San Francisco - Blogs - Tripatini2024-03-29T10:22:31Zhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/San+FranciscoSan Francisco, California Is an American Originalhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/san-francisco-california-is-an-american-original2017-10-25T22:16:46.000Z2017-10-25T22:16:46.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><p><span style="font-size:8pt;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12366914263,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12366914263,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="750" alt="12366914263?profile=RESIZE_930x" /></a><a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/golden-gate-bridge-94528795?src=0-IepeIqQhSlqGdIAQ71VQ-2-2" target="_blank">Randy Runtsch</a></em></span><br /><br /></p>
<p>There are excellent reasons northern <strong>California</strong>‘s “<strong>City by the Bay</strong>” is one of America’s most storied cities (if far from its most typical). Born as a colonial <strong>Spanish mission</strong> and fort on the tip of a peninsula, <strong>San Francisco</strong> was transformed by the gold rush of the 19th century; spectacularly flattened by the Great Earthquake in the early 20th; home of the 1960s “<strong>Summer of Love</strong>“; and in the 21st, once again reinvented as the pre-eminent world capital of high tech. This is an entertaining drama queen indeed, and one of this country’s most fun and fascinating cities to explore. <br /> <br /> <span id="more-9031"></span></p>
<h3><strong>The Top San Francisco Attractions</strong></h3>
<p>Wow, where do I start? There are several very good options, but why not where it all began – coincidentally in 1776, the year the thirteen English colonies on the other side of the continent declared independence from the mother country. Though now a park spectacularly sited by the bay, back when, the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/prsf/index.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Presidio</strong> </a>(top) was the fort established by Spanish explorers, and after the city was won in the <strong>Mexican-American War</strong> was continued as a base by U.S. military until 1994 till it passed to the <strong>National Park Service</strong>. Its oldest extant structure, <strong>Fort Point</strong>, dates back to 1861, and there is a very good visitors’ center telling the story over the centuries.</p>
<p>The Presidio now forms part of <strong><a href="http://sfrecpark.org/parks-open-spaces/golden-gate-park-guide/" target="_blank">Golden Gate Park</a></strong>, whose long main section is actually a few blocks south, a positively delightful mix of greenery, gardens, wooded areas, lakes, and cultural institutions such as <strong>San Fran</strong>‘s oldest museum, the <strong><a href="http://deyoungmuseum.org/" target="_blank">De Young</a></strong>, a superb collection of American art going back to the Spanish colonial period, as well as treasures from Asia, Oceania, and pre-Columbian Mexico. Other park highlights include a gorgeous <a href="http://japaneseteagardensf.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Japanese Tea Garden</strong></a>, the <strong><a href="http://sfrecpark.org/destination/golden-gate-park/san-francisco-botanical-garden/" target="_blank">San Francisco Botanical Garden</a></strong>, the Victorian-era <strong><a href="http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/" target="_blank">Conservatory of Flowers</a></strong>, and the <strong><a href="http://www.calacademy.org/" target="_blank">California Academy of Sciences</a></strong>, with its aquarium, planetarium, and natural-history museum.</p>
<p><br /> <span style="font-size:8pt;"><em><br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12366910499,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12366910499,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="12366910499?profile=RESIZE_930x" width="750" /></a>Patara Limpanachaipornkul/Shutterstock</em></span></p>
<h3><strong><br /> Wharf Speed</strong></h3>
<p><br /> San Francisco’s single most popular visitor allure, however, is hands-down <a href="http://www.fishermanswharf.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Fisherman’s Wharf</strong></a>, at the peninsula’s northeast corner. A bit of a touristy, carnival atmosphere, for sure – but undeniably fun, and just as undeniably a must for first-timers to the city. A central feature here is <a href="http://www.pier39.