"My Hometown" a San Francisco Travel Page by SteveOSF

On a clear day, when the fog has long lifted, you find yourself greeted with the most spectacular of views throughout the day...

Beyond its cultural diversity, San Francisco offers a multitude of contrasting sights and sounds. A variety of terrain, architecture, weather, neighborhoods, and modes of transportation are all found within a short distance. Open your eyes, look around, and enjoy!

At forty-nine square miles, San Francisco is fairly compact. It is surrounded by water on three sides and land locked by its neighbors that border on the peninsula to the south. When it comes to expansion, there is nowhere to go but up. Many people commute from nearby cities, swelling the downtown population during the day. Of course, this leads to high real estate prices and high rents, but also helps avoid inner city decay with that some metropolises face. High density is the norm for many neighborhoods, like the Richmond, but some of the outlaying residential ones, like the Sunset, have more of a suburban feel to them. Parking is at a premium almost everywhere. Public transit is also available almost everywhere. There may be a few more homeless people here than one is used to. So it is a compact city, with many issues facing other cities in the United States. But this City can be fun!

In its compact space, the City offers many distinct neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its distinct architecture. In many neighborhoods, the buildings are built right next to each other. An abundance of Victorian houses can be found in the older districts.

The terrain of the City is far from flat. About seven large hills give depth to the surface of the City. On some, you may notice houses hanging off a small cliff with large spindly stilts holding them up. On others, you may regret having a manual transmission, when at a stop sign on a hill, a large truck stops close behind you. But the hills offer fantastic views and can help orient you and give a vital sense of direction.

An abundance of quality restaurants serve a variety of types of food. You can find a nice meal at almost any price range in almost any neighborhood. I've heard it said that you can eat out at a different restaurant in the City every night for ten years, without ever repeating a single establishment. After you are finished ten years latter, there has been so much change that you can head out and do it again without having to repeat any from the first decade.

Nightlife includes live music, theater, or anything else big cities have to offer. Several venues for sporting, large concerts, and other events exist in San Francisco. The City also offers quality museums, interesting places to walk, historic sites, a few miles of beach, fantastic views, and close proximity to other interesting locations. It is a nice place to visit, enjoy your stay!