th in the state and 12th in the United States. As of 2013, the city has over 837 thousand inhabitants. At the same time, San Francisco ranks second in the United States in terms of population density (among cities with a population of more than 200 thousand inhabitants). Geographically located in the north of the San Francisco Peninsula, the city covers an area of ​​121 square kilometers. San Francisco is the financial, cultural and transportation center of the large San Francisco Bay metropolitan area with a population of 7.4 million people.

Situated halfway between London and Tokyo, and between Seattle and San Diego, San Francisco has significant economic importance and attracts the attention of big business. One of the pillars of the local economy is, of course, tourism. San Francisco ranks third in the United States in terms of the number of foreign tourists visiting the city. So in 2007, the city was visited by over 16 million people.

Downtown view

The San Francisco region is home to the major port of Oakland, eight other smaller ports and three key airports, which handle about 30 percent of the entire West Coast's trade. Since the Gold Rush, San Francisco has been considered an important financial center. The region is home to many high-tech industries, companies, and research centers. In addition, do not forget that the famous Silicon Valley is located south of the San Francisco Bay - a huge technology center that has a strong influence on the economy of the region. The pharmaceutical industry is highly developed; hundreds of companies engaged in medical electronics, genetic engineering, and biotechnology operate in the region.

More than 53% of the city's adults have a bachelor's degree or higher. High levels of education of the population and the presence of a mass of qualified workers in the region lead to strong competition in the labor market. In turn, the tight labor market, as well as the high cost of housing, food and other consumer goods, mean that the cost of living in San Francisco is among the highest in the United States.

The unemployment rate for the summer of 2014 is low - only 4.6%. About 14% of residents have low incomes and live in poverty, however, this is lower than the national average. At the same time, there are many homeless people in the city, who are attracted by the normal climate and social assistance from local authorities.

Statistics for 2013

Racial composition:

• White - 41.4%
• Asians - 33.3%
• Hispanics - 15.3%
• African Americans - 5.5%
• Mixed races - 3.4%
• Pacific origin - 0.4%
• Indians - 0.2%

Income and housing

• Average income per capita - $51686
• Average home price - $778,000
• The average cost of renting a home is $1,491
• Unemployment (June 2014) - 4.6%
• Residents living below the poverty line - 13.8%

• More than a third (35.4%) of San Franciscans were born outside the United States.
• San Francisco is known for its progressive views and tolerance of the gay community. It is believed that about 15% of the city's population belongs to sexual minorities. This has the highest number of gays and lesbians per capita of any city in the United States.

City on the Hills

San Francisco is located in a very picturesque place where the Pacific Ocean crashes into the mainland through the narrow Golden Gate Strait and forms San Francisco Bay. The city of San Francisco is located on the northern part of the peninsula of the same name and is surrounded by water on three sides: from the west by the Pacific Ocean, from the north by the Golden Gate Strait and from the east by San Francisco Bay. Other large cities in the region are Oakland and San Jose.

For the most part, the city is built up with low-rise buildings, tightly surrounding a multi-story center. San Francisco is a fairly compact city, home to more than 800 thousand people; due to workers and tourists, the total number of people often exceeds 1 million. The city ranks 2nd on the list of large US cities in terms of population density after New York. The lack of available land restrains the city's population growth and directly affects the rise in real estate prices.

The famous hills of San Francisco are one of the city's landmarks. Due to discrepancies in terminology, different sources provide different data on the number of hills within the city, but we can definitely say that there are definitely more than 50 of them. Many of the hills are a landmark in themselves, while others offer a wonderful view. For example, the popular Twin Peaks hill offers views of most of the city.

There are about 40 districts in San Francisco, many of which are very individual and different from each other. The most notable central areas of the city: Castro District, Chinatown, Financial District, Civic Center, Haight-Ashbury, Union Square, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, Embarcadero, South of Market (SoMa).

Embarcadero is a northeastern neighborhood along the San Francisco waterfront.

Fisherman's Wharf - the Fisherman's Wharf area - is one of the busiest attractions in San Francisco. The area is home to the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, the popular Pier 39, an excellent aquarium, and many restaurants and shops.

Embarcadero and fur seals from the pier at Fisherman's Wharf

Financial District (“FiDi”) - San Francisco's tallest buildings 555 California Street and the memorable Transamerica Pyramid are located in the city's financial center. This is an area of ​​banks, law firms, corporate headquarters. There are also several large shopping centers located here.