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Pier 39</strong></a>, with buskers, myriad shops (don’t miss the original <strong><a href="http://www.ghirardelli.com/locator/northpoint-original-san-francisco-ca" target="_blank">Ghirardelli Chocolate</a></strong> shop/café!) and restaurants (one of which, <strong><a href="http://www.forbesisland.com/home.html" target="_blank">Forbes Island</a></strong>, is especially cool – on a converted houseboat boasting a lighthouse and even dining below the water line); rides including a two-storey <strong>carousel</strong>; and the <a href="http://aquariumofthebay.org/?gclid=COLk9ZyYxsUCFQqGaQodclAAOw&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank"><strong>Aquarium of the Bay</strong></a>; as an extra adorable bonus, in recent years, hundreds of the bay’s sea lions have taken to hanging out on some of the piers lower docks – a wonderful photo op, indeed! Other Wharf attractions include historic ships such as the 19th-century <em><strong>Balclutha</strong> </em>and the World-War-II sub <em><strong>USS Pampanito</strong></em>; attractions such as a wax museum and a <a href="http://www.ripleys.com/sanfrancisco/" target="_blank"><strong>Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!</strong> “odditorium”</a>. And here is where you catch harbour cruises, including excursions to another huge visitor favourite, infamous <strong><a href="http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm" target="_blank">Alcatraz </a></strong>island and prison (seen in background below). OMG, you could easily spend more than a day at the Wharf.</p>
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<h3><strong><em><span style="font-size:8px;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12366908501,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12366908501,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="12366908501?profile=RESIZE_930x" width="750" /></a>Ritu Manoj Jethani</span></em><br /> <br /> Downtown Delights</strong></h3>
<p>Below here you’ll also want to explore downtown, a shopping, financial, and <strong>San Francisco hotels</strong> district with <strong>Union Square</strong> as its hub. Out here on the “<strong>Barbary Coast</strong>” waterfront you’ll find the the <strong>Embarcadero</strong>, with its markets and food halls, while heading away from the water is the monumental <strong>Civic Center</strong> area, packed with grandiose neoclassical architecture and cultural spots such as the <strong>Asian Art Museum</strong>, concert halls, and art galleries.</p>
<p>Speaking of items Asian, also several blocks in from the Embarcadero, north of the great downtown dividing line that is <strong>Market Street</strong>, is <a href="http://love2fly.iberia.com/2015/02/worlds-best-chinatowns/" target="_blank"><strong>Chinatown</strong></a> – one of the world’s most famous – covering 24 blocks with a fantastic array of dining and shopping options, as well as places to learn about Chinese-American history and culture such as the <strong><a href="http://www.c-c-c.org/" target="_blank">Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco</a></strong> and the <strong><a href="http://chsa.org/" target="_blank">Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center</a>.</strong></p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12366462862,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12366462862,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="12366462862?profile=RESIZE_930x" width="750" /></a><span style="font-size:8pt;"><em>Pius Lee/Shutterstock</em></span></p>
<h3><strong><br /> ‘Downmarket’ Draws</strong></h3>
<p><br /> South of Market Street, top of the list of districts not to miss – especially in you’re into “alternative” vibes, is <strong>SoMa</strong>, a onetime area of warehouses and rundown Victorian clapboards which artists started reviving in the 1980s. The tech boom brought major gentrification to the neighborhood, but the boho flavor is still in evidence (as well as some of the city’s hotter music clubs and its most eclectic dining), and corners of it even remain a bit sketchy, especially at night. Here’s also where you’ll find the <strong>baseball stadium</strong> that’s home to the <strong>San Francisco Giants</strong>, as well as the lovely <a href="http://yerbabuenagardens.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Yerba Buena Gardens</strong></a>, an 87-acre (35-hectare) multi-use park that’s the site of a skating rink, the cool <a href="http://www.westfield.com/us/#centres=metreon" target="_blank">Metreon </a>shopping centre and a bevy of museums including the <a href="http://www.sfmoma.org/" target="_blank"><strong>San Francisco Museum of Modern Art</strong></a>, <a href="http://creativity.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Children’s Creativity Museum</strong></a>, and the <a href="http://www.moadsf.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Museum of the African Diaspora</strong></a>.</p>
