San Francisco - a city in California, a short story with maps, photos and descriptions of attractions. San Francisco, California State of California City of San Francisco

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

in contact with facebook twitter

1. Cities of the world

Samarkand stands on 10-15 meters of thickness of the ancient settlement of Afrasiab. The settlement is named after the legendary ruler of the Central Asian nomads who lived more than 2,000 years ago in the hills of modern Samarkand. In the records of the conquest of Alexander the Great there is a settlement located on the site of the ancient settlement of Afrasiab, which...

2. Like many old cities in Europe, Warsaw was born in ancient times, almost immemorial. Rivers were then of great importance for the emergence of cities: people settled in places where there was a high bank, to which it was more convenient for ships to moor. There is such a place nearby...

3. Olive is a sacred tree for the Greeks, the tree of life. Without it, it is impossible to imagine the Greek valleys, sandwiched between the mountains and the sea, and even the rocky mountain slopes themselves, where olive groves alternate with vineyards. Olives climb almost to the very tops, they dominate the...

4. 90 kilometers south of Baghdad lie the ruins of ancient Babylon, covered in the dust of centuries, which consist of four huge hills of rubble. Here in Mesopotamia, several thousand years ago, one of the first centers of human civilization arose with the famous “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” and…

5. In April 1624, the Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verazano, a subject of the French king Francis I, sailed on his ship "Dauphine" to the mouth of the Severnaya River. The Indians greeted the navigator very friendly, but J. da Verazano did not stay here long: he walked along the coast to the north,…

6. For many of us, St. Petersburg begins on May 16, 1703 - a date well known from school textbooks. Long before Peter I, the territory of the future St. Petersburg was simply strewn with Russian villages and hamlets. Along the mossy, muddy banks of Cherneli there are huts here and there.…

7. In the east was the kingdom of the Red Chuck - from there came a crimson scorching luminary; White Chuck reigned in the north - his icy breath brought snow and rain; Black Chuck lived in the west, where mountains blackened above the sandy deserts; and in the south, where they turned yellow...

8. In 1368 BC, Amenhotep IV, the most unusual of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, ascended the Egyptian throne, whose reforms gave rise to an extremely interesting period in the history of Egypt. Before him, the system of mystical and religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians was extremely complex and confusing. Worship to the many...

9. The Swedish capital opens up to the eyes of tourists with green and purple spiers of churches, palaces and rare modernist skyscrapers. Stockholm is located on islands and peninsulas, and wherever you go in this city, you will always come out to the sea. In the Old Town, the pointed bell towers of churches and the facades of palaces are reflected...

10. The origin of Yerevan is lost in the mists of time, but the name of the city, as is commonly believed, comes from the Armenian verb “erevel” - to appear. This is associated with the legend that this area was the first to appear to the eyes of Noah descending from Ararat, who built the first post-flood city here. ...IN…

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 fact 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!”

18+, 2015, website, “Seventh Ocean Team”. Team coordinator:

We provide free publication on the website.
Publications on the site are the property of their respective owners and authors.

Travel notes, day 13

My main rule is to avoid tourist attractions. I have never been to the Eiffel Tower and I don’t regret it at all, although I have been to Paris a dozen (or more) times. The worst thing you can do when you arrive in a city is open a guidebook and start following its advice. Separately, it must be said that you cannot visit tourist restaurants. Most of the restaurants and cafes that guidebooks recommend to you will turn out to be passable, boring, overpriced crap. See where the locals eat!

In San Francisco, the city is very clearly divided into two parts. Places where tourists gather and places where there are none. The second is a real city with its inhabitants, traditions, and rapidly changing views. But if you still want to look at tourist San Francisco, here it is. I walked through the most popular places especially for you.

01. Let's start the walk from the city center. As you know, in American cities the center has a slightly different meaning than here. If here or in European cities everything is most beautiful and interesting in the center, then in the USA it will be more of a business district. The business district is a handful of skyscrapers. There can be a lot of them, as in Manhattan in New York, or very few, as in Los Angeles. Often people come to such a center and are disappointed, because the most interesting places in American cities are usually not where the skyscrapers are. San Francisco is no exception. There is absolutely nothing to do in Downtown.

02. The main problem here is the homeless. They filled Market Street, the main street of the city (analogous to our Tverskaya). Often homeless people are mentally ill, they behave inappropriately and frighten passers-by.

