San Francisco is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the USA. San Francisco combines the cosmopolitanism of London and the clean air of Stockholm with the spectacular scenery of Istanbul. In fact, the famed Golden Gate Bridge gets its name, poetically, from the Golden Horn, that spur of water that cuts into the old Queen of Cities, Constantinople, and which finds its spectacular analogue here in the New World.

San Francisco may be "hard to leave," as Rudyard Kipling once reported, but it is perhaps the easiest city in the world at which to arrive. Whether you arrive by plane at Oakland or SF International Airport; by car on the hoary 101; by bus; or as Jack Kerouac did, as a hitchhiker, the sublime city bids welcome in a way that only the hardest of hearts can resist.

Famed for the eclectic culture, fine restaurants, and magnificent hills, the City by the Bay is without a doubt one of the most splendid places on earth to practice law. Aided by a mild climate, crisp air, and startling purity of light, nearly Provencal in its intensity, San Francisco has been a powerful magnet for students, craftsmen, designers, professionals, bohemians, and professional bohemians for more than a century. Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, and Jack Kerouac are some of the writers who have called San Francisco home, as have countless others, living and dead. There is a lively local music scene, as well as strong poetry, art, and design cultures. In fact, one way to view the city is as a massive proscenium for all that the human heart and mind have to offer.

Known for more than a century in China as "Gold Mountain," San Francisco has been a magnet for immigrants and emigrants, from almost the moment it was founded, from every corner of the earth. Whether seeking gold during the dot-com boom or in the 19th-century Gold Rush, people from all over the world have not only left their hearts in San Francisco, they have made it their home.

San Francisco is well known for its Chinatown and Little Italy. There is also an endless array of smaller ethnic enclaves with their eponymous cuisines: Czech, French, Thai, Filipino, German, Korean, Japanese, Russian, and so on. The diversity of San Francisco's population is out of proportion to its relatively small size. Strolling down the sidewalk, you are as likely to hear Italian as Cantonese or Tagalog.

The city's diversity created a number of utterly distinct neighborhoods, which are almost village-like in their intensely local feel. These include Russian Hill, Noe Valley, the Castro, Pacific Heights, the Marina, the Mission, the Haight, Twin Peaks, and so on. Given this rich variety, it is worthwhile taking time to explore and decide which one to call home.

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A travel agent with local San Francisco knowledge is at hand to answer all your questions and provide you with availability for your San Francisco accommodation. Contact Velvet Support San Francisco