The bus drew to a halt and wearily I opened my eyes to catch my first glimpse of San Francisco: an uninspiring view of a crowded bus station. The two weeks I had spent hiking in Yosemite and Sequoia national parks were already distant memories. I wished I could get straight on a plane and back home. But instead I had eleven hours to kill: eleven hours in the city. I had to at least see the Golden Gate Bridge, I told myself. It was 8am as I trekked through the financial district amidst a sea of designer suits and take-away coffees. The long hours I had to fill were an alien concept to the people marching by. I reached Union Square where a different kind of traveller ate breakfast in five star hotels. Moving quickly on, with my rucksack weighing heavily on my shoulders I followed the quaint tram up Powell Street. Now the expensive designer suits were far away. Golden archways welcomed me into a colourful world of dragons, laughing buddhas and waving ornamental cats. Signs for dim sum, noodles and acupuncture filled every possible space. Crossing a few streets I was transported round the world to Italy. The smell ...

It's the perfect city to explore with the added bonus of being the gateway to California's amazing coastline. It's been twenty years since I last visited and then I was newly pregnant with my first daughter, so it has particularly special significance. We stayed with friends who showed us parts of the city that tourists might miss, such as the boutiques and markets. Of course, there are tourist experiences that one cannot pass up, such as taking a boat to Alcatraz. Interestingly, the boat trip over to the island prison didn't make me queasy, but the damp, stark and slightly sinister atmosphere inside the walls left me uncomfortably breathless. I expected to see Burt Lancaster hugging the window bars at every turn! ">Reserve your boat trip to Alcatraz Back on terra firma, I found myself happily lolling in cafe bars and drinking in the bustling people and the view, or simply mooching about. San Francisco is a big vibrant city, but unlike New York I didn't feel that fast-paced urgency. It's a place where it's OK to go at your own speed. Our greatest discovery was Fisherman's Wharf and the best clam chowder I ...

Quite simply because it is a magical city and the six weeks I spent here in the summer of 2009 were the best ones in my life! Where else would you find roads resembling small hills with a beautiful bay on one side and majestic mountains on the other, trees (giant sequoias) higher than the skyscrapers in the business district and of course the most famous gay parade in the world? For me personally it was a coming of age trip. I was 18 and travelling alone for the first time, to a country miles away from home (India). It was an eye-opening experience. Some memories that will forever remain etched in my mind: Hiking Half Dome, Yosemite National Park A weekend in this beautiful national park was the highlight of my trip. A three hour journey by road from San Francisco with four others and all of us from different countries! The night sky was magnificent, covered with millions of stars. The Milky Way could also be seen clearly. The hike to the top of Half Dome though long (10 hours) and arduous, was definitely worth the effort. The view from the top was spectacular to say the ...

With an aversion to making plans, I tend to arrive in a new city unaware of how long I will be staying. My recent trip to San Francisco offers no exception. Not long after I arrived, I began to notice how transient the city appeared to be. In hindsight, I put this early observation down to booking into a youth hostel, where the average length of stay was three nights. In such surroundings, I felt a slight pressure to follow suit and ‘do’ the city quickly and then move onto the next. In truth, when it comes to discovering a new city, I’m more three months than three days. I like to live in a city, become comfortable with a routine and leave, just as the routine becomes too familiar and tedious. I like to sample a selection of coffee shops, weigh up their good and bad points and then, after much deliberation, offer one of them the prestigious title, ‘My Favourite’. I like to sit in said coffee shop and sip my chai latte, whilst watching familiar faces wander by. I like to know the city without a map or guidebook. I like to get to know its people, as ...

"I left my heart in San Francisco" is exactly right! In 2007, I was in San Francisco for 10 magical and delightful days and nights! This is the same city where many years ago my parents went on their wedding anniversary. They told me they had driven down in my father's black Lovebug and ate grapes all the way because they had no money then. They gained 10 pounds in two weeks but they said it was worth every pound and they were right! So guess what? I got married in 2007, and we went to San Francisco on our honeymoon! Not in a Lovebug but the Amtrak! Now that was an adventure in itself. As I have always loved train traveling I thought it would be the perfect way to see the spectacular scenery and meet interesting people on the train. I did meet very cosmopolitan, worldly and extremely nice and interesting people on the train and at the dinner table. The train trip took even longer than expected as I did not know the Amtrak stopped at so many places because of freighters, etc. To top it all we did not have a sleeping car ...