03. The center is quite dirty.

04. Some Russophobic graffiti;)

05. And these are no longer homeless people, these are fans waiting for their idols...

06. Apparently, they have been waiting for a long time.

07. Pierce the Veil. Never heard of this one. It turned out that the guys are from San Diego and play post-hardcore. And because they're from San Diego, three of the four band members are Hispanic. There are also many such fans.

08. Queue...

09. Major shops and shopping complexes are also concentrated on Market Street.

10. The historic streetcars that I’m talking about travel along Market Street in the Castro.

11. Be sure to take a ride!

12. This is the main thing to do here.

13. Market Street ends at the Embarcadero!

14. This is one of the most pleasant places in the city, especially if you are lucky with the weather. The embankment with former piers, warehouses and other port buildings stretches for almost 10 kilometers. Market Street ends at a building similar to our river station.

15. Inside there is a wonderful market with a lot of shops. You can drink excellent wine here.

16. Or buy it with you, then carefully pour it into a paper Starbucks cup and walk around drinking wine;) Everyone does this (except me).

17. Cool bottles, each hand painted!

18. Nice dog tag.

19. Cheese shop. Well, where would we be without snacks?

21. Mushrooms are considered a delicacy here!

22. And then you can go out to the old pier and eat everything!

23. Homeless

24. A lot of people in San Francisco skateboard! They ride on bike paths and reach incredible speeds, especially down hills. I didn't think a skateboard could be so fast. Fortunately, smooth roads allow you to ride it without fear of falling into a hole.

25. The service workers union Unite Here (which mainly includes women and people of color) is calling for a boycott of two hotels in San Francisco - Hyatt and Le Meridien. They have a blacklist of hotels all over America on their website; Sheraton and Hilton are also on it. In addition, the union advertises its FairHotel program, with the help of which a hired worker can supposedly find a “decent” hotel that is willing to pay him a decent salary.

26. The Embarcadero embankment is not an ocean embankment, but an internal one, running along the San Francisco Bay. From Spanish, embarcadero literally translates as “pier.” There are actually a lot of working piers here. There are ferry crossings across the bay, there are tourist tours (for example, you can swim to Alcatraz), some have their own private piers. By the way, there used to be water in this place, but then the Americans reclaimed the land from the sea by building a dam and laying a road on top of it. The street begins near the Giants baseball stadium and ends at Fisherman's Wharf. This is where the famous Pier 39 is located.

27. You can always find beautiful cars here.

28. Yachts

29. And old ships.

30. This is Telegraph Hill. San Francisco, like Rome, Moscow, Jerusalem and all other famous cities with a couple of exceptions, is built on seven hills. So, Telegraph Hill is considered one of the 7 “original” hills on which the city arose. Now there are already 44 of them. Once upon a time there was a semaphore here that transmitted signals to ships entering the bay. Then a real telegraph appeared in the city, but the name of the hill was not changed. In the 1920s, the hill became an elite area because creative bohemians liked to hang out here. In 1933, the 64-meter Coit Tower was erected on the hill. It was built in honor of Lilly Hitchcock Coit, who became famous for developing the fire service in San Francisco.

32. And here we come to the most touristic place in the city - Pier 39!

34. The pier is famous for its sea lions and views of Alcatraz. You, of course, saw him in the movies and in all the photographs from San Francisco. At first it was a fort, then a military prison, then it turned into a federal prison for especially dangerous criminals, but in the 60s it was disbanded. While they were deciding what to do with the island and infrastructure, Alcatraz was captured by the Indians. Instead of living peacefully in the new territory, they went on a rampage and were eventually expelled from the island by the authorities. In the early 70s, Alcatraz was turned into a museum, and now it is one of the main points of attraction for tourists. Ferries do not go there from Pier 39, you need to go to Pier 33.

35. During the day, the crowd crowds all the empty seats on Pier 39. It is impossible to see anything. But early in the morning, at dawn, it’s quite nice and calm here.

36. There are also few lions during the day.

And this is what this place looks like at dawn.

These are California sea lions. They are considered very smart animals, so they often perform in dolphinariums, circuses and all sorts of water shows. Some sea lions serve in the US Navy. For example, they know how to find sea mines, and in the Persian Gulf they are even trained to catch enemy divers.

37. Yachts

38. Just a poster about Jesus’ love for people

39.

40. In about 20 minutes from Pier 39 you can go up to Russian Hill and there you can look at another calling card of the city - Lombard Street.

