San Francisco California
Author: Kamyar Shah


San Francisco California
San Francisco, California is also known as "The City by the
Bay". The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth
most populous city in California and the fourteenth most
populous city in the U.S., with an estimated populated of
744,041 as of 2006. The city is most well known for its
chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of
Victorian and modern architecture, and its peninsular
location.

Famous landmarks include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz
Island, the cable cars, Coit Tower and Chinatown.
Fisherman's Wharf is also a must-see for tourists and a
favorite place for residents.

The city is also infamous for the major earthquake on the
morning of April 19, 1906 that ruptured gas lines and
ignited fires that destroyed over three-quarters if the
city. More than 200,000 people were left homeless and
settled into temporary tent villages in Golden Gate Park,
the Presidio, on the beaches, or elsewhere. When it was
time to rebuild, the destroyed mansions of Nob Hill became
grand hotels, City Hall rose again and the city celebrated
is rebirth in 1915 at the Panama-Pacific International
Exposition.

The San Andreas and Hayward Faults are responsible for much
earthquake activity, although neither passes directly
through the city itself.

San Francisco's peninsular geography makes the city unique.
San Francisco, California is located on the west coast of
the U.S. at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. It
includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and San
Francisco Bay. Several islands are also part of the city
including, Alcatraz, Treasure Island and Yerba Buena
Island. The uninhabited Farallon Islands are also included
in the city and are 27 miles offshore in the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco is famous for hills, with more than 50 just
within the city limits. Some of these illustrious hills
include Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, Potrero
Hill and Telegraph Hill. Mount Sutro is the site of Sutro
Tower, a large red and white television transmission tower.
Twin Peaks is a pair of hills resting at one of the highest
points in the city and is a popular spot for tour groups.
The city's tallest hill, Mount Davidson, is 925 feet high
and is capped with a 103 feet tall cross.

Entire neighborhoods such as Marina and Hunters Point and
sections of Embarcadero sit on areas of landfill because
the city has outgrown its natural limits. Treasure Island
was constructed from material dredged from the bay as well
as material resulting from tunneling through Yerba Island
during the building of the Bay Bridge.

The historic center of San Francisco is home to the
Financial District, with Union Square, the principal
shopping and hotel district nearby.

Union Square is home to some of the finest department
stores including Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue
and Bloomingdale's. Nordstrom's is just off the square on
Market. Fine designers such as Christian Dior, Gucci, Kate
Spade, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren and Versace
can be found at Union Square. Other popular clothing stores
are Banana Republic, Bebe, Diesel USA, Guess?, Gap,
Victoria's Secret, Levi's Flagship Store, Urban Outfitters,
Nine West, Cole-Haan, Johnston & Murphy, Loehman's and DSW.
Jewelry stores at Union Square include Tiffany & Co.,
Bulgari, Cartier, Swatch and Simayof.

The city is a gracious host to tourist, offering charming
bed and breakfasts as well as hotels. Bed and breakfasts in
the city include The Inn San Francisco, Red Victorian B&B,
Chateau Tivoli, Victorian Inn On the Park, Archbishop's
Mansion, Albion House Inn, Bocks B&B, Golden Gate Hotel,
Hayes Valley In, Jackson Court, The Mansions and more. Area
hotels include Nob Hill Motor Inn, Comfort Inn by the Bay,
Castle Inn Motel, Heritage Marina Hotel, Carriage Inn,
Hotel Britton and Hotel Americania. Luxury hotel suites are
widely available at Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Mandarin
Oriental, Palace Hotel, Argent Hotel, Hilton, Hotel Vitale,
Pan Pacific, Grand Hyatt, Prescott, Sir Francis Drake,
Galleria Park, Stanford Court, The Omni Hotel, Hotel
Monaco, El Drisco, Hotel Griffon, Hotel Nikko and
Huntington, to name a few.

The San Francisco night life has something that appeals to
everyone with its many clubs and bars including 1751 Social
Club, Velvet Lounge, Brunos, The End Up, The Fillmore, Café
Du Nord, Ashkenaz, New Wave City, Toronado, Bottom of the
Hill, Bimbo's 365 Club, Elbo Room, Sweetwater and Ruby Sky.

