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San Francisco Area. Travel Guide
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Everything San Francisco Area..
San Francisco is a unique and breathtaking metropolis, find yourself and get out and explore.
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It's where Tony Bennett "left his heart" and where some of the most notorious criminals were once housed. It's the home to the Golden Gate Bridge, and the nation's most crooked street. It's San Francisco!
Built on 43 hills, San Francisco is one of the largest cities on the Pacific Coast. It is a cultural epicenter, a historical foundation, a financial and administrative center and a symbol for the liberal and the unconventional. It has suffered through two major earthquakes, which radically affected the city and its culture.
San Francisco is the home of the country's oldest Chinatown, which was established during the 1850's. There you can find authentic Chinese cuisine, artistry, mini malls and a war memorial to Chinese war veterans. You can also observe old men playing Chinese chess and in early mornings watch some of the locals do Tai Chi.
Not too far from Chinatown is North Beach and the home of San Francisco's Little Italy. Tickle your taste buds at the cafes, bakeries, delis, coffeehouses, and gelato parlors, and get a taste of sumptuous Italian eats.
Aside from being one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country, San Francisco is also the historical capital of tolerance and unconventionality. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood was the spiritual center of the hippie movement in the late 1960's,and the Castro neighborhood was, and still remains, a supporter of the GLBT lifestyle.
Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square are two of San Francisco's most notable tourist spots. The Pier features shopping, dining (especially of the famous dungeness crabs), street performances, ferry trips to the island of Alcatraz, and a view of the famous California sea lions lounging on the dock. Ghirardelli Square is located near Pier 39, and was the headquarters for the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. Today it features over 40 specialty shops including the Ghiardelli soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, a must-visit for chocolate lovers anywhere. The shop is known for its delectable ice cream sundaes.
One of the most photographed structures in the world exists in San Francisco, and it is the city's landmark icon - The Golden Gate Bridge. Painted in the color known as International Orange, the bridge is the second longest suspension bridge in the country. Nearby can be found Alcatraz island which first served as a lighthouse, a military fortification and a prison. It is perhaps most well known as a prison, as it held notorious criminals like Al Capone, Alvin Karpis, Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin (who were the only successful escapees from Alcatraz) and Robert Franklin Stroud (better known as the Birdman of Alcatraz).
The "crooked man" doesn't live there, but it is the nation's most crooked street, and it only exists in San Francisco. Lombard Street is one of the most picturesque areas in San Francisco with eight switchback turns, and a natural slope of 27 degrees. It is paved with bricks, and features stairs for pedestrians on either side of the street.
In addition to it being a major tourist destination, the city is also known as the financial center of the West Coast, and a hub in the fields of biotechnology and bio medicine. It doesn't matter your reason for going to San Francisco, whether it be business or pleasure, there is so much to do that you probably won't be able to do it all in one day.
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Attractions 