This is what it looks like from above:

41. Lombard Street has the unofficial title of “the most winding street in the world.” The serpentine was needed to reduce the natural slope of the hill of 27%, which turned out to be too steep for almost any type of transport (and there is no cable tram). Recommended downhill speed is 5 mph (8 km/h).

42. There are crowds here too.

43. But there are gorgeous views. Poor people living on this street... There are thousands of tourists here around the clock! Everyone is taking pictures, running across the road, making noise.

44. The Russian Hill area, which arose on one of the “original” hills of San Francisco. They say the hill was named that way because settlers who arrived here during the Gold Rush found an old Russian cemetery on the top of the hill (do they still remember Fort Ross and the Russians in California?).

45. Old skyscraper

46. ​​Well, the cable tram (literally “cable”). Another attraction.

47. Mostly tourists ride it. The best way to climb the hill if you don't want to walk. The fare costs $7. Locals prefer buses and trolleybuses, and uphill - by car or by foot.

48. Like me, the cable car is considered one of the most dangerous transportation systems in the United States based on the number of accidents per mile and per year. From 2003 to 2013, 151 people were injured in 126 accidents involving cable trams. From 2011 to 2013, San Francisco paid out $8 million in about 50 injury-related claims.

49. Passengers are allowed to ride on the running board.

50. There are now only three cable car lines left in San Francisco. At various times, its fate was influenced by electric trams, buses, as well as the 1906 earthquake.

51.

52.

53. Bus depot

54. What about the Golden Gate Bridge?

55. I didn’t forget about the bridge either!

56. The Golden Gate is just an hour's walk from Lombard Street, or you can get there by bus or car.

57. On this side of the strait there is a beautiful Presidio Park and several observation platforms.

58. Almost under the bridge is the 19th century Fort Point fortress. On the other side is the huge park Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

59. Drones are prohibited from flying near the bridge (

60. How to get to the bridge?

61. Of course, by bike! Just be careful, the entrance works according to the schedule.

62. There are many bike paths in Presidio Park. All attractions and observation platforms are indicated on the map.

63. Tomorrow we will continue.

Previously on the trip:

Officially, the city of San Francisco has been called this way only since 1847. Previously, this settlement bore the Spanish name Herba Buena, which means “good grass.” This name was given, as you might have guessed, by the Spaniards, who were the first Europeans to arrive here and declared this territory their colony. In 1776, Spanish missionary Juan Bautista da Anza founded the Mission of Saint Francis of Asia. 45 years later, Herba Buana is already part of Mexico, which declared its independence from Spain.
But in 1848, the United States, due to debts, declared war on Mexico. Mexico loses the war and is forced to pay off its debts by losing Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California and San Francisco. But the city by that time was still very small, its population was barely 1 thousand people. It owes its growth to the “Gold Rush,” which hovered over the United States and attracted thousands of people to these places. Having emerged on the southwestern coast of San Francisco Bay, the city rapidly conquered new territories from the nearby hills. Trying not to lag behind New York in any way, the city fathers of San Francisco also laid out the streets in orderly rows, like on a chessboard. This was quite a difficult architectural task, considering that San Francisco is located among numerous hills.

Current population San Francisco, without suburbs, is 800 thousand people.

Sights of San Francisco

City of San Francisco- one of the most popular symbols of the Hollywood industry. The countless film crews on its streets have not surprised anyone for a long time; they have simply become accustomed to them. Residents of San Francisco are also tolerant of the large ethnic minorities who have settled here. There is Spanish or Mexican influence throughout; A significant part of the city's population also consists of Italians, Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodians.

A beatnik museum recently opened in the city. It is in the North Beach neighborhood on Grant Avenue, where famous writers of the 1950s and 1960s generation lived and worked. This literary and youth movement, which arose after World War II, proclaimed voluntary poverty, vagrancy, erotic freedom, anarchic hedonism, detachment from social problems, and a passion for Zen Buddhism. Among the famous authors of this direction are J. Kerouac, A. Ginsberg, L. Ferlinghetti.

In addition to this museum, San Francisco many other cultural centers: the Museum of Modern Arts, the War Memorial Opera House, the Asian Arts and Culture Center, the Jewish Community Center, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, etc. There are several museums in Golden Gate Park, but they fade away under the charm and originality of the park itself .

The Golden Gate Bridge, which symbolizes this city, was inaugurated in 1937, but to this day it is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Its length reaches 2730 meters, with six lanes of vehicular traffic and two pedestrian paths. From each car for entry into San Francisco there is a fee of a few dollars through the Golden Gate.

