Take a tour to learn more about the long and varied history of one of the world's most famous prisons. Meanwhile, Alcatraz offers a jumping off point to learn about San Francisco's complicated history of crime and punishment, as well as its role in the indigenous rights movement – from 1969 to 1971, Alcatraz was occupied by the activist group Indians of All Tribes. Next, tour the 19th-century tall ships at the Hyde St Pier and Maritime National Historic Park to learn more about the city's naval ties – which were also the origin of San Francisco's eventual reputation as the capital of LGBTQI America. Humans aren't the only fans of the Wharf's bounty – you can see and hear the sea lions near Pier 39 before ducking into the Musée Mécanique to check out century-old arcade games that hint at San Francisco's long legacy of cool. Fisherman's Wharf recently survived a football-field sized fire, and continues to process vast quantities of seafood for a city that takes eating seriously (just a few years ago, San Francisco had the most restaurants per capital in the nation). The city’s number one tourist destination, and you could write off Fisherman’s Wharf as a trap, but really that's only true for the seafood that passes through this strip of working warehouses and quirky attractions. Number of restaurants: 4,415Ĭlassic view of historic traditional Cable Cars riding on famous California Street in morning light ©canadastock/Shutterstock Neighborhoods & sights Fisherman’s Wharf
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Population: around 883,305 Visitors per year: around 25 million Daily budget: $50 to $300, plus hotel Best time of year to go: April–May or September–October summer is often foggy and cool.
Not sure where to get started? Just read on, man. That's the wonderful thing about San Francisco – this is a city that contains multitudes, which invites you to return again and again and again as you find little pieces of yourself scattered in its storied neighborhoods. If it's your first time visiting San Francisco, no doubt you have a long list of must-see experiences vying for top billing – whether you're seeking old school dishes like Hangtown fry, a classic cablecar ride, a visit to Alcatraz, the rhythm of the beat generation, some '60s nostalgia, a little comeback '70s Cali cool, or some Party of Five 90's nostalgia. At the very least, it was the western terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the original trans-American mother road that ushered generations west in the age of the automobile. It's not the westernmost point in the continental United States – that honor goes to Cape Alava, Washington – but somehow San Francisco has always felt as if it sits on the rim of America, marking some sort of edge or tipping point. Despite plenty of gentrification in recent years, San Francisco retains a certain mystique belayed by its shimmering white skyline shrouded in fog. No matter what impressions you have on arrival, San Francisco is sure to shift and subvert them. The long story of the 'Cool Grey City of Love' has somehow spanned counterculture and culinary revolution, dive bars and dot coms, sailors and psychonauts – a range of experiences as far-reaching as the iconic Golden Gate Bridge that branches from the big city to big redwoods across the bay. San Francisco has an outsize reputation in the American consciousness, from the myth-making Gold Rush to the Summer of Love to gay liberation to the current tech boom.