The beauty of San Francisco is appreciated in its many
parks. The Golden Gate Park, stretches from the center of
the city to the Pacific Ocean. The park is planted with
thousands of non-native trees and plants and is rich with
attractions including the Conservatory of Flowers, the
Japanese Tea Garden and Strybing Arboretum. The Presidio
and Crissy Field are part of the Golde Gate National
Recreation Area, which includes Alcatraz. Buena Vista Park
is the city's oldest park, established in 1867. Lake Merced
is a freshwater lake surrounded by parkland.

San Francisco is characterized by a high standard of
living. Property value and household income have escalated
to be among the highest in the nation, allowing the city to
support a large restaurant and entertainment infrastructure.

Reflecting San Francisco's high-class economy, luxury
dining graces the streets of the city. Some of the city's
fine dining includes Park Chow, Universal Café, Restaurant
Gary Danko, The Blue Plate, Luna Park, The Last Supper
Club, Restaurant Lulu, Limon Restaurant and Levende Lounge.
Favorit Italian restaurants in the city include Rose
Pistola, Little City, Buca Giovanni, The Stinking Rose, Il
Fornaio, Café Macaroni and more. The city spices things up
a bit with favorite Mexican restaurants such as La Cumbre,
La Rondalla, Chevy's, Left at Albuquerque, Café Marimba and
Taqueria El Toro. Streetside and waterfront cafes are the
perfect place to sit for a while, some of which are Union
Square Café, Muddy's, Café Francisco's and Starbucks.

Boasting the best Asian food in the country, San Francisco
has authentic Japanese, Thai, Korean and Chinese
restaurants. Some favorite Thai restaurants are Khan Toke
Thai House, Bethelnut and Zao. Chinese restaurants include
R&G Lounge and Hong Kong Flower Lounge. Korean cuisine can
be enjoyed at The Slanted Door or Ace Wasabi's. Other
restaurants include The Golden Dragon, Golden Mountain,
Naan and Curry, Maharani Restaurant and Angkor Wat.

San Francisco's entertainment allures tourists and caters
to the city's residents. The War Memorial and Performing
Arts Center features some of the longest performing arts
companies in the U.S. The War Memorial Opera House houses
the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet. The
Davies Symphony Hall is home to the San Francisco Symphony.
The Herbst Theatre stages a mix of musical performances and
public radio's City Arts & Lectures. The Fillmore is a
popular music venue and has fostered the San Francisco
Sound with artists such as the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin
and Jefferson Airplane.

The American Conservatory Theater routinely stages original
productions. The city also frequently hosts touring
Broadway productions in a number of vintage venues in the
Theater District including Curran, Orpheum and Golden Gate
Theatres.

San Francisco celebrates history and art in the Museum of
Modern Art, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the De Young
Museum, the Asian Art Museum. Tthe Palace of Fine Arts
today houses the Exploratorium, a popular science museum
dedicated to teaching through hands-on interaction. The
California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum
and hosts the Morrison Planetarium and Steinhart Aquarium.
The San Francisco Zoo cared for roughly 250 animal species,
39 of which have been deemed endangered or threatened.

Tourism is the backbone of the San Francisco economy. Its
frequent portrayal in music, film and popular culture has
made the city and its landmarks recognizable worldwide. San
Francisco attracts the fifth highest number of foreign
tourists of any city in the United States and claims Pier
39 near Fisherman's Wharf to be the third-most popular
tourist attraction in the nation.

San Francisco is also the principal banking and finance
center of the west coast. Known as the "Wall Street of the
West", Montgomery Street is home to the Federal Reserve
Bank of San Francisco. The Wells Fargo corporate
headquarters and the site of the former Pacific Stock
Exchange are all held there. Bank of America was also
founded in San Francisco. San Francisco is a Beta World
City, with over thirty international financial
institutions, six Fortune 500 companies and services
including law, public relations, architecture and graphic
design.

Small businesses make up 85 percent of the city's
establishments. The penetration of national big box retail
chains into the city has been slow. The Small Business
Commission supports a publicity campaign to keep a larger
share of retail dollars in the local economy in an effort
to buoy small privately owned businesses in San Francisco.


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San Francisco California
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