Another attraction San Francisco- this is the "end of the Earth" in Sutro Park. This is the name of the place where the very last tip of the continental land is located in the direction of its rotation around its axis. For example, New Year comes here at the very last place. Further along the ocean between San Francisco and Japan is the prime meridian, from which a new day begins. Chinatown in San Francisco is the largest Chinatown in America with endless seafood restaurants, pagoda rooftops and souvenir shops where you can buy all kinds of trinkets from different countries and continents. In the old part of the city you can see with your own eyes one of the Guinness Book records, the crookedest street in the world - Lombard Street.

Geography and climate

San Francisco is located on the west coast of the United States, at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. The city's borders stretch greatly along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. The city includes several islands: Alcatraz, Treasure Island and Yerba Buena. The city also includes the uninhabited Faralon Islands, located 43 kilometers away in the Pacific Ocean. It is often said that San Francisco is a square with a side of 7 miles (~11 kilometers).

San Francisco is famous for its hills. A hill in a city is an elevation greater than 30 meters. There are 42 hills within the city limits, some areas of the city are named after the hills on which they are located (Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, Potreto Hill and Telegraph Hill).

Not far from the geographical center of the city, a little to the south, there are a number of hills with the lowest population density; here, the entertainment and information infrastructure of the city mainly prevails. On Sutro Hill there are towers for television and radio transmitters. Nearby are the Twin Peaks Hills, some of the tallest hills in the city and one of the most popular tourist destinations. The highest hill in San Francisco is Mount Davidson, 282 meters high; a high cross was built here in 1934 (its height is 31.4 m).

San Francisco is located near two tectonic faults that cause frequent earthquakes. Small earthquakes occur periodically in the San Francisco Bay Area. The threat of strong earthquakes places high standards on the strength of new buildings in the city and forces the rebuilding of earlier buildings and bridges.

San Francisco's coastline greatly limits the city's growth, so several areas such as Marin, Hunter Point and much of the Embarcadero area were constructed artificially by filling the coastal areas with earth. Treasure Island was built from material recovered from the construction of the Bay Bridge. Such artificial areas are very unstable during an earthquake, as was clearly shown by the 1989 earthquake that destroyed Marina County.

Source: wikipedia.org

Earthquake and fire in 1906

Golden fever

San Francisco 1855

Like many mountain towns, the social climate in early San Francisco was unstable. This situation caused a great outcry in the US Senate, and a series of laws, the Compromise of 1850, fueled infighting over the issue of "brutal labor." In , and later in the year, the "Vigilance Committee" was created, which fought against crime, government corruption and violence against immigrants, but this committee may have created more lawlessness than it prevented. This popular movement lynched 12 people, kidnapped hundreds of Irish government officials, and forced the resignation of the city's elected officials. The Vigilance Committee was stopped twice by force, after which they decided that the city had been “cleaned out.” This committee later focused on Chinese immigrants, creating many riots in the Chinatown area. These riots led to the creation of legislation to weaken Chinese immigration to the United States by reducing the number of immigrants allowed in the city. The "Chinese Immigration Act" was passed in the year, and repealed only in the year.

Market Street

The city of San Francisco has been the seat of San Francisco County for up to a year. But because the city's population was greatly disproportionate to the population of the entire county, the California state government decided to break up the county. The border ran through the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, just north of the San Bruno Mountains. Everything south of the line became the new San Mateo County, centered on Redwood City, and everything north became the new incorporated city-county of San Francisco.

Period after World War 2

Geography and climate

San Francisco. Satellite image

San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco is located on the west coast of the United States, at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. The city's borders stretch greatly along the coasts of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. The city includes several islands: Alcatraz, Treasure Island and Yerba Buena. The city also includes the uninhabited Faralon Islands, located 43 kilometers away in the Pacific Ocean. It is often said that San Francisco is a square with a side of 7 miles (~11 kilometers).

San Francisco is famous for its hills. A hill in a city is an elevation greater than 30 meters. There are 42 hills within the city limits, some areas of the city are named after the hills on which they are located (Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, Potreto Hill and Telegraph Hill).

Not far from the geographical center of the city, a little to the south, there are a number of hills with the lowest population density; here, the entertainment and information infrastructure of the city mainly prevails. On Sutro Hill there are towers for television and radio transmitters. Nearby are the Twin Peaks, some of the tallest hills in the city and one of the most popular tourist destinations. The highest hill in San Francisco is Mount Davidson, 282 meters high; a high cross was built here in 1934 (its height is 31.4 m).

