San Francisco Visitors Planning Guide - Winter/Spring 2009 - (Page 15) D i s Cover chinATOWn The minute you enter through the Chinatown Gate, you’ll need to let your eyes adjust to take in the area’s overflow of colors and images — swaying lanterns, a tangle of bright calligraphic signs and intricate architectural elements layer upon each other for a visual feast. Start on Grant Avenue to browse shops filled with hand-carved Buddhas and delicate silk purses, then let yourself wander off the beaten path. Try Stockton Street on a Saturday afternoon to see shoppers making purchases at the live markets and produce stands. Not-to-Miss Sights: Chinese Culture Center; Chinese Historical Society of America; Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory; Old St. Mary’s Cathedral; Portsmouth Square nORTh beAch Known best as San Francisco’s Little Italy and an old haunt of 1950s Beat poets, North Beach could easily get by on nostalgia alone. But there’s more to this lively area than Bolognese and Kerouac. It has evolved over the years into a modern hangout with hopping cafes, live music venues and independent boutiques that are beloved by locals and tourists alike. North Beach’s crown jewel, Coit Tower, overlooks The City from atop Telegraph Hill. Take a stroll to the top and you might just come across the neighborhood’s famous flock of wild parrots. Not-to-Miss Sights: Coit Tower; Telegraph Hill; Washington Square Park; City Lights Bookstore; Sts. Peter and Paul Church sOuTh OF MARkeT Better known as “SOMA,” this is the quintessential urban neighborhood — where office buildings and warehouses mingle with loft apartments, wine bars, popular restaurants and shops. A major cultural center for The City, SOMA is home to more than a dozen museums and attractions. So even amid the daytime buzz of Moscone Center’s convention activity, you can slip away to places like Yerba Buena Gardens, which offers acres of sanctuary in the form of lush landscaping, waterfalls and artwork. Not-to-Miss Sights: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial; Society of California Pioneers; California Historical Society; Cartoon Art Museum; Contemporary Jewish Museum; Museum of the African Diaspora; GLBT Historical Society; Zeum AbOVe: at onlyinsanfrancisco.com/neighborhoods you’ll find more in-depth information on each of San Francisco’s 15 major districts. onlyinsanfrancisco.com 15 http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/neighborhoods http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com
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