<p>A bit farther down Market, the <a href="http://www.mycastro.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Castro District</strong></a> has famously been one of the world’s most progressive city’s most iconic <strong>gay neighbourhoods</strong> for generations now, with one of its latest additions a Hollywood-style sidewalk “walk of fame” celebrating <strong>LGBT history</strong>-makers including the likes of <strong>Alan Turing</strong> and <strong>Oscar Wilde</strong>. There is also some superb historic architecture hereabouts dating back to the Victorian era, and if you’re into funky, right above it you’ll want to check out the <strong>Haight</strong> right next door, which was the epicentre of the 1960s hippie “Summer of Love” and remains an eclectic – dare I say groovy – mix of counterculture and black culture.</p>
<p>Then of course there are many of the <strong>streets of San Francisco</strong> themselves, crisscrossing the famously hill cityscape. A stretch of one, <strong>Lombard Street</strong> between <strong>Hyde</strong> and <strong>Leavenworth</strong>, is dubbed the world’s “crookedest” (not actually so, but its eight hairpin turns are quite a sight to see). Others, such as <strong>Powell</strong>, <strong>California</strong>, and <strong>Mason</strong>, offer the chance to ride an actual national landmark: the famous <strong>San Francisco cable cars</strong> in operation since the 1870s (those which, as singer <strong>Tony Bennett</strong> famously crooned, “go halfway to the stars”). Just another of the many reasons why you, too, will be left singing “<strong>I Left My Heart in San Francisco</strong>“.</p>
<p>And believe it or not, all the above is just scratching the surface. For more on <strong>San Francisco sights</strong>, as well as dining, lodging, and more, start with <a href="http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/" target="_blank">SanFrancisco.travel</a>. For another cool twist on San Fran, check out some of the local shooting locations for films like <strong><em>Vertigo</em> </strong>and <em><strong>Rebecca</strong> </em>from master of suspense <strong>Alfred Hitchcock</strong>.</p>
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<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7lc327Hdnv4?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <br /> <em><br /> <br /> <span class="font-size-1">images | <a id="portfolio_link" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-94528795/stock-photo-golden-gate-bridge.html?src=0-IepeIqQhSlqGdIAQ71VQ-2-2" target="_blank" name="portfolio_link">RRuntsch</a>, Ritu Manoj Jethani, <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-109236104/stock-photo-san-francisco-usa-september-powell-hyde-cable-car-an-iconic-tourist-attraction-descends-a.html?src=zCb24H9Cu0jUCZq-Ikz0XA-1-58" target="_blank">Pius Lee</a></span></em></p>
<p> </p></div>6 of the World's Choicest Chinatownshttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/chinatowns-chinese-new-year2016-02-08T16:01:04.000Z2016-02-08T16:01:04.000ZJosé Balidohttps://tripatini.com/members/JoseBalido<div><p><em><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Chinese_draak.jpg/640px-Chinese_draak.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Chinese_draak.jpg/640px-Chinese_draak.jpg?width=640" alt="640px-Chinese_draak.jpg?width=640" width="640" /></a></em></p>
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<p>恭喜發財 (That's <em>Kung hei fat choy! </em>to you). As hundreds of millions ring in the <strong>Year of the Monkey </strong>for <strong>Chinese New Year</strong> (aka <strong>Lunar New Year</strong>) today, I'm reminded of one of the Chinese diaspora's great gifts to travelers across the planet: funky <strong>Chinatowns</strong> where the age-old culture of the Middle Kingdom (and increasingly, other parts of Asia) meets a variety of others in sometimes fascinating ways. <br /> <br /> The best ones are the traditional ones, which developed organically, as opposed to a recent trend of "Chinatowns" fabricated in various cities like <strong>Las Vegas</strong> and <strong>Dubai</strong> which are essentially themed malls. But ersatz or historic, today is a big day in all of them.<br /> <br /> Here's my shortlist of favorites:</p>
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<p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Chinatown%2C_London.jpg/640px-Chinatown%2C_London.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Chinatown%2C_London.jpg/640px-Chinatown%2C_London.jpg?width=640" alt="640px-Chinatown%2C_London.jpg?width=640" width="640" /></a></p>