San Francisco is located near two tectonic faults that cause frequent earthquakes. Small earthquakes occur periodically in the San Francisco Bay Area. The threat of strong earthquakes places high standards on the strength of new buildings in the city and forces the rebuilding of earlier buildings and bridges.

San Francisco's coastline limits the city's growth, so some areas, such as Marin, Hunter Point, and much of the Embarcadero area, have been developed using artificial coastal infill. The artificial island of Treasure Island was built from material recovered from the construction of the Bay Bridge. Such areas are very unstable in the event of earthquakes, as the 1989 earthquake illustrated when it caused severe damage in Marin County.

Climate

A saying erroneously attributed to Mark Twain reads - "The coldest winter I've ever experienced is a San Francisco summer." San Francisco, influenced by California's Mediterranean climate, is characterized by mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. San Francisco is surrounded on 3 sides by water, so its climate is greatly influenced by the cold currents of the Pacific Ocean, which produce a mild climate with little seasonal temperature fluctuations. The city's average summer temperature is 21 °C, 9 °C cooler than Livermore, the nearest inland city. The record for the highest temperature in San Francisco is 39 °C, which was recorded on July 14 of this year. For comparison: the warmest month is September - 17.2 °C, which is colder than June in Moscow, although the latitude of the city south of Baku is at the same level as Ashgabat. However, average daily temperatures above 16 °C last from the beginning of May until the end of October. Daytime temperature in winter is about 15 °C. Thermometer readings in the city almost never fall below 0; the lowest temperature was recorded on December 11 of the year, when it dropped to −3 °C. The season from May to September is completely dry, the rainy season starts from November and lasts until March. Snow is a very rare occurrence in San Francisco, with only 10 snowfalls recorded this year. The city's heaviest snowfall was on February 5 of the year, when snow levels reached 3.7 inches in the city center. The last snowfall was on February 5th of this year.

Fog moving into Crissy Field Park

The combination of cold ocean water and high air temperatures on the California mainland leads to the creation of a unique phenomenon - the San Franciscan fog, which in the summer can envelop the city (especially its western part; in the eastern regions the fog is less dense) for days on end. Fogs are active in the city at the end of summer and from September to October. The fogs, hot climate of California and the influence of the ocean make San Francisco the owner of its own microclimate. The high hills in the geographical center of the city are responsible for a 20% difference in annual rainfall between different areas. They also protect eastern counties from the fog and cold conditions that prevail in Sunset County. For those living on the east side of the city, San Francisco is sunnier and drier.

The government of San Francisco consists of 2 equal branches. The first branch is the executive branch, headed by the mayor and other elected officials. The second branch is the legislative branch, it consists of 11 members making up the city council, headed by the president (in 2006, Aaron Peskin). The president is responsible for passing laws and passing the budget, although city residents have the opportunity to directly influence the legislative branch by voting. Members of the city council are elected as representatives of different districts of the city. If the mayor dies or resigns, his powers will pass to the president of the council, such an incident occurred in the year when George Mosconi was killed and his powers passed to Diane Feinstein. The city's budget for the year was more than $5 billion.

The federal government uses San Francisco to house various departments such as the U.S. Court of Appeals, the Federal Reserve Bank, and the Mint. Before disarmament, there were 3 military bases in the city: Presidio, Treasure Island and Hunters Point. The only thing they inherited from them was the Fleet Festival. The California Supreme Court is located in San Francisco, as well as a number of other state institutions. San Francisco is home to 30 diplomatic missions from around the world, including the Consulate General of the Russian Federation.

Demography

In San Francisco in 2005, the average household earned an average of $57,496, 5th highest among large US cities. Following the national trend of moving out of more expensive cities in pursuit of increased income, many middle-class residents have left San Francisco, affecting the percentage of children born. The city has 14.5% fewer children compared to other large cities in the country. In San Francisco, 7.8% are low-income households, a number lower than the US average.

Homelessness has been a "chronic problem" in San Francisco since the 1980s. The city has a higher number of homeless people per capita than any other city in the United States. The large number of homeless people has contributed to an increase in criminal activity. For example, in 2003, San Francisco had 5,725 violent crimes and 38,163 property crimes, more than the national average. Among the 50 largest cities by population, San Francisco ranks 32nd for violent crime and 38th for property crime.

