San Francisco Sightseeing Articles

Intrepid explorers of San Francisco regularly stumble upon the many ghost streets that still hide all over town, rewarding the patient pedestrian for their diligence. Mostly they are on hillsides where steep grades impeded road building at earlier moments in history, but they're still presented as if they were through-streets on the maps.

A tour begins with an old map and lots of photos below the break.

Other ghost streets can be found not on foot but by exploring old maps, where one can enjoy the strange city that extends well into the bay off the southeastern shoreline. I've heard rumors, or maybe I saw a story in the Chron decades ago, about families that continue to pay their property tax annually on parcels that are well into the bay and thoroughly under water. On this 1909 map of the Yosemite Creek area, streets going NW/SE are numbered and alphabetized but they later got real names. The perpendicular grid of alphabetized streets were eventually given real names (similar to what happened in the "outside lands" of the Richmond and Sunset). But on this 1909 map, Jennings, Ingalls, Hawes, Griffith, and Fitch (J, I, H, G, F) are followed southeast into the bay by E, D, C, B, and A streets, and five further blocks with the names, Ship, Dock, Tevis, Von Schmidt, and Pollock before arriving at "Water Front" boulevard. Obviously these streets were never created since the bayfill on which they depended never happened.

My favorite ghost streets are short blocks, usually either bedecked with amazing gardens tended by loving neighbors, or else just odd stubs that continue to defy the rigid grid-imposing city planners of days gone by. In these small patches of nature, sometimes groomed, sometimes not, we can free our imaginations from the sterile symmetry imposed by endless blocks of asphalt crisscrossing the city. When we whisper to each other "One Lane for Food" or other equally "preposterous" depaving notions, the ghost streets echo back to us a knowing wink with a survivor's resilience. Probably the best patch of ghost streets in town is the Filbert Steps and its cross "streets" Napier Lane and Darrell Place. The Grace Marchant Garden that fills most of the Filbert right of way on the east side of Telegraph Hill is one of the true ecological treasures of San Francisco, home too to a big flock of much-celebrated parrots.

I live near 24th and Folsom which gives me a good staging area for visitng the ghost streets of Potrero Hill, Bernal Heights, and both Noe and Eureka Valleys. There are many more than I can fully list or display here, and yes, you can take that as an invitation to get out there and explore! But a couple of my favorites on Potrero Hill are Kansas between 22nd and 20th, and 19th Street between Rhode Island and DeHaro. Potrero Hill in particular used to be a favorite walk many years ago when you could walk up the hillside below McKinley Square and visit the amazing community garden at Vermont and 20th, or take this Kansas ghost path uphill, continue to 19th, and then go right (east) to the ghost of 19th, popping out above the high school and then skirting the Potrero Commons that once graced the slopes above the old Northwest Pacific railroad tunnel (the train's right of way makes another ghost of transit past, cutting diagonally northwest from Potrero Hill through the Showplace Square area before petering out in the confluence of Potrero, Division, 10th, and Brannan Streets...).

A real undiscovered treasure close to the intersection of Corbett and Clayton that I wrote about not long ago in the context of historic water wars and the charming garden that's been planted on the corner, is Al's Park. This curious ribbon of whimsy and nature rises from the mural on upper Market Street (next to the pink historic Joost House) and emerges on Corbett. My 1995 Thomas Bros. map has it labeled as 19th Street (multiple ghostly incarnations for 19th!) but Google's Satellite map doesn't show there as being any public right of way there. Enter Al's Park from Corbett and enjoy a strange, almost 19th century-feeling slice of eccentric San Francisco land use.

Source: streetsblog

San Francisco is one of our nation's most famous destinations, immortalized in dozens of films, including "Vertigo," "Birdman of Alcatraz," "Dirty Harry," "Pacific Heights," "Hulk" and "The Net."
It's no wonder many of us dream of traveling there to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown.

While staying in the city itself can be a bit pricey, San Mateo County, just minutes away via mass transit or car, is a great value. Plus San Mateo, home to Silicon Valley, has its own attractions to offer, including its pristine California coast, Santa Cruz Mountains wine country, Filoli Gardens and the University of Stamford's excellent art museum with the second largest collection of Rodin in the world.