<p><strong><br /><span style="font-size:14pt;"> London </span><br /> <br /> </strong> The U.K.'s first Chinatown grew up in Liverpool all the way back in the 1830s, but perhaps <a href="http://www.chinatownlondon.org/" target="_blank">the most vigorous today is to be found in <strong>Soho</strong></a> between <strong>Shaftesbury Avenue</strong>, <strong>Leicester Square</strong>, and <strong>Picadilly Circus</strong>, with its central thoroughfare <strong>Gerrard Street</strong> (above), which started to grow in the 1970s; its central appeal today is more than 80 restaurants - not just Chinese but featuring all manner of Asian cuisine, including Vietnamese, Japanese, and Thai. Food can be divine but often not the service (one eatery, the multi-storey <strong><a href="http://wongkeilondon.com/" target="_blank">Wong Kei</a></strong>, actually attracted a following due to its ostentatiously rude waiters, and many were disappointed when it reopened in 2014 after a refurbishment with - gasp - less nasty service. WTF, Wong Key?!). Today's New Year celebrations are held mostly in <strong>Trafalgar Square</strong>.</p>
<p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG/640px-Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG/640px-Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG?width=640" alt="640px-Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG?width=640" width="640" /></a></p>
<p><strong><br /><span style="font-size:14pt;"> New York City</span><br /> <br /> </strong> <a href="http://www.explorechinatown.com/" target="_blank">The biggest of the Big Apple's nine Chinatowns</a>, in lower <strong>Manhattan</strong> along <strong>Canal Street</strong> and side streets south of it (though it's also starting to encroach upon <strong>Little Italy</strong>, north of Canal), is the largest Chinese enclave outside Asia, and one of the oldest. It's a mix of shops (both traditional and tourist-orientated); bakeries; sidewalk stands hawking cheap designer knockoffs; and a plethora of restaurants large and small (on my last trip back, I was again blown away by the exquisite dim sum at the gargantuan <strong><a href="http://www.jingfongny.com/" target="_blank">Jing Fong</a></strong>). You can also visit the extremely well-done, multi-media <strong><a href="http://www.mocanyc.org/" target="_blank">Museum of Chinese in America</a></strong>, and rub shoulders with the locals lighting incense and chanting Buddhist prayers at temples like <strong>Mahayana</strong> (133 Canal St.) and the venerable, much smaller <strong>Eastern States Temple</strong> (64 Mott St.).</p>
<p><br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12218402060,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12218402060,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="750" alt="12218402060?profile=RESIZE_930x" /></a><strong><span class="font-size-1"><em><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris-olympiades-wikimedia.jpg" target="_blank">thbz</a></em></span></strong></p>
<p><strong><br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;">Paris </span><br /> <br /> </strong> Arranged around <strong>Avénue de Choisy,</strong> <strong>Avénue d'Ivry</strong>, and <strong>Rue de Tolbiac</strong> in the 13th <em>arrondissement</em> near <strong>Place d'Italie</strong>, the <strong>Quartier Chinois</strong> (aka <strong>Quartier Asiatique</strong>) is Europe's largest Chinatown. And while may not be quite as classically picturesque as the others on this list, but still offers a fascinating cultural experience with a particularly French twist in the form of various businesses run by immigrants of former <strong>Indochina</strong> colonies Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. One must stop is an unforgettable sensory experience at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tangofficiel" target="_blank"><strong>Tang Frères</strong></a> (48 Avénue d'Ivry), one of the continent's largest Asian markets, and I would also encourage visitors to sample probably unfamiliar cuisines such as Laoatian (for example at <strong>Lao Lane Xiang</strong>, 102 Ave. d'Ivry) and Cambodian (<strong>Mondol Kiri</strong>, 159 Ave. de Choisy).</p>
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<p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/1_chinatown_san_francisco_arch_gateway.JPG/640px-1_chinatown_san_francisco_arch_gateway.JPG" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/1_chinatown_san_francisco_arch_gateway.JPG/640px-1_chinatown_san_francisco_arch_gateway.JPG?width=640" alt="640px-1_chinatown_san_francisco_arch_gateway.JPG?width=640" width="640" /></a></p>
