Fantastic 4 Dioramas
Amazing things to see in San Francisco
San_Francisco Airport Rent-A-Car
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most recognized San Francisco in March. Since I moved here many of my friends come the visit and so I got the chance to go to the Golden Gate Bridge, perhaps 10 times a year. But I never get tired of walking on the bridge that is about 2 km in length. On a sunny day, you are rewarded with great views of Alcatraz, San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. But foggy days can be interesting too. I usually stop at one point of view, at both ends and walk all the way to the center where you can play the main cable and be impressed by the superb engineering that went for the construction of the bridge. If you stop at the point of view before the tolls you can find a section of the main cable. After crossing the bridge make a turnaround at the Alexander exit and continue up the hill with beautiful views of the bridge and San Francisco.
Sea lions at Pier 39
Frankly I think Pier 39 with its carnival atmosphere, like a tourist trap, but I like lions. They began arriving here in 1990, they used to be seasonal and come in January, but now they're here all year round. They are smelly and noisy, but very fun to watch.
Alcatraz
Everyone's heard of Alcatraz as the maximum security prison but only served this purpose 1934-63. Prior to 1934, served as a fortress for the U.S. military until 1907 when it became a prison military. 1963-1969 unoccupied islands were taken by members of the American Indian Movement. Today, Alcatraz is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. To get you to Alcatraz must have a Blue & Gold Fleet ferry that leaves from Pier 41. Booking in advance is recommended, especially in summer.
Inside Alcatraz
Most buildings on the island are now in ruins but the cellhouse is intact and can be visited. Rent one of the self-guided audio tours available at the entrance, they are well made and good value for money. As you stroll the aisles between the blocks that you get to hear former inmates talking about the hard life at Alcatraz and hear details about different attempted escapes by prisoners. Some of the cells are open for you to come and look around. We went there on a cold day (which is every day in San Francisco) and the wind blowing through the corridors and the freezing temperature gave this place a look even more depressing.
Cable Cars
The lifts are considered one of the signatures of San Francisco. This public transportation system was invented in 1873 and was designed to handle steep slopes the city. Currently there are only three lines left (Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde and California Street). The concept is pretty simple. Under the city's streets for cable loop, which is powered from the central plant. When the cable car gripman operated the handle grip grabs the cable and the cable car is pulled by the moving cable. Then hop and enjoy the ride.
Cable Car Barn and Museum
The massive brick building located at the junction of Washington and Mason streets is St. Francisco only surviving cable car barn. Although the main function of the building is as a power and a barn that also houses a small museum, offering insights into the inner workings of cable car system, as well as historical tidbits about lifts. At the top level there is a balcony that offers a vision of huge wheels over which the continuous loops of cable are rotary. It's an awesome sight, especially when you realize that the system entire cable car runs from here (the signs above the huge wheels read "California" Mason "Hyde" Powell, the only cable other car lines). The museum's exhibits include the No. 8 car, the only surviving car of San Francisco first line, which began operating in 1873. The museum also includes exhibits of reasons, tools and historical photos. Downstairs you can take another look at the pulley (wheel) room where the cables thick steel into the building before being routed to the main beams. Address: 1201 S. Mason in Washington.
Baker Beach
Baker Beach is for me the best beaches in SF. Not a good place to swim because of strong currents, but if you tried to swim in the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco, you know that water is too cold to swim anyway. But you can sunbathe, fish and walk along the beach looking at the Golden Gate Bridge. At the end of the beach there are tables and grills for barbequing.
SF Museum of Modern Art
This is the place to see modern art in San Francisco. SF MOMA collection includes works great artists of the 20th century post-impressionist the latest contemporary art. The beautiful building designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta has a skylight central atrium giving a sense of theater. The museum was created in 1935, but moved to its current location in the South of Market neighborhood in 1995. Works by artists 20th century Europe are located on the second floor, including paintings by Matisse, Braque, Picasso and a beautiful sculpture of Brancusi. There are three tables that I really liked and believe it should not be missed: "The bearer of flowers" by Diego Rivera, "Frida and Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and gatekeepers the secret, "Jackson Pollock. The two floors are dedicated to temporary exhibitions. Address: 151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard Streets).
Chinatown (I): The Door
The Chinatown gate can be found at the intersection of Bush St. and Grant Avenue. It has three arches beautifully decorated and is guarded by lions. Its design was inspired after the ceremonial entry of Chinese villages. The materials were provided by the government of Taiwan and design belongs to Clayton Lee. The gate opened, in 1970. Once you get through it, you'll find yourself surrounded by a multitude of shops selling souvenirs, jewelry, electronics, art, etc. Address: Surrounded by Broadway, Bush, Kearny, Stockton St.