Bay Area Rapid Transit allows easy access to San Francisco

The San Francisco International Airport is actually in San Mateo. Top hotels such as Sofitel San Francisco Bay and Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport are just a short shuttle ride away. Those hotels and others provide shuttles back to the airport for visitors who want to take a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train into the city.

Going to San Francisco by train is a great way to see the residential areas on the way into the city plus avoid traffic and parking fees. My friend and I took the BART train to the Embarcadero station then walked 20 minutes down Embarcadero to Pier 39 and the wharf.

We were glad we walked rather than took a bus because along the way we were able to take in the San Francisco skyline, including the signature Transamerica Pyramid, and the rolling hills that give the city its unique character.

Alcatraz tour boat concessions are located along the waterfront and the infamous Alcatraz can be seen in the distance. The ironic contrast of the brutal history of the prison with its huge popularity with popcorn-chewing tourists today should not be missed.

Nearby Pier 39 offers plentiful shopping options, dining from casual to fine, and entertainment such as barking sea lions and a merry-go-round. You can even catch a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.

Don't miss the Dungeness Crab

We opted for lunch at one of the time-honored institutions of the area, Nick's Lighthouse. The cozy restaurant filled with well-worn vinyl booths and historic maritime memorabilia. The restaurant also offers an outdoor grill so that you can get a basket of fish and chips, fried calamari or Dungeness crab to eat on a nearby bench.

After being introduced to the delights of Dungeness, we took a cable car to Chinatown. The ability of the cable car to easily climb and descend the many steep hills of San Francisco helped me get why it's still so popular a means of transportation there.

Tea tasting in Chinatown delightful adventure

My friend, who had visited San Francisco before, introduced me to the wonderful sights, sounds and smells of the Chinese markets and apothecaries. Along our way into the heart of the area we came across a sign reading "free tea tasting" and saw a group of tourists seated at the counter of the teashop, called Vital Tea-Leaf Co.

The tea demonstrator was pouring small cups of tea, and after he finished he motioned for us to sit. He was part stand up comic, part tea educator and part salesman. Soon he had us laughing and hanging on his every word as he brewed various teas for us to try.

He prepared and served us numerous teas, including green, oolong, medicinal and floral. The rose tea was both pretty and tasty. One tea tasted buttery. The medicinal tea was bitter.

Vineyards of the Santa Cruz Mountains

The rest of our trip was filled with a string of such adventures. In San Mateo, for example, we took a tour and tasting at the Thomas Fogarty Winery & Vineyards, considered one of the best wineries in the area. Along our gently winding drive up the mountains we were thrilled to see those California redwoods we'd heard about all our lives.

One of the things that impressed us both was how European looking the green mountain vineyards appeared. It's no wonder that California wines rival those produced in Europe. It was a delight to be able to see the Pacific Ocean in the distance from Fogarty's. You don't get that in Europe.

Later that day we visited Ano Nuevo State Natural Reserve and drove down San Mateo's oceanside highway. We stopped overnight at the Beach House Hotel in majestic Half Moon Bay. For our farewell dinner we opted for more of the region's delicious Dungeness crab.

Then we headed to a local favorite, Cameron's Inn and Pub, for a tasty brew, San Francisco's Tour Anchor Steam Beer. It was the perfect way to cap off our journey.

Source: examiner

The Valencia Streetscape Improvement Project will bring major enhancements to Valencia Street that will benefit all of its users. To get there though, bicyclists and businesses will have to weather a nine-month storm of construction, which began three weeks ago. At a press conference today at ArtZone 461 Gallery, Supervisor Chris Daly and the DPW's Alex Murillo vowed to do everything possible to help make the process less painful, and business owners sought to remind residents that they will remain open throughout, even if work crews are right outside their door.

