San Francisco, the Bay Area’s epicenter, is one of the world’s most visited cities, and for good reason. San Francisco, the cultural epicenter of northern California, is recognized for its unique blend of natural beauty and culture, making it one of the most lively and desired cities in the country, if not the globe.
San Francisco, sandwiched between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on a small square of land seven miles (11 kilometers) on each side, offers a wealth of treasures for the visitor, from the windswept and frequently foggy bay to the steep hills lined with Victorian homes that overlook the city’s spectacular scenery. The city’s many neighborhoods reflect the city’s ethnic and cultural variety, from the busy and vibrant streets of Chinatown to the eclectic attitudes of the Castro and the dazzling condominium skyscrapers constructed on the city’s newly acquired tech-savvy image.
Despite this, San Francisco is just one of the cities that comprise the San Francisco Bay Area. At the heart of a 7.6 million-person metropolitan region, the city serves as an excellent jumping-off point for exploring the wonders of San Francisco’s neighbors to the east over the Bay Bridge, to the north beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the south along the peninsula. There is plenty to see to fill a lifetime, and it will become evident why people continue to make their way to this wonderful location.
CULTURE
San Francisco takes pride in its inclusiveness of people of many races, genders, sexual orientations, and personal styles. This characteristic is often regarded as one of the city’s distinguishing characteristics, attracting both tourists and transplants.
English is the most widely spoken language in San Francisco. San Francisco has the second biggest Chinese population in the United States, behind New York City, and Cantonese is widely spoken across the city’s numerous Chinese-dominated areas, with an emerging Mandarin-speaking minority. As with all of California, San Francisco has a sizable Latin American population, and Spanish is widely spoken, particularly in the Mission District. The majority of municipal government services are provided in the following languages: English, Cantonese, and Spanish.
Tobacco smokers beware: smoking is prohibited in bars, restaurants, and other public areas, just as it is in the rest of California. Additionally, the City and County of San Francisco have enacted a municipal regulation requiring smokers to go entirely to the curb (or if there is no curb, at least 25 feet from any building – not simply the entrances). As of January 2013, enforcement is uneven, and the likelihood of being ticketed for smoking outside a restaurant or bar is small. People in the Bay Area may be extremely vociferous about their personal habits, so exercise caution and be attentive and considerate of others while smoking, even in locations where smoking is permitted.
On the other side, marijuana smoking is quite well tolerated. If you are traveling from another state in the United States, you may be shocked to learn that San Franciscans, and even the city’s police, do not see marijuana as an issue. While marijuana remains illegal under federal law, a 2006 statute designated marijuana as the SFPD’s lowest priority. This is not to say that you should smoke marijuana anyplace, but navigating the laws of politeness may be challenging. At major events, you will see individuals smoking marijuana, but not at small performances. In certain communities (e.g., Haight-Ashbury), you’ll see individuals smoking marijuana on a street corner throughout the day, yet it’s frowned upon in others (e.g., the Financial District).
In recent decades, some inhabitants have glorified public nakedness. However, there has been significant debate around public nudity in San Francisco in recent years. There is currently a legislation prohibiting various forms of public nakedness, which nudists are actively protesting.
It’s worth noting that inhabitants generally despise many of the city’s nicknames. Rather of using the abbreviations “San Fran,” “Frisco,” or “SFO,” the majority of people refer to San Francisco by its entire name or simply “The City.”
The Bay Area is home to one of the world’s most active high-tech startup environments. While the majority of venture capital companies are concentrated in the South Bay, the majority of small businesses and tech employees are concentrated in San Francisco.
CONVENTIONS AND TOURISM
Tourism is the city’s biggest private sector employer, accounting for more than one in every seven employment. Due to the city’s frequent representation in music, cinema, and popular culture, the city and its monuments are instantly identifiable on a global scale. It receives the fifth-highest number of international visitors of any American city and is ranked among the top 100 most visited cities globally by Euromonitor International. In 2014, San Francisco welcomed almost 18 million tourists, pouring US$10.67 billion into the economy. San Francisco is a popular location for yearly meetings and conferences due to its extensive hotel infrastructure and world-class convention facilities, the Moscone Center.
Pier 35 is now used by the port to service the 60–80 cruise ship visits and 200,000 people who visit San Francisco each year. From San Francisco, itineraries often include round-trip cruises to Alaska and Mexico. As a successor, the new Terminal Project at Pier 27 is slated to open in 2014. The present major terminal at Pier 35 lacks both the capacity to accommodate growing cruise ship sizes and the facilities required for an international cruise port.
Increased interest in conventioneering in San Francisco, as evidenced by the establishment of convention centers such as Yerba Buena, acted as a feeder into the local tourist economy, resulting in an expansion of the hotel industry: “In 1959, the city had fewer than thirty-three hundred first-class hotel rooms; by 1970, the number had increased to nine thousand; and by 1999, the number had increased to over thirty thousand.” The Castro District’s commercialisation has benefited San Francisco’s tourism industry.
- San Francisco Visitor Information Center, 900 Market St (next to the cable car turnaround at Market & Powell, near Union Square), +1 415 391-2000, fax: +1 415 362-7323. May through October: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa-Su and holidays 9AM-3PM. November through April: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa and holidays 9AM-3PM. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
- California Welcome Center, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Building P, Second Level, +1 415 981-1280, e-mail: info@pier39.com.
