Poised at the western edge of the continent, San Francisco is a city offering breathtaking vistas and a diversity of cultural experiences found in few other spots on earth. Claiming a population of 774,000 and covering 47 square miles at the tip of a peninsula bounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, “The City” is the center of a metropolitan area boasting some six million inhabitants. To the east, the cities of Oakland and Berkeley are reached via the Bay Bridge, while to the north the Golden Gate Bridge links San Francisco to Marin County. These areas, together with the suburbs to the south, make up the Bay Area. San Francisco has been called “Everybody's Favorite City,” hosting some thirteen million visitors each year. Given its location, beauty, natural setting, and position as gateway to Asia, its citizens and visitors constantly demand something memorable from San Francisco. They are rarely disappointed.
Although preceded by visits from early European explorers and time spent under Mexican rule after that nation's independence from Spain was declared in 1821, the history of San Francisco truly began on January 28, 1848. That day a hired hand named James Marshall discovered gold in California at Sutter's Mill, 110 miles northeast of the city. The following year, a time etched in the nation's history, thousands were lured across a difficult terrain in pursuit of the shiny yellow metal. As a result, an entirely new civilization was created, and San Francisco quickly became its capital. In just two years, the population of this previously peaceful hamlet exploded from 900 to 25,000, and by 1890 numbered 300,000. Amidst the chaos, San Francisco grew into an international city that welcomed ambitious people from other parts of the United States and from many lands. As the population increased, pressure was exerted to find more land. In 1873 Andrew Hallidie invented the cable car, and by the turn of the century some 600 of what are now—together with the Golden Gate Bridge—the city's very signature, had opened the hills to development. Blocks of stately Victorians were built. The great earthquake and fire of 1906 destroyed most of the city but not its spirit, and reconstruction was soon under way. Throughout all of this, San Francisco retained its unique character and seemingly limitless energy.
San Francisco is a compact city, and much of its central area and individual neighborhoods can be explored on foot. One of the best ways, however, to get an overview of the city is the 49-Mile Scenic Drive. For the determined motorist this introduction links the city's most intriguing neighborhoods, fascinating sights, and spectacular views. Keeping to the well-marked route is simple enough if the blue-and-white sea gull signs are followed. A whole day should be set aside for this trip, as there are plenty of places to stop to take photographs or admire the view. The circuit is designed to be followed in a counterclockwise direction, starting and ending at any point. The Marina Green, an excellent place to begin the circuit, affords a good view of that engineering marvel, the Golden Gate Bridge. Named after the strait linking San Francisco Bay to the Pacific—named the Golden Gate by John Fremont in 1844—the bridge opened in 1937. It is the world's second largest single-span bridge, and when built was the longest and tallest suspension structure in the world. Breathtaking views can be had from the vista point at the north end of the bridge, or a free pedestrian walkway is available for a stroll. Also in the Marina district is the sole survivor of the many grandiose buildings constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, the neoclassical Palace of Fine Arts, currently under reconstruction; behind the palace is the Exploratorium, one of the most engaging science museums in the U.S. Built in 1969 by Frank Oppenheimer, it has hundreds of interactive exhibits to be enjoyed by people of all ages. From here the next stop ought to be the Presidio. This beautiful wooded corner of the city was first established as an outpost of Spain's New World empire in 1776. Long the site of an army base, it is currently undergoing transformation into a national park that will be included in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Also here, just below the south tower of the bridge, is Fort Point. Visitors can view this classic example of a pre–Civil War fortress, completed in 1861, with brick walls ten feet thick built both to protect San Francisco Bay from attack and to defend ships carrying gold from the California mines. It closed in 1900 having never come under attack, but its brickwork vaulting, unusual for San Francisco, probably saved it in the 1906 earthquake.
Golden Gate Park, a spectacular masterpiece of landscape gardening, was created in the 1890s out of a sandy wasteland. Today the park is one of the largest urban parks in the world, as it stretches from the Pacific to the center of the city. Among the park's many attractions are meandering paths, sports facilities ranging from archery to golf, and three major museums. Not to be missed is the Japanese Tea Garden. Created in 1894 and lovingly cared for by Makata Hagiwara and his family until their internment in 1942 during World War II, its manicured trees, ornamental ponds, and wooden pagoda are serenely beautiful. The largest bronze Buddha outside Asia, cast in Japan in 1790, is situated in its midst.
