San Francisco Travel Guide

Old Fashioned Streetcars and Cable Cars

By Douglas Scott

There are a total of 43 hills within city limits of San Francisco. Some neighbourhoods are named after the hill on which they are situated, including Pacific Heights, Potrero Hill, Telegraph Hill and Nob Hill.

San Francisco has the best public transportation system on the West Coast, and is certainly the most fun to ride. It has the world famous cable cars and the old fashioned streetcars. The transit system inside the city is called Muni. The people of San Francisco rely on the ferries trains and buses to get around but not to get any where on time.

San Francisco is a one stylish city to shop. From the popular tourist Fishermans Wharf shops to the elite Union Square designer stores. An ideal place to pick up gift is the glass domed Crocker Galleria with over 40 shops spread over three levels. San Francisco offers great shopping for every type of shopper.

Nightlife is as varied as San Francisco, and the bars, clubs and lounges are for the most part localized in different areas. For electronic music clubs, hip hop and chill art lounges, try San Franciscos SOMA. For bar-hopping with hipsters and rockers, Mission district rules. The more elegant bars can be found in the Marina district. Gay friendly bars and clubs exist all over San Francisco and are not necessarily quarantined in the Castro. The North Beach is open until the small hours with strip joints and cool hideaway bars.


The Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is as one of the worlds most beautiful bridges and with its tremendous towers, sweeping main cables and great span, it is a sensory beauty featuring colour, sound, and light. The Bridge can be a very busy place, particularly during the summer months. It is estimated that about nine million people from around the world visit the Bridge each year

Grant Avenue is San Francisos oldest street running the eight blocks through the centre of Americas ethnic capital to over 1.5 million people of Chinese descent. Fortune cookies have been made at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory on Ross Alley in Chinatown since 1962 some 20000 fortune cookies a day are made. A gloriously decorated gate marks the entry to Grant Avenues Chinatown. It was unveiled in 1970, and helped secure the streets status as the neighbourhoods centre. Once you are past the gate, you will see elaborate 1920s street lights sculpted to resemble golden dragons lighting the way.

Douglas Scott writes for The Cheap Car Hire Specialist. and is a free lance writer for The Spanish Villa Rental Site