<p><strong><br /><span style="font-size:14pt;"> San Francisco </span><br /> <br /> </strong> America's oldest Chinatown, by virtue of massive 19th-century immigration from across the Pacific (which has helped give this city the most Asian cast of any in the country), <a href="http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/" target="_blank">San Fran's version</a> vies with New York's as the country's most classic, as well as the largest outside Asia. Its covers 24 blocks of downtown, centered on <strong>Grant Avenue</strong> (with the classic "dragon gate", above) and <strong>Stockton Street</strong> (a bit less trafficked by tourists and more by locals, giving it the feel of a Hong Kong neighborhood). Ethnically most of said locals are Cantonese, and they and previous generations have created a fantastic array of dining and shopping options, as well as places to learn about Chinese-American history and cutlure such as the <strong><a href="http://www.c-c-c.org/" target="_blank">Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco</a></strong> and the <strong><a href="http://chsa.org/" target="_blank">Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center</a>. <br /> <br /> </strong></p>
<p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Chinese_Garden_of_Friendship_%28looking_back_at_city%29.jpg/640px-Chinese_Garden_of_Friendship_%28looking_back_at_city%29.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Chinese_Garden_of_Friendship_%28looking_back_at_city%29.jpg/640px-Chinese_Garden_of_Friendship_%28looking_back_at_city%29.jpg?width=640" alt="640px-Chinese_Garden_of_Friendship_%28looking_back_at_city%29.jpg?width=640" width="640" /></a><br /> <strong><span style="font-size:14pt;">Sydney</span><br /> <br /> </strong> Asians are the main source of immigration in <strong>Australia</strong> these days, and the <a href="http://www.sydney-chinatown.info/" target="_blank">Chinatown in the country's biggest city</a> (as does that of <strong>Melbourne</strong> not far to the north) reflects that. It's located in the <strong>Haymarket</strong> area between <strong>Darling Harbour</strong> and <strong>Central Station</strong>, and along with a variety of eateries and shops on streets like <strong>Factory Street</strong> and <strong>Little Hay Street</strong>, there are also many of them occupying a large complex on <strong>Hay Street</strong> called <a href="http://www.marketcity.com.au/" target="_blank"><strong>Market City</strong></a>. It's also well worth popping over to nearby Darling Harbour for a visit to the lovely <strong>Chinese Garden of Friendship</strong> (above), built in 1988 in cooperation with Sydney's sister city <strong>Guangzhou</strong> (<strong>Canton</strong>).</p>
<p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Vancouver_Chinatown_16.JPG/640px-Vancouver_Chinatown_16.JPG" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Vancouver_Chinatown_16.JPG/640px-Vancouver_Chinatown_16.JPG?width=640" alt="640px-Vancouver_Chinatown_16.JPG?width=640" width="640" /></a></p>
<p><strong><br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;">Vancouver</span><br /> <br /> </strong> San Francisco's fellow Pacific-Rim North American city also been receiving enormous immigration from across the pond for more than a century, and these days Wong, Chan, and Lee are among the most common names here (some have waggishly dubbed the city "<strong>Hongcouver</strong>"). <a href="http://love2fly.iberia.com/2015/01/vancouver-british-columbia-canada-travel/" target="_blank">Vancouver</a>'s bustling main <a href="http://www.vancouver-chinatown.com/" target="_blank">Chinatown</a> (which touts itself as "North America's cleanest", lol), revolving around downtown's <strong>Pender Street</strong> (above), dates back to the <strong>Shanghai Alley</strong> and <strong>Canton Alley</strong> of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Besides the usual pan-Asian restaurants, herbal shops, and other traditional emporia, there are a number of landmarks and attractions well worth noting, such as the <strong><a href="http://www.cccvan.com/#!about1/c1iek" target="_blank">Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver</a></strong>, <strong>Sam Kee Building</strong> (the world's narrowest!), and the <a href="http://vancouverchinesegarden.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden</strong></a> (which hosts a multi-day "temple fair" to mark the new year).</p>
<p><span class="font-size-1"><em><br /> photos | <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_draak.jpg" target="_blank">Caseman</a>, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinatown,_London.jpg" target="_blank">Aurelien Guichard</a>, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG" target="_blank">chensiyuan</a>, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris-olympiades-wikimedia.jpg" target="_blank">thbz</a>, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_Garden_of_Friendship_(looking_back_at_city).jpg" target="_blank">Wyncliffe</a>, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vancouver_Chinatown_16.JPG" target="_blank">Xicotencatl</a></em></span></p>
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