Fishermen from Genoa and Sicily first arrived in the area now called Fisherman's Wharf in the late nineteenth century. The fishing industry thrived here until the 1950s, when it began to give way to tourism, but each morning brightly colored fishing boats still set out from the harbor. During July and August, charter trips in search of Pacific salmon can be arranged with boats at the Wharf. Pier 39, a collection of restaurants, shops, and amusements that is now a major tourist attraction, with spectacular bay views and a large colony of sea lions living on the nearby rocks, is easily reached from the Wharf. Alcatraz, a favorite site now run by the National Park Service, can be seen lying off shore. “The Rock” has a long history, but is probably most famous as a maximum-security Federal Penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, during which time it housed the likes of Al Capone, Robert “the Bird Man” Stroud, and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. Ferries to the island for guided tours leave regularly from close by.
To the south of Fisherman's Wharf lies North Beach, sometimes known as Little Italy. Today with its abundance of delis, restaurants, cafes, and coffee houses, it is home to both Italian and Chinese families. Home to the Beats in the 1950s, its cafe-oriented atmosphere then appealed to a literary community that included Jack Kerouac (who coined the word “beat,” later made popular as Beatnik), Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsberg. Not to be missed is the City Lights Bookstore, the first bookstore in the U.S. to sell only paperbacks. Nearby is Vesuvio, a popular watering hole once patronized by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
Many of San Francisco's neighborhoods are characterized by cultural diversity, wonderful vistas, and rich heritages. Among the most famous may be the Haight-Ashbury. To the north of Twin Peaks, two windswept hills rising 900 feet above the city and commanding a 360-degree panoramic view, lies the Haight. In the 1880s this area, named for the intersection of two streets, was a place to escape to from the city center. It developed into a residential area, with many large Victorian and Edwardian homes, but between the 1930s and the 1960s it changed dramatically from a middle-class neighborhood, with an almost suburban ambiance, to the center of the “Flower Power” movement of the Hippies. Today it has returned to its middle-class origins but continues, with its eclectic mix of people and shops, to be one of the most unconventional places in San Francisco.
The Castro District, to the east, is the center of the city's gay community, and farther east still the traveler finds the Mission District, originally settled by Spanish monks and home today to many Latin Americans. Here, preserved intact, is the Mission Dolores, the oldest building in the city and an embodiment of San Francisco's religious colonial roots. The mission was founded by the Franciscan monk Junipero Serra. The four-foot thick walls have survived with little decay, and paintings by American Indians adorn the ceiling.
The governmental center of the city has its focus at Civic Center Plaza, where some of the city's most striking architecture can be found. City Hall, replaced after the original was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, is a beautiful example of the Beaux Arts style. Nearby are other architectural beauties, notably Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, home to the San Francisco Symphony and many visiting musicians, and War Memorial Opera House, which houses the San Francisco Opera and Ballet companies. Unfortunately, none of these are in season during the Congress, but other musical performances may be scheduled. Nearby, on the other side of Civic Center Plaza, is the site of the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945.
Other neighborhoods round out San Francisco. Pacific Heights, with its magnificent views, quickly became a desirable place to live once cable cars linked it with the city center. Elegant Victorian homes still line its streets, with the Queen Anne style Haas-Lilenthal house open to the public as a fine example of an upper middle class Victorian dwelling. Not far away is Nob Hill, San Francisco's most celebrated hilltop, famous for its cable cars, plush hotels, and soaring Episcopal cathedral. Although of modern construction, Grace Cathedral is based on the design of Notre Dame in Paris. Down the steep incline from Nob Hill is Montgomery Street, heart of the financial district. Once a small street where miners came to weigh their gold dust, the district is now populated by glass-and-steel skyscrapers and crowds of office workers. Close by is Union Square, at the heart of the main shopping district, with fine department stores and specialty shops. Telegraph Hill, a prime residential area of the city, was named after the semaphore installed on its crest in 1850 to alert merchants to the arrival of ships. Today it is topped by Coit Tower, built to honor the city's fire fighters by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, an eccentric San Francisco pioneer and philanthropist. The view from its observation platform is spectacular, and fine WPA murals adorn its lobby.