Religion in San Francisco County

• Catholics - 180,798 and 49 religious communities
• Jews - 49,500 and 36 religious communities
• Muslims - 22,664 and 6 religious communities
• Scientologists - several tens of thousands of people
• United Methodist Church (Methodist Protestants) - 13,522 and 16 religious communities
• Episcopal Church (Protestants) - 6,295 and 19 religious communities
• All religious - 324,882 and 408 religious communities
• Total population 386,816

Russian San Francisco

There is a significant (about 20 thousand people) Russian-speaking community in San Francisco and its suburbs, many living in the Richmond area. This area is famous for its abundance of Russian restaurants and shops. The city is home to a Russian cultural center, founded in the year. The Consulate General of the Russian Federation dates back to the times of pre-revolutionary Russia, and has been operating in the prestigious Pacific Heights area for a year.

Education

San Francisco State University is part of the California State University System. It is located near Lake Merced. The university annually graduates 30,000 students and welcomes newcomers; teachers, many with advanced degrees, teach more than a hundred disciplines. City College of San Francisco, located in Inglisade County, is considered one of the largest colleges in the country. It educates approximately 100,000 students and offers a long training program. The Jesuit University of San Francisco was founded in 1855 and today is located in the Lone Mountain region. The university focuses on free-thinking arts and is one of the oldest universities established west of the Mississippi River.

The University of California, San Francisco is one of 10 campuses in the California University System, and the No. 2 employer in the city. The university is dedicated to biomedical research and graduates only medical students, ranking among the top 5 medical schools in the United States. The university has a KUSF medical center, which is one of the 10 best hospitals in the state. In 2003, the new 43-acre campus of KUSF opened, dedicated to research in human consciousness, biotechnology and the study of human behavior. The Civic Center neighborhood is home to Hastings College of Law, founded in 1878, the oldest law school in California and producing more judges than any other institution.

Many specialists in the fine arts studied at the San Francisco Institute of Arts or at the largest private Academy of Arts in the United States. San Francisco is home to the only conservatory on the West Coast, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which teaches orchestral instruments. The California Culinary Academy, as part of the Le Cordon Bleu program, offers applicants training in the art of cooking and baking, as well as restaurant management.

Primary and secondary schools

San Franciscans have a wide choice of public schools, but in most cases they prefer to send their children to Lowell High School, the oldest school west of the Mississippi River, and to the small School of the Arts. Compared to 10% nationally, in San Francisco just under 30% of schoolchildren are enrolled in one in a hundred private or parochial schools. Of these 100 schools, 40 fall under the control of the Roman Catholic Church of San Francisco.

Among the many private schools, two schools can be distinguished: St. Ignatius Preparatory College and Sacred Heart School. Both schools are the oldest and most bitter rivals. Every year, schools organize the Bruce Mahoney competition, in honor of the memory of 2 schoolchildren killed during the 2nd World War.

Infrastructure

Roads and highways

Because of its unique geography, which often prevented road construction, and the results of the "road revolution" of the late 1950s, San Francisco is one of the few U.S. cities to choose the European arterial style of road layout instead of a large freeway network. Residents of the city continue to follow this course, choosing, after the Loma Prieta earthquake, to completely destroy the Embarcadero and part of the central highway, turning them into boulevards.

Several major highways pass through the city, connecting the north of the west coast with the south or the west coast with the center of the mainland. I-80 to New York City begins as it approaches the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, the only direct road link to the eastern shore of the bay. Interstate 101 connects San Francisco to San Jose (southbound) and Marin County (northbound via the Golden Gate Bridge). The CA-1 highway also passes through the Golden Gate Bridge. I-280, starting in the city, also connects it to San Jose. CA-35, which runs along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, enters the city along Skyline Boulevard in southern San Francisco. The busiest streets in the city are Geary Boulevard, Lincoln Way, Fall Street, Market Street and Portola Drive.

Public transport

Cable tram

In addition to intracity transport, San Francisco has a developed system of suburban communications. The city has a kind of subway, the work of which is provided by the BART agency. BART is a regional rapid transit system that connects San Francisco to the East Coast via the Transbay Tunnel and also has connections to San Mateo, San Francisco National Airport, and Millbrae. The Caltrain rail system connects San Francisco with San Jose.

The Transbay Terminal transport complex serves stations of a large number of bus service systems such as AC Transit, samTrans And Golden Gate Transit. The San Francisco - Emirville bus route is operated by the system Located 21 km south of the city, in San Mateo County, it is under the jurisdiction of the City-County of San Francisco. This is the center for