Kick off the weekend with a Friday night ball game at AT&T Park to watch the San Francisco Giants. Even if you don’t see a ‘splash hit’, the waterfront views of the Bay Bridge are unbeatable, and the super slide and mini-ball park are sure to be a homerun with the kids. Don’t forget a sweatshirt for when the fog rolls in! Saturday morning put on your walking shoes and take Bart to the Embarcadero terminal to sample California’s natural bounty at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. Hundreds of local farmers gather outside of the historic Ferry Building Plaza to sell an impressive cornucopia of seasonal fruits, flowers and vegetables, as well as artisan cheeses, smoked meats, pastries and breads. If you get a late start and are looking for lunch, indulge at one of the prepared food stands and treat yourself to homemade tamales or lox sandwiches on fresh San Francisco sourdough still warm from the oven. Once you’d had your foodie fix, hail a cab or take the N-Judah line from the Embarcadero Muni Metro station at Market and Main Streets to Golden Gate Park to check out the recently renovated California ...

Next to New York, many gastronome’s cite San Francisco as North America’s great foodie city. The arguments are strong: its long history of immigration have bestowed a wide variety of influences on local cuisine, it’s the birthplace of the organic food movement and in close proximity to the famed Napa Valley wine country. Although you are spoilt for dining out choices in San Francisco, you may like to buy some fresh produce and cook up a meal in your holiday apartment. One of the best places to shop for fresh food, for both locals and visitors alike, is the

Most people love flowers and San Francisco puts on one of the great floral shows. The enticingly-named Conservatory of Flowers is located in a Victorian-era greenhouse and displays beautiful flora from all over the world. One of the backlashes of the industrial age was a yearning for open, green spaces and a wide interest in botany, leading to construction of giant botanic greenhouses in both Britain and the US. With its central dome and arched-shaped wings, many believe that the Conservatory of Flowers’ design was inspired by that of Palm House in London’s Kew Gardens. Sitting gracefully on a rolling hill in the city’s enormous

The Fillmore district, San Francisco, is sometimes called the Moe or the Fillmoe and really just covers the streets in the neighbourhood of Fillmore Street, an area renowned for its music venues. Below is a selection: • The Great American Music Hall is located at 859 Ofarrell Street and is over one hundred years old. Originally it was a bordello and restaurant and is now one of the finest rock venues in California. The interior offers beautifully carved balconies, frescoes on the ceilings, columns made of marble, and magnificent hanging lights. The Great American Music Hall is not that big but it is charming and generally holds about five hundred and fifty people within the rococo décor. • Another great music venue is the Fillmore which is at 1805 Geary Boulevard and it’s the kind of place that performers play in when trying to make a comeback. • On the other hand, Kimo’s Bar & Penthouse Lounge at 1351 Polk Street has the kind of lounge environment that encourages less formal performers and welcomes great musicians that just love to jam. The drinks are reasonably priced and the décor has an Hawaiian flavour. Through its two glass walls there is a fantastic ...

The Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco is the area where Haight Street and Ashbury Street cross. The district is the area surrounding the intersection and the two names are in honour of a San Franciscan banker called Henry Haight, and Munroe Ashbury, a politician who was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors between 1864 and 1870. Henry Haight and Munroe Ashbury helped plan the construction of San Francisco and also were involved in the planning of the Golden Gate Park. 19th CENTURY HAIGHT & ASHBURY Prior to the development of the Haight Street Cable Railroad in 1883, the area that is now called Haight-Ashbury was a mix of farmland and sand dunes. The transport link from Haight-Ashbury to the western end of Golden Gate Park via Market Street encouraged development of the area and over the following twenty years it became a sought after residential suburb for middleclass families. Haight-Ashbury is also one of the few neighbourhoods to not suffer fire damage following the catastrophic San Francisco earthquake in 1906. HAIGHT & ASHBURY IN THE 1930s During the Depression years of the 1930s, many desperate people left the Haight-Ashbury district to move into smaller, cheaper houses in the San Francisco ...