When visitors to San Francisco seek a rural retreat, they find, despite the density and activity of the city, that paradise is not far away—it sits just across the Golden Gate Bridge. Scenically, the North Coast of California compares in beauty with any spot on earth. There are the snaking roads, steep crevices, and curving beaches of Point Reyes; Sonoma's craggy coast and old Russian fort; and Mendocino, an historic town set on a cliff above crashing waves. To the far north lies Redwood Country, where giant sequoias stand as the world's tallest living things. Along the entire northern coast, there are fewer than a dozen towns with populations over six hundred. Most of the coast is preserved in federal parks: Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, and Redwood National Park. Closer to San Francisco, the Marin Headlands, just across the Golden Gate Bridge and part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area, offers knife-edge cliffs, spuming surf, and spectacular lands-end vistas. Past Sausalito, a delightful hill-climbing village reached by ferry from San Francisco or by Route 101 across the Golden Gate, Highway One leaves the freeway and heads west through sprawling ranch grasslands. Muir Woods is here, a 550-acre park featuring thousand-year-old redwoods growing almost within sight of the city. Words cannot convey the feelings inspired by a walk through Muir's Cathedral Grove. Nearby, Tamalpais, a 2,600-foot “sleeping maiden,” offers hiking trails and picnic spots.
Just an hour to the northeast from San Francisco, the traveler finds the Napa Valley. Despite the visual appeal of its tree-tufted mountains, picturesque fields, and winding country roads, its beauty is but a secondary feature. This is the center of the California winemaking industry, which dates to the eighteenth century, when Spanish padres planted vineyards at the missions. Here sun, low hills, and fog drifting up from San Francisco Bay create one of the world's finest winegrowing regions. Today the area draws visitors not only to the tasting rooms of its wineries, large and small, but also to its gourmet restaurants and country inns. An unusual way to tour the wine country is to climb aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train. Brunch, lunch, or dinner is served in the beautifully restored lounge and dining cars as the train chugs along on its leisurely three-hour round trip between Napa and St. Helena. To the east lies Sonoma Valley, the “Valley of the Moon,” which traces its history even further back than does Napa. It too boasts beautiful surroundings and fine wines, but the pace here is slower than that of its star-studded neighbor.
South of San Francisco, the traveler also finds much that is worth exploring. On the coast due south is Half Moon Bay, a farming and fishing community founded by Italians and Portuguese in the 1860s that now bills itself as the pumpkin capital of the world. The pumpkin festival in October draws over 300,000 people. Further south, Castroville claims to be the artichoke capital of the world. Santa Cruz, site of one of California's original missions, boasts superb Victorian homes and a branch of the University of California. Here, too, is Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Northern California's answer to Coney Island. Dating to 1907, it boasts several old-fashioned rides including a first-class roller coaster. Further down Highway One is Monterey. Each year over two million visitors tour the Monterey Peninsula, renowned for its rocky coast fringed with cypress forests and beautiful sandy beaches. The first capital of California, Monterey was established by the Spanish in 1770, and many Spanish, Mexican, and early American buildings still stand in the central part of the city. In the 1940s John Steinbeck set Cannery Row and other books in Monterey against the backdrop of the then thriving sardine industry. Unfortunately, only tourists and memories remain, but Steinbeck aficionados can still find some literary settings intact here, including Doc Rickett's Marine Lab. One of the significant recent additions to Monterey and Cannery Row is the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a state-of-the-art marine museum that re-creates and explores the natural habitat of local sea life. Monterey Bay is one of the world's biggest undersea canyons, and the museum offers many displays and hands-on activities portraying the wealth of life in this mineral-rich marine valley. Nearby begins 17-Mile Drive, which follows the coast and its spectacular views past the world-famous Pebble Beach and Spyglass golf courses. The drive ends at Carmel. This pretty hillside town was founded as an artists' colony in the early part of the century. Quiet courtyards and the many galleries and shops lining its narrow streets encourage strollers to browse. Father Junipero Serra is buried in Mission Carmel, acclaimed by many for its beauty. Close by is the home of Robinson Jeffers, noted for his haunting poems and epics about the region, who quarried rock from the ocean shoreline to build Tor House and Hawk Tower, now open to the public.
Finally, no tour of northern California is complete without a visit to Yosemite National Park. Situated three hours from San Francisco, this is one of America's greatest natural attractions. Soaring from an elevation of 2,000 feet to 13,000, the 1200-square-mile park boasts a valley whose sheer granite cliffs are matched only by the unparalleled beauty of its sunshot waterfalls, stately sequoias, riotous wild flowers, and grazing wildlife. The glacier-constructed valley cannot adequately be described, but it must be noted that much of the summer crowding can be avoided by following an itinerary that includes the park's outer reaches, also of unsurpassed beauty.
Northern California stretches for 400 miles south from the Oregon border to Big Sur. Truly a place for creative travelers, it is a multicultural extravaganza that invites the traveler to explore its natural beauty with an open spirit and curiosity that will reveal its many layers as to an archeologist. Had Sigmund Freud attended a Congress in San Francisco, he would doubtless have returned to Europe with a very different impression of the United States, and the course of psychoanalysis might thereby have been dramatically altered.