HISTORY
Long before the hippies homed in, the Ohlone Native American tribe had the run of San Francisco. Colonized by Spain in the 16th century, the area later came under Mexican rule, before beginning to attract the first conquerors of the “Wild West”. The local population got its first major thrust upwards in the mid-1800s with the discovery of gold. Two features of these days went on to become San Francisco icons: sourdough bread and jeans by Levi Strauss, who used a heavy cloth for miners’ trousers.
The boomtown crashed, literally, following a devastating temblor and subsequent fires in 1906. True to its pioneering spirit, however, San Francisco was reborn, physically as well as metaphorically: Not a single one of its banks failed during the Great Depression of 1929.
Once a hippie hub: (clockwise from above) A San Francisco cable car; a game of Candyland on the famous Lombard Street; San Francisco Giants player Barry Bonds. Photos: SFCVB and AFP
Almost 40 years later, the city rose again in the age of flower power. Psychedelic music became its signature tune, with bands such as Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead strongly identified with the area.
CULTURE
From street-corner buskers to high-end music hall concerts, there’s something to suit every taste in San Francisco. There’s a series of Mahler, Brahms, Bach and Tchaikovsky concerts through November. Click herefor details. Or watch local actor James Carpenter play Frankenstein’s monster in an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s horror story at the Thick House (till 7 November). Log on to Sfarts for details. At the Market and Powell Cable Car Turnaround, street performers raise the bar on free entertainment.
You could also drop in at the Museum of Modern Art, the California Academy of Sciences (a natural history museum). If that’s too straight for your tastes, try the Musée Mécanique (for its collection of penny arcade machines), the Museum of Ophthalmology or Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.
In the “alternative” calendar, June’s LGBT parade (which will celebrate 40 years next year) attracts around 500,000 visitors every year. San Francisco also has a wide range of “adult” entertainment.
SPORT
Baseball and American football pretty much define sports in San Francisco, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a youngster who plays neither. The home teams—the Giants and the 49ers—have overwhelming support in the city, but the rules of the game, especially American football, may be too arcane for those of us who refuse to look beyond cricket. No worries, there are still plenty of options for the athletically minded: Rent a bike or go on a bike-guided tour (www.baycitybike.com), sail around the bay and under the Golden Gate bridge (www.adventurecat.com) or go sport-fishing www.flashfishing.net.
FOOD AND DRINK
From French Nouvelle to Nuevo Latino, the city caters to all kinds of taste buds. We pick the most quirky: