History and Culture
Renowned for being the most ‘European’ of America’s major metropolises, the city of San Francisco is squeezed onto a tiny, hilly peninsula overlooking the vast blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Starting life as just another dusty outpost for gold miners in the mid-19th century, San Francisco nowadays packs an awful lot into its limited space, meaning that even a short break here can be a very rewarding experience. Starting with the ‘Beat’ literature movement of the 1950s and continuing with the ‘hippies’ of the 1960s and the gay rights campaigns of the 1970s, the city has always been at the cutting edge of progressive culture in America. Traces of all these influences remain to this day, such as the Vesuvio bar in North Beach, near Chinatown, where Jack Kerouac and other Beat luminaries came to drown their sorrows, and the neighbouring City Lights Bookstore, which is about as far removed from the modern Barnes-and-Noble-style book retailer as you can get.
Shopping
Fashionistas should waste no time in making a beeline for Union Square, the heart of the city’s shopping district. Massive branches of Macy’s, Saks and Neiman Marcus, as well as the Levi’s flagship store (including a museum – denim jeans were invented here), surround the square, and the nearby streets are brimming with almost every designer boutique you could think of. The café on the top floor of Macy’s is a great place to take the weight off your feet while enjoying views of the square down below. A different retail experience can be found in the surprisingly quiet and rural Marin County, just a short drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. Here, small towns like Sausalito and Mill Valley offer up eccentric bookstores, boutique interiors shops and a plethora of local arts and crafts outlets.
Nightlife
San Francisco has no one ‘party’ district; instead, each neighbourhood has its own collection of pubs, bars and clubs, all with their own distinct vibe. Easygoing and informal fun can be had in the Mission district, while the trendy crowd heads for the SOMA and Marina quarters. The Castro district has historically been the centre of the city’s gay community, but gay-friendly venues can be found in all areas. Elsewhere, adventurous and open-minded types should find plenty to interest them in North Beach’s raucous red-light district.
Must See
A visit to the infamous Alcatraz Island takes about half a day, and is well worth it. The boat trip out there offers fantastic views of the city, and the audio tour of the prison building itself is one of the most well-thought-out, informative and imaginative you’ll experience anywhere. Back on the mainland, a trip on the world-renowned cable-car system is another must. Some of the gradients scaled by these beautiful machines are simply staggering, and the drops on the other side exhilarating. For maximum effect, hang off the edge of the car and hold on! The steepest hill of them all is not traversed by cable car, however. Lombard Street, assured of iconic status thanks to its numerous film appearances, zigzags down a frankly absurd incline and is navigated very slowly and carefully in a car. In addition to the familiar cable cars, San Francisco also boasts a unique network of vintage trams and trolley buses that have been ‘rescued’ from decommissioned public transport systems in other American cities. These brightly coloured and mismatched vehicles may not offer the smoothness and comfort of a modern system, but this is more than made up for by their novelty value.
To get the best views of the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge, drive across the bridge and head up the twisty, hilly roads of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Seeing this engineering marvel shrouded in the near-constant clouds and mist rolling in off the Pacific is a truly special experience. Other highlights of the city include the recently revamped Embarcadero waterfront, home to an excellent fresh-food market, and the utterly fascinating (and still largely authentic) Chinatown. The hippie district around Haight and Ashbury doesn’t have a great deal to offer these days, but it’s still home to some interesting vintage record shops and an ever-dwindling population of ‘original’ hippies. If you have time, a trip across the Bay Bridge to visit the university town of Berkeley and the characterful cities of Alameda and Oakland will add another dimension to your holiday.
Accommodation
San Francisco is blessed with an incredible selection of visitor accommodation of all kinds, so you should have no trouble finding somewhere that suits your needs and budget. For those keeping an eye on expenses, the Super 8 Hotel on the aforementioned Lombard Street is a good choice. Although it’s located in the excessively touristy Fisherman’s Wharf area, it is ideally situated for visiting the major attractions and double rooms start at a very reasonable €90. Those with a bit more cash to splash should consider the Chancellor Hotel, which is located right on Union Square in the heart of the shopping district. Rooms here start from about €120 a night. The Warwick San Francisco Hotel, meanwhile, offers luxurious Queen suites from about €140 a night.
Getting There
Aer Lingus offers direct flights from Dublin to San Francisco from about €550, as well as some which stop over in Boston or New York. For more info and to book, visit www.aerlingus.com
This article was originally published in Living In magazine.