Businesses are "basically looking at a double-whammy over the next nine to twelve months," said Daly. "The double-whammy being, obviously, the economy that's down, tough times for everybody here in San Francisco Tour, and then looking forward to living through a construction project. So, I wanted to come here and help put this together to put the word out that Valencia Street is open for business, that you're going to find no better commercial corridor in all of San Francisco."

The enhancements on Valencia, from 15th Street to 19th Street, will include sidewalk widening, additional street trees, additional street lighting, sidewalk bulb-outs, and art elements. While business owners expressed concerns about maintaining access and parking during construction, there was broad support for the project on the whole.

"Certainly any kind of disruption to the street affects us, but it's all the more reason to come out," said Deborah Cullinan, executive director of Intersection for the Arts. "At the end of this process, which is only about nine months, it's going to be even more gorgeous. There are going to be more trees, wider sidewalks, it's just going to be a better place to come to. So we hope that people continue to come out."

Sean Quigley, who owns Paxton Gate's Curiosities for Kids, also sought to remind people to shop the Valencia corridor during construction. "They're going to do their best to not be disruptive, but we still people to come down and support the local businesses."

The DPW's Murillo vowed that he would do everything in his power to respond to concerns. "We're also going to be very, very aware during construction," said Murillo. "I want to let everyone know that we will be aware of the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists in the area. So if there are any concerns during construction, I'm your point of contact, reach out to me."

Murillo said the DPW has "a partnering session" tomorrow "where we're meeting with the contractor, myself, other city officials, police captain [Stephen] Tacchini, Pedro Tuyub, who's with the Mission Merchants Association," and Neal Patel of the SFBC.

"We've got a partnering session where we're meeting with them, strategizing just how we can try to streamline the project and address any concerns. The reason I invited them out there is because I need them to add emphasis to what I've been saying, which is, keep the bike lanes open, keep the housekeeping tight, we don't want any trash out there."

To minimize disruption, DPW will work on one block at a time, first on the west side of all the blocks, and then on the east side of each block. Work will also be suspended from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, so businesses will not be hit during the holiday season.

Supervisor Daly, who arrived by bicycle, said he was there "to do my part, bicycling up and down the corridor, frequenting the small business and the arts organizations, supporting the non-profits here over the next year of construction.

Bicyclists are encouraged to contact both DPW's Alex Murillo and SFBC's Neal Patel if they encounter an obstructed bike lane without proper signage during the nine months of construction. Murillo can be reached by phone at (415) 437-7009 or email at alex.m.murillo (at) sfdpw.org. Patel can be reached by phone at (415) 431-BIKE x312 or email at neal (at) sfbike.org.

Source: sf.streetsblog

Dylan Wilson Journal PhotoThe plane involved in Saturday's midair collision was lifted out of the Hudson River tonight, just off the Hoboken shore. .

The bodies of the two remaining victims of Saturday's midair crash were recovered when a large piece of the downed Piper PA-32 plane that collided with a helicopter was lifted from the Hudson River shortly after 5 p.m.today.

All nine victims of the midair disaster have now been accounted for. Saturday's crash killed three Pennsylvania residents on the plane and five Italian sanfran tourists and a pilot on the helicopter.

Recovered near Hoboken's Lackawanna Terminal, the wreckage was hoisted from 60 feet of water with a crane by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Recovery workers immediately covered the tangle of crushed steel and wires with a tarp.

The Liberty Tours helicopter that crashed into the small private plane was recovered from the Hudson River on Sunday. The helicopter was brought ashore to the 12th Street pier in Hoboken, where it was unveiled Monday morning.

The plane was taken by boat to Pier 40 in Manhattan. Debris from the plane and helicopter remains scattered along the riverbed in front of Hoboken.

Divers fought extremely strong currents and murky conditions, with visibility less than one foot at times, as they tried to locate the two aircraft. Parts of both aircraft have been located in water between 30 and 60 feet.

Revenue from hotel and vacation home rentals totaled $10.6 million in June, a 24 percent decrease from $13.9 million the year before, according to the Polk County Tax Collector's Office.

Mark Jackson, director of Polk tourism and sports marketing, has attributed much of the decline to vacationers and business travelers cutting their budgets in response to the recession.

