In 1769 Spanish explorers mapped a small island at the entrance to San Francisco Bay, and called it Alcatraces after the abundant seabirds sighted there. By 1850, the island sported a defensive fortress, and the Bay’s first lighthouse. As the US military arrived and settled, the birds left, sensing they were no longer welcome. It...Read More
The sandstone buildings of the Quad are noted for their graceful arcades and deep carved reliefs. These arcades were badly damaged in the 1906 and the 1989 earthquakes, but have now been retrofitted and restored.Read More
Last month I signed up for the 103rd Bay to Breakers, and yesterday I walked it. It was my first time entering this historic San Francisco event, and it didn’t disappoint. The “Bay to Breakers” is a 7.46 mile (12K) course from the Embarcadero (the Bay) to the Great Highway (the Breakers) and is known...Read More
San Francisco Airport sits on the western shore of the south bay, south of San Francisco, and east of the Coastal Mountains From the airport, a traveler can just make out the shape of a solid structure on the crest of the mountains, part of a Nike Missile site erected during the cold war. That...Read More
Chinatown is one of the most popular destinations in San Francisco, and has the distinction of being the oldest and the densest Chinatown outside of mainland China. Your experience of a “town within a city” unfolds when, crossing Broadway or Bush, you enter a world with its own language, architecture, cuisine, and imagery. Some of...Read More
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