Chinatown (II): Grant Avenue
Grant Avenue between Bush Street and Broadway is the main street of the tourist Chinatown. The avenue is lined with dragon-entwined poles and buildings that borrow elements of Chinese architecture, with towers and curved roofs. Grant Avenue is a strange mix of souvenir shops for tourists, restaurants, banks, etc. The parallel Stockton Street seems more to serve the local Chinese community.
Twin Peaks
This point offers a wide panorama of the city, the bay and the two bridges and the views are beautiful, both day and evening. There is a car park at the top, but you can also get there by bus (No. 37), followed by a little walk. Climb one of two hills and you have a 360-degree view of the city. It is best if you bring a light jacket, otherwise the the wind will make you leave so early.
Fisherman's Wharf
I believe that is the Fisherman's Wharf the number of San Francisco is a tourist trap, but a way to get there is inevitable for tourists from San Francisco. The sea lions at Pier 39 are located here, the Alcatraz ferries or cruise ships have Bay Fisherman's Wharf as a starting point. But the place is a tourist trap. Think about it: Fisherman's Wharf has a Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, a wax museum and a Rainforest Cafe. Over a large number of souvenir shops, where you can buy anything from adhesives for t-shirts reading "I left my heart in San Francisco" or "I escaped from Alcatraz."
Fisherman's Wharf has many restaurants seafood and is the sidewalk where seafood products are sold. Try to sample some of the food is not exactly fine dining, but it is good. Some restaurants offer beautiful views of the bay along with the food. Be warned that this place is too crowded, Fisherman's Wharf has its share of street artists with his mine and music acts, one of the funniest acts is the "Bushman" (you'll recognize it immediately).
Transamerica Pyramid
The Transamerica Pyramid is the most powerful presence in the landscape of San Francisco. Located in the financial district, is the tallest building in the city, measuring 853 feet (256m) from the level the street. It was designed by William Pereira as an office building for Transamerica Corporation, a financial institution. The building opened in 1972. The public is not permitted on the upper floors. Address: 600 Montgomery St
Japanese tea garden
Located in Golden Gate Park, Japanese Tea Garden is a popular attraction in San Francisco. It was created in 1894 and for many years was attended by the Japanese gardener Makoto Hagiwara. The garden is a maze of winding paths lined with Japanese trees, shrubs and flowers, a few ponds and a wooden pagoda. The Bridge of the Moon is named for its shape and close tables tea can find a large statue of Buddha, which was released in Japan in 1790. The teahouse offers tea and open "cookies" and is a perfect place to relax.
Muir Woods
At the base of Mount Tamalpais is Muir Woods National Monument, a redwood forest on the coast of age, one of the few remaining in California. The woods are named after John Muir, a naturalist and conservationist who fought for the creation of national parks. The main trail is paved and is very busy especially on weekends, which features one of the tallest trees in the forest. If you follow one of the trails branching from the main trail you can leave the crowd back and enjoy a pleasant walk. Muir Woods is accessible by car. There is no public transportation, but you can find some companies tourist to go there.
Alamo Square
You probably already iseen a picture of Alamo Square Victorian houses long before coming here. When a director of a movie or television show wants to give the public some evidence that the action takes place in San Francisco, opening a show of some shots, which are almost always the same: the Golden Gate Bridge, cable car, Coit Tower, a steep street and Victorian homes in Alamo Square. This image is one of the signatures of San Francisco, appearing on postcards and on the covers many tabs. It is also one of the most photographed sights in the city. I think what makes this special point of view, besides the six beautiful homes, is the bottom center of city with its skyscrapers. The six Queen Anne style houses were completed in 1895. They are very similar, I believe that beauty also lies in small differences (Which would have been less interesting to have six identical houses or 6 houses totally different.) Address: At the intersection of Steiner and Hayes streets.
Lombard Street
Lombard Street is another postcard-perfect San Francisco attraction. Because it is also very popular and no matter what day of the year you will find several people taking pictures here. The attraction is billed as the most crooked street in "the world", with eight curves in a decrease of blocks from Hyde to Leavenworth. The street is not was always crooked (of course), but its natural level of 27 degrees made it more difficult for cars before you climb it. By 1920, the switchbacks were added, and in the process, the slope of the curve was reduced to 16. Cars can only go down as the two sides there are stairs for pedestrians. The view from the top of the section are beautiful (for the Coit Tower and Alcatraz). It's nice to visit in summer when the flowers are in bloom. Address: Lombard Street. Descent begins at Hyde Street.
