1. San Francisco is one of thetop tourist destinations in theworld, ranking 35th out of the100 most visited citiesworldwide, and is renownedfor its chilly summer fog,steep rolling hills, eclectic mixof architecture, and its famouslandmarks, including theGolden Gate Bridge, cablecars, and Chinatown.

2. Linking San Francisco with Marin County the Golden Gate Bridge isa 1.7 mile-long suspension bridge that can be crossed by car,bicycles or foot. And it is one of the most photographed bridges inthe world. It took just over four years to build. Construction startedon January 5, 1933 and the Bridge was open to vehicular traffic onMay 28, 1937. 3. Alcatraz was the site of the firstlighthouse in the Western UnitedStates but became a federalpenitentiary from 1934-1963, housingfamous convicts such as Al Caponeand George "Machine Gun" Kelly.Now, this once infamous prisonisland is part of the Golden GateNational Recreation Area. If you wantmore information about Alcatraz goto;http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm 4. Cable cars are a traditional modeof daily transportation for SanFranciscans, and a differentadventure for every visitor. The driving force behind the SanFrancisco cable car system camefrom a man who witnessed ahorrible accident on a typicallydamp summer day in 1869.Andrew Smith Hallidie saw the tollslippery grades could extract whena horse- drawn streetcar slidbackwards under its heavy load.The steep slope with wetcobblestones and a heavilyweighted vehicle combined to dragfive horses to their deaths. So hebuilt cable cars that go round thecity and are still very popular. 5. It is one of the busiest and well knowntourist attractions in the western UnitedStates, Fishermans Wharf is bestknown for being the location of Pier 39Where a community of California sealions has taken up residence on thefloats to the west of the pier andvisitors line up to watch their antics. 6. Union Square also known asthe central shopping, hotel,and theater distric. The areagot its name because it waused for rallies and support forthe Union Army during theCivil War. Today, this one-block plaza and nearby area isone of the largest collectionsof department stores,boutiques, tourist shops, artgalleries, and salons in theUnited States, which continueto make Union Square a majortourist cosmopolitan place indowntown San Francisco. 7. The entrance toChinatown at GrantAvenue and Bush Street iscalled the "DragonsGate." Inside are 24blocks of exotic shops,renowned restaurants,food markets, temples andsmall museums.G:northbeach.odt 8. Haight-Ashbury is famous for its tie-dyed, drug-infused, flower-powerroots. In the 60s particularly in the1967 "Summer of Love" theneighborhood became a place forhippies and rock performers.Though it still maintains a slightygritty, Bohemian ambiance, it is nowan eclectic mix of high-endboutiques; vintage clothing, bookand record shops; hip restaurantsand cafes; and beautifully restoredVictorian homes. 9. Lombard Street in SanFrancisco is one of Americascrookedest streets. The steep,hilly street was created withsharp curves to switchbackdown the one-way hill pastbeautiful Victorian mansions.