North Beach - Historically an Italian area, today it is an area of ​​nightclubs, restaurants and bars. Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill is a very popular landmark in San Francisco.

Transamerica skyscraper and Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill

Union Square is the area around Union Square, very popular with tourists with a large concentration of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Chinatown is a “city within a city” with exotic shops, markets, temples and small museums.

Union Square and photos of Chinatown San Francisco

Nob Hill is an expensive and prestigious area where wealthy people live. The most famous and expensive hotels in San Francisco are located here. The Grace Cathedral is also located there.

Russian Hill is a prestigious area, best known for its winding Lombard Street.

Civic Center - is home to the San Francisco City Hall, two large squares, Civic Center Plaza and United Nations Plaza, as well as a number of buildings in a classical architectural style.

Grace Cathedral and Lombard Street

South of Market (SoMa) is a large and diverse neighborhood that is home to several museums, notably the popular children's museum Zeum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Haight-Ashbury - since the 1960s - a center of counterculture, a favorite place of hippies and punks. Near Alamo Square park are rows of Victorian houses known as the Painted Ladies.

Castro is the "gay capital of the world."

Row of Painted Ladies cabins and architecture in Nob Hill

Sights and interesting places

One of the main attractions of San Francisco is Golden Gate Park. Stretching 5 km in length, the western part of the park opens to Ocean Beach. The wide Ocean Beach runs along the west coast of San Francisco, from the San Francisco Zoo to the park with the symbolic name “Lands End”. The rocky shores of Lands End offer breathtaking views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Ocean and the entrance to the bay.

Not far from Lands End is Lincoln Park, in the center of which is the Legion of Honor Art Museum. Further north lies the Presidio of San Francisco, or simply Presidio. A military installation for over 200 years, it is now mostly wooded parkland with wonderful views from the hills. Presidio's main attraction: the Golden Gate Bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge

The eastern part of the Presidio borders the Marina area. Approximately on the border of these areas is the architectural composition of the Palace of Fine Arts - a favorite place for tourists and wedding ceremonies. Behind the Palace of Fine Arts is the innovative interactive museum Exploratorium.

East of the Marina area there are areas that are directly adjacent to the center of San Francisco and are very popular among tourists: Russian Hill (“Russian Hill”), Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, Telegraph Hill, Embarcadero.

The Bay Area is home to many islands, the most notable of which are Three Islands. First of all, this is the former prison island of Alcatraz, as well as the islands of Angel Island and Treasure Island. Alcatraz is a popular attraction; you can get to the island by ferry, which departs from one of the Fisherman's Wharf piers.

The Port of San Francisco was once considered the largest and most promising seaport on the West Coast. With the development of container shipping, the importance of the port decreased and many berths were abandoned. Although the Port of San Francisco remains operational, the center of maritime commercial shipping has shifted to nearby Oakland. Today, the port infrastructure is used as an integral element of urban tourism and recreation.

The iconic San Francisco Ferry Building, located on the Embarcadero, serves dual purpose as a shopping center and a marine terminal. San Francisco's most famous food market is held here every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. The terminal tower, with an ancient clock on top, is located directly opposite the main street of San Francisco - Market Street and is visible from several kilometers.

San Francisco is home to 2 professional clubs that compete in major sports leagues. These are the San Francisco Giants baseball team, which plays at AT&T Park, and the San Francisco 49ers American football team. "49ers" is the nickname of the gold miners who arrived in Northern California in 1849 and participated in the Gold Rush. The soccer team plays at the outdoor stadium Candlestick Park, but in 2015 a new stadium will be built in Santa Clara near San Jose.

The climate in San Francisco is special. Its location at a southern latitude (south of Sochi) combined with cold currents leads to a surprisingly mild climate with a small seasonal temperature difference. The average temperature in January, the coldest month, is 9.7 C. The warmest, September, is 17.7 C. The rainy season lasts from November to January; at night it can be quite cold, but the temperature does not drop below zero. February and March are rainy but can be relatively dry and flowers and trees begin to bloom. April, May - clear and dry, fog possible. This is one of the best times to visit San Francisco. From June to August there are warm days without rain, but the evenings can be cold when fog forms. September and October are another good time to visit the city, with clear days and a little fog. The wet and cold fog that envelops the city is one of the hallmarks of San Francisco. It very quickly covers entire areas of the city and retreats just as quickly.