In the housing market, existing home sales saw another gain in June, though distressed properties continued to dominate the market.

A total 343 existing homes were sold during the month, up 14.3 percent from 300 the year before, according to My Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service.

Polk's median sale price was $120,000 in June, down 21 percent from $151,100 the year prior, the Florida Association of Realtors reported. More than half of June's sales were attributed to distressed properties, according to a report by Tampa-based Home Encounter.

"I think we're in this for at least another year, simply because the banks have been dragging their feet, and they're holding back inventory (of foreclosed homes) that's yet to be put on the market," said Chris McLaughlin, owner of the local Keller Williams Realty franchise, in a recent interview.

As for new home construction, a total 121 permits for new single-family homes were recorded in June, falling 44 percent from a year ago. But it was still the best monthly sum of 2009, according to local city and county building departments.

In the job market, unemployment hit 11.5 percent in June, the area's highest figure in 16 years, according to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.

June's rate was up from 6.4 percent the year before and 10.9 percent in May. The county had nearly 10,000 fewer jobs than it did in June 2008.

Finally, Polk's taxable retail sales came to $518.7 million in April, the most recent month available from the Florida Department of Revenue.

April's figure was down from $601.9 million the year before.

Source: theledger

This past weekend I traveled to San Francisco Tours with my wife and kid to visit the city and catch a few baseball games. We went to AT&T Park for a Giants game and went over the bridge to Oakland to go to an Athletics game. I was sure to only take one hat and wear it everywhere I went – my Rockies hat.

I will do a review of each stadium over the next few days, both have their high points and low, but I have a few quick stories of what Giants fans think about the Rockies and the Wild Card Race.

We stayed about two miles from the ballpark and on the day we went to AT&T we took the bus to avoid parking hassles and fees. On the trip down there were three ladies on their way to the game and they were big baseball fans. Their overall impression of the Giants being in the Wild Card Race was pure joy and disbelief. They didn't have much to say on the Rockies because they just simply couldn't believe that their team was in contention this late in the season.

That was a fairly common theme during the trip.

We also took a drive north to Sonoma to wine country to do a tour and see the fields and at one of the wineries there was a guy working who wanted to talk baseball. He was much more knowledgeable of the Rockies and was shocked that they were in the playoff race also. He too was surprised that the Giants are in the position they are. We both came to the conclusion that both fan bases had no inclination that their teams would be where they are right now in March and April.

He said he enjoyed watching the Rockies and thought they were an exciting team. He was a big fan of Dexter Fowler and thought very highly of him. He wasn’t sold on the Rockies pitching lasting all season, but felt the same way about the Giants offense.

Speaking of Fowler I happened to catch a bit of local sports radio while driving at one point and they were talking baseball. This is where I am envious of other cities, especially baseball cities. No question that Denver is Bronco territory first and foremost and even though the Rockies are currently one half game ahead of the rest of the pack for the Wild Card spot local sports talk radio is still 90% Bronco talk. In cities like San Francisco where baseball blood lines run much deeper baseball is #1 and other sports take a back seat. Anyway, the local guy on the radio was also in love with Dexter Fowler. He said it looked like the guy was seven feet tall and only took four or five strides to get from home to first or from first to second. He was very high on Fowler and was also excited to watch him develop in the future.

I passed some other folks in the city who gave the "Go Giants" remark in passing and in other brief conversations the whole bay area is baseball crazy right now and loving their Giants. Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval are turning into Gods in the area.

We were at the game that Lincecum pitched on Saturday and it seemed like every other fan had a Lincecum jersey or t-shirt on. It was also dog night and two of the dogs had a Giants skull cap on with the Lincecum style hair hanging out of them.

For the first time since 1937, the Pittsburgh Steelers have opened their training camp without Dan Rooney in attendance.

Usually, it takes poor health to keep a devoted owner like Rooney away. Happily, however, Rooney is missing this camp for a completely different purpose: a sideline job.