North Beach
North Beach is known today as Italian neighborhood, although many colonists from different ethnic backgrounds call this place home before the Italians. North Beach is one of our tour of San Francisco that I visit often, the reason is the happy atmosphere and the fact that you can eat out in several places. This is a pleasant place to stroll and a nice place to eat. At a time when North Beach, used to be the bohemian neighborhood of San Francisco, home of the counterculture of San Francisco Beat well in a walking tour of the district must include the Caffe Vesuvio, the City Lights Bookstore, the Tosca caffes and Trieste, all places of meetings for the beatniks "as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Another highlight of this area is the Washington Square Park lined on one side of St. Peter and Paul Church, a beautiful Gothic Revival church. And finally, in tour of San Francisco is complete without seeing the Coit Tower, which sits on top of Telegraph Hill. At night this place becomes even more vibrant with many bars, pubs and a lot and jazz clubs. Very good. And I almost forgot Broadway Street, also part of North Beach. It is the "adult entertainment" zone.
Union Square
Union Square is the heart of the city's commercial district. Many major department stores in San Francisco can be found here, names like Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Levis. On the west side is the famous hotel Westin St. Francis. The square is named after the large pro-Union rallies that were held here during the Civil War of 1861-1865. In the center of the square stands a statue of Victory atop a tall column. It's called the Dewey Monument, which commemorates the victory of Admiral Dewey in Manila during the Spanish-American War of 1898. The square was recently renovated, is now almost entirely of concrete and stone, with some green touches. There is a caffe in square where you can buy a coffee and enjoy it in the sun, while enjoying the exposure of the architecture around you and people passing by. On weekends, artists local display their paintings here.
Coit Tower
Coit Tower is another signature San Francisco landmark, appearing in all movies when we understand that the action will take place in San Francisco. It sits on top of Telegraph Hill, in a great location with beautiful views everywhere. It is a tourist attraction popular, and if you come here by car and within a week you'll wait forever to get to the parking lot at the top. I prefer to walk up Telegraph Hill and do some little exercise along the way – well, if time permits:) There's also a MUNI bus that goes to Coit Tower, # 39. The tower was built in 1933 with funds Lillie Hitchcock Coit left by an eccentric San Francisco. Inside, the lobby is decorated with wall paintings (since I like your story, I'll write a tip about them separately). A short climb elevator will take you to the observation deck, where you'll find a breathtaking view I was talking about. There Bay Bridge in the east, in downtown San Francisco with the Transamerica south, Marin County, north and Russian Hill and the Golden Gate Bridge to the west. Tickets for the observation deck are sold in store (to say the truth, I think $ 3.50 is too expensive, but hey, you're on vacation). I almost forgot, the architect was Arthur Brown who did a little work in the San Francisco area, including San Francisco City Hall.
The history of the Coit Tower murals
The murals in the lobby of Coit Tower has an interesting history of their own. They were commissioned in 1934 by Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a government program funding for employees to keep the artists during the Great Depression. The murals depict life in California, modern and were painted by 25 local artists, students famouse Mexican Communist artist Diego Rivera. The scenes will From the bustling streets of the financial district (with a robbery in progress) to the factories and fields of wheat Central Valley. Viewing the murals that you can feel the comment social. The piece criticizes the economic inequalities of life during the Great Depression, and he did the murals highly controversial when the project was completed. Many were upset with political work content, see the Communist-inspired murals. Responding to pressure from the San Francisco Art Commission delayed the opening of the Coit Tower and found destroy the murals. After numerous discussions Coit Tower was finally opened in October 1934. What surprised me is that the murals are striking close to a large style, although many different artists created.
Mission Dolores (I)
Mission Dolores is the oldest building in San Francisco, dating from 1791. Its formal name is Mission San Francisco de Asis, but became known as Mission Dolores to a nearby pond (very far), La Laguna de los Dolores (Our Lady of the Lake Pain). The small chapel has been preserved almost intact, its 4 ft (1.2 m) have thick walls survived two major earthquakes. When the Mexican government secularized the missions in 1834 to acquire their lands, Mission Dolores was transformed into a tavern and dance hall, until finally in 1859 it was reacquired by the Catholic Church and reconsecrated. Over the years the Catholic Church has erected a number of larger churches beside the old chapel to accommodate a growing congregation. The last of these, which basilica can be seen next was added in 1913. The facade of the basilica is very ornate, brings even more the simple beauty of the chapel of the mission.
