Mission Dolores The
18th-century Spanish mission, site of the area’s earliest settlement,
is worth a visit for its tranquility, as well as for the education it
provides about the city’s early history . Jackson Square The
area that witnessed the worst misbehavior of the Barbary Coast days
contains some of the city’s oldest, loveliest buildings. One of the very
few areas that were spared in the 1906 conflagration .
Jackson Square
Nob Hill Erstwhile
site of the mansions of Golden Age moguls and potentates, from these
lofty heights now rise the city’s most lavish hotels and the Gothic
spires of one of its best-loved cathedrals .
Fairmont Hotel, Nob Hill
Fisherman’s Wharf Remnants
of the early fishing industry that contributed to San Francisco’s
growth are still found here, just layered over with a slick veneer of
tourism. Fishing boats still come in and deliver their catch of the day,
and nature makes its presence known with a colony of sea lions that
lounge on the pier . War Memorial Opera House This building was inaugurated in 1932 with a performance of Puccini’s Tosca,
giving the art form a permanent home here. Modeled on its European
forbears, with a marble lobby, huge chandelier, balconies, and vaulted
ceilings, it is dedicated to the memory of World War I soldiers. In 1945
the Opera House hosted the plenary sessions that preceded the founding
of the United Nations and, in 1951, it was the site of the signing of
the peace treaty between the US and Japan. North Beach The
entire area resonates with the history of the early Italian residents,
but even more with the iconoclastic legacy of the revolutionary Beats,
who brought the neighborhood worldwide fame. Historic churches stand as
clear landmarks, while equally historic saloons and cafés take a little
snooping around to find . Haight-Ashbury The
matrix of yet another Bohemian movement that San Francisco has given
birth to, this area nurtured idealistic hippies in the late 1960s. They
brought international awareness to alternative ways of life, living in
harmony with nature and espousing humane values .
Café sign, Haight-Ashbury
Intersection, Haight-Ashbury
Fillmore Auditorium One
of the legendary homes of psychedelic rock during the 1960s. Along with
the Avalon Ballroom and the Winterland (both now gone), this is where
the San Francisco Sound found its first audience. City Hall On
November 28, 1978, ex-Supervisor Dan White went to City Hall and
assassinated Mayor George Moscone and gay Supervisor Harvey Milk. In a botched trial, he was convicted of manslaughter, sparking riots from the gay community .
City Hall
Sutro Baths Built
in 1896 by silver magnate Adolph Sutro, these were at one time the
world’s largest heated swimming pools, overarched by a stunning glass
roof. The complex was destroyed by fire in 1966, but you can access the
ruins by steps at the Merrie Way parking lot.
Top 10 Historic Figures
Junipero Serra This 18th-century Spanish cleric traveled up and down California establishing missions, including Mission Dolores. John C. Fremont Instrumental in the US annexation of California in the mid-1800s, it was Fremont who dubbed the Bay straits the “Golden Gate”. John Muir Muir was a keen promoter of the National Parks movement. The Muir Woods are named in his honor. Leland Stanford One of the “Big Four” who masterminded the Transcontinental railroad also founded Stanford University . Mark Hopkins Another of the “Big Four” who struck it super-rich and lived on Nob Hill. Charles Crocker Another “Big Four” accomplice. The Crocker Galleria recalls his legacy. A.P. Giannini Founder in 1904 of the Bank of Italy, later the Bank of America, Giannini financed the Golden Gate Bridge. Harvey Milk The first openly gay politician to become a member of the Board of Supervisors was assassinated in 1978. Dianne Feinstein One of the movers and shakers of San Francisco politics in recent decades, she became a US Senator in 1992. Jerry Brown Buddhist monk and mayor of Oakland, this intellectual free spirit ran for president.
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