When you hear the words San Francisco, you can instantly envision a city surrounded by water on three sides, with a small but distinctive collection of skyscrapers, a park larger than Central Park, neighborhoods that have their own distinctive identities…and perhaps more than any other association, the Golden Gate Bridge with its incredible architecture, ruddy “International Orange” hue and beautiful connection between San Francisco’s hilly landscape and the rugged terrain on the other side.
There’s plenty to do here: fantastic hiking trails, supreme dining (percentage wise, there’s roughly one Michelin starred restaurant per square mile), some fun nightlife, a great LGBTQ+ community, a performing arts scene that boasts everything from ballet to the symphony to jazz, the country’s oldest and largest Chinatown, a wonderful zoo out by the beach and some pretty famous architecture—particularly if you enjoy Victorian homes that require three to five different paint colors for touch-ups. Ride the cable cars, visit some of the museums, or plunk down on the sand at Ocean Beach and admire the squadrons of pelicans majestically flying low over the waves. Seasonally, atmospheric fog creeps through the streets; San Franciscans have dubbed it Karl. At other times, warm sun spreads across the grassy meadows of Crissy Field and puts picturesque light on iconic structures like the Palace of Fine Arts and Coit Tower. Wherever you ramble, you’ll see things that are memorable and quintessentially San Francisco.