Tourism Mission Dolores (II)
I really enjoyed my tour of Mission Dolores. I visited one morning of Wednesday, when only a few people were around, and most of the time I found alone during the tour. The tour starts with a small chapel, beautifully washed in yellow light. The wooden altar was hand carved in Mexico and brought for the mission in 1780. The ceiling beams are covered with colorful motifs which resemble patterns relate local Ohlone Indian motifs. On the floor of the chapel, there are few signs marking the burial sites of the top sites. When you leave the chapel there is a diorama of the mission, since it appeared in 1799. From there you can go to the new basilica, which has some beautiful stained glass windows and panels. Then, you will find the small museum that houses artifactsy different religious or things found during the restoration of the chapel. Inside the museum, on the left as you enter, a section of wall plaster is cut to show the thick adobe bricks. The last tour stop is the cemetery, where many local notables, from the early days of the city are buried. If you read the names on the graves you'll recognize the names of many streets in San Francisco. The cemetery also has the remains of more than 5000 Native Americans most of whom died in the measles epidemic of 1804 and 1826. The cemetery was green and peaceful I saw some hummingbirds. The entry fee is $ 3 and $ 2 more if you want the audio tour.
The Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum of sciences more attractive I've seen so far. His philosophy is to teach science through hands-on participation and this is what makes it interesting. You will have to press buttons, turn wheels or perform a variety of other actions to define the experiments in progress. Each experiment has instructions and explanations nearby so you can understand what you are putting into motion. We spent three hours there and only have half the museum before closing time (Well, maybe we're geeks so we were enjoying it more than others). It's incredibly fun. Exhibitions are located on the main floor and mezzanine to be divided into 13 themed areas of Electricity, Motion, Time, Vision, light, color and sound. The Exploratorium was founded in 1969 by physicist Frank Oppenheimer, who was which embraced the philosophy that it is better to teach science through hands-on participation. The museum was full of children, so if you travel with children this is one of the places in San Francisco that would be nice to visit. The top attraction is the museum's Tactile Dome, a totally dark sphere in which you crawl your way along, playing sensuously exciting objects and textures (not for claustrophobes). You'll need reservations for the Tactile Dome.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts is the most dramatic of San Francisco architecture. Although the name is not an art museum or a palace for that matter, but a classic style to the brink of ruin a beautiful pond. It was designed by architect Bernard Maybeck Bay Area for the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in 1915 and built with the intention of lasting until the end of exposure. When the buildings were torn down Tuesday, citizens pressed to save the Palace of Fine Arts. And it was spared but by 1960 the building was made from materials such as wood, plaster and burlap began to disintegrate and became a ruin in the true sense of the word. Finally, the money for reconstruction has been found, and in 1962 the building was rebuilt with concrete. The pond is the perfect place for an afternoon stroll, watching the swans gliding across the lake in front of the roundabout.
Castro
The Castro District is the center of the community Gay San Francisco. I live nearby and often come here to eat, there are many good restaurants in this area. The district centers around the intersection of Castro and streets 18. It's a beautiful neighborhood, I live every moment of the day. Castro began to emerge as a gay district in the early 1970s, when gay San Francisco began buying real estate this area and began to open gay bars here. The side streets are also worth exploring, as they are lined with rows of beautiful Victorian homes. You will notice many of the windows displaying the rainbow flag. One of the highlights is the area of the Castro Theater, a beautiful building where you can catch some interesting films (let just say you will not find here the latest Hollywood blockbuster). On Halloween the streets are closed to motor traffic and a great party dress is here.
Japan Center
The Japan Center is a great shopping and dining complex around a pagoda of five layers of concrete called Peace Pagoda. The complex dates from the '60s, when the blocks of Victorian houses in this area were demolished, Geary Boulevard was extended to the building structure and five Japan Center was built. Inside the complex there are several Japanese restaurants, art galleries and antique shops, music stores and video as well as a large Japanese bookstore (selling titles in English too). AMC Kabuki theater is one of the places that hosts the San Francisco International Film Festival (every year in April).
Conservatory of Flowers
The Conservatory of Flowers is a beautiful glass structure that houses over 20,000 rare and exotic plants. The oldest building in Golden Gate Park, the conservatory is modeled after a greenhouse at Kew Gardens in London. Was manufactured in Ireland by a millionaire from San Jose, James Lick, who died before their arrival. The structure dismantled was purchased by a group of businessmen and donated to the Golden Gate Park. The building was severely damaged by a severe storm in 1995 and was closed for repairs until 2003, but Today you can visit it every day from nine hours – 16:30 ($ 5 entry). They have two rooms dedicated to the tropics, and one of them has many delicate orchids, very beautiful. I also remember a section of aquatic plants and a room with potted plants that really caught my mother-in-law who has a passion for plants in pots.
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