Rooney was sworn in last month by Secretary of State Clinton as the new ambassador to Ireland, and it is those duties that are keeping him away from the team as camp begins.

The mere fact that a football team owner was endorsed for an ambassadorship is an indication of the kind of respect that the Rooney family has engendered, and not just in Pittsburgh. The stability that the family ownership has brought to the Steelers contributes mightily to the point of this column.

I preface this by saying that I am not a Steelers fan. I was born a Bears fan and raised with dual loyalty to them and the Colts once the Colts moved to Indianapolis. That said, I still say without any hesitation that the Pittsburgh Steelers have the best-run organization in the National Football League-and it's not close.

The Steelers were the first franchise to reach six Super Bowl championships. They've done so without any of the ownership-generated drama that has plagued the two organizations still tied at five, the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.

Since 1970, the Steelers have had only four ten-loss seasons. The Denver Broncos are the only organization with fewer, having only two. The Miami Dolphins have equaled the Steelers' mark with four, and three of those came from 2004 to 2007.

This absence of any long periods of futility may have contributed to the greatest measure of Pittsburgh's stability, their remarkable use of only three head coaches in the last 40 years. Their hiring of Mike Tomlin came at a young enough age that Tomlin himself could conceivably coach for a couple of decades, as well.

Even when the family ownership needed to be "restructured" to bring the team in line with the NFL's policy on owners' gambling interests, the transition from five Rooneys to two was handled with relative smoothness. Certainly, there was none of the acrimony and legal wrangling that seemed to accompany the 49ers' transition from Eddie DeBartolo Jr. to his sister, Denise.

The Rooneys blend into the firmament when there's no negotiations being done, unlike the bombastic, hands-on style of the Cowboys' Jerry Jones.

New England's Robert Kraft is quickly gaining respect for his handling of the Patriots, but his team's involvement in a game-taping investigation still taints him. No such cloud hangs over the day-to-day operations at Heinz Field.

Even though Al Davis may have coined the phrase, "Just win, baby," the Steelers seem to be embodying it much better than any franchise in the NFL. Pittsburgh continues to win without players turning up in hosts of commercials, without harboring long lists of players with legal difficulties (Ben Roethlisberger's current issues notwithstanding), and without players, coaches, or owners behaving in a "look at me" fashion.

They may not always win, but they do "just play, baby." Dan Rooney's 71-year streak of attending training camp is perhaps the most vivid illustration of why the Steelers' consistency has made them the NFL's flagship organization.

Setting aside all residual bitterness from Ben Roethlisberger's shoestring tackle of Nick Harper in 2005 (but don't get me started on Slash's illegal catch 10 years prior), this Colts/Bears fan tips his hat to the Steelers, and the family who has made them what they are.

Source: faniq

Were you one of the hundreds who tried out the Bixi bike share bikes from Montreal at Golden Gate Park yesterday? From what I could tell, they seemed to be a hit. The Brandenburger Foundation, based in Los Angeles, brought its solar-powered portable bike station with seven bikes to the park to give San Franciscans a little sampling of what it might be like to have a bike share program.

"I think it's better than any of the other (bike share) models I've seen today," said Bert Hill, who teaches the popular urban cycling classes at the SFBC. "It's obviously going to have trouble on California Street, or something like that, no doubt about it, but I was just trying it on a little hill here and I was in third and not even straining."

The 30-pound Bixi bikes look a lot like an electric bike, but that's only because of the internal breaking system. They have 3 speeds, "tires made for the urban jungle," and adjustable seats typical of most bike share bikes.

"It's a great bike and it's already got the MTA colors," said the MTA's Amit Kothari, who took one of the bikes on a short spin near the entrance to the park, where City Care Share, the MTA and Brandenburger pitched two tents next to the Bixi station.

According to the MTA, Bixi asked the agency if it could put on the demonstration in San Francisco as part of a North American tour. The MTA hasn't made any commitments on a timeline for a bike share program or a bike share vendor, but could this event portend serious interest to get the ball rolling sooner than later?

Tell us what you thought if you rode on Sunday. More pictures below the break.