If you think San Francisco is all about the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars, you're right, it is. However, in addition to these well-known symbols, the city has rich history, beautiful architecture, but the main thing that its residents are proud of is the unofficial title of the most free city in a world that San Francisco proudly wears. At different times, in some amazing way it became a center of attraction for adventurers and out-of-the-box thinkers - it is no coincidence that the hippie movement was born here.

Golden Gate Bridge - " business card" San Francisco Understanding why this city is the “freest” is not so difficult if you remember the history of San Francisco. Indians lived on its territory for tens of thousands of years, but in 1776 the Spaniards arrived here. At that time the settlement was called Yerba Buena. In 1848, the city began to develop and grow rapidly - mainly due to the epidemic" Golden fever", which covered these places; it was then that it received its modern name. In just a year, the population of San Francisco increased from 1,000 to 25,000 people; people came here from all over the world in search of work, but especially many people from China. China Town still occupies a significant part of the city, a fifth of the population of San Francisco, are Chinese.

In 1906, the city was almost destroyed by a strong earthquake, during which three thousand people died and another 300 thousand were left homeless. However, over time it was restored. In the 80s of the last century, there was another devastating earthquake in the city, which destroyed the highway that ran along the embankment. By the way, they didn’t restore it, but now the city has a wonderful walking area.

Today, San Francisco is one of the most vibrant cities in America, home to many cultures and nationalities. The hippie revolution that happened here in the late 60s of the last century turned it into a center of attraction for creative, unconventional and free-thinking people. Some of them are still here today - those who took part in the Summer of Love festival in 1967, speaking on the side of the sexual revolution and proclaiming personal freedom as the highest good a person can have.

Participants of the Summer of Love festival in San Francisco

San Francisco, late 60s In the 1980s, San Francisco once again became an epicenter of dissent, this time thanks to homosexuals who first felt free here. Today, almost 15 percent of the city's residents are representatives of sexual minorities - this is more than in any other city in the world. By the way, it was here, in the gay quarter of Castro, that the symbol of the LGBT community once appeared - the rainbow flag. Harvey Milk, the first American politician to openly declare his sexuality, also lived here. However, adherents of traditional love feel no less free here.

To get to know San Francisco, a couple of days is not enough - this place is worth spending at least a week here.

Marina Savelyeva (HELLO.RU) “grabbed” the symbol of the city - the cable tram Most travelers first rush to see the main attraction captured on every postcard - the Golden Gate Bridge. However, the bridge is far from the most interesting thing in this city. What is truly surprising here are the people. Elderly hippies, street musicians, gays and married couples with children do not interfere with each other at all, living side by side.

Dolores Park in San Francisco In addition to walking, during which it is best to get to know the townspeople, renting housing from local residents. Instead of checking into hotels located in the tourist center of the city, it is much better to opt for one of the options available in abundance on the Airbnb website and spend a week in a regular residential area.

Haight-Ashbury area.

This is one of the most interesting areas of the city. Firstly, one of the few neighborhoods that were not destroyed by the 1906 earthquake. Accordingly, Haight-Ashbury retains ancient buildings dating back to the 19th century. Secondly, this particular area is considered the birthplace of hippies. In the 50s of the 20th century, one could buy the cheapest housing in the city here, which provoked an influx of representatives of countercultures. As a result, in 1967, the center of this “movement” was formed here - thousands of people from all over the world celebrated the “Summer of Love”. By the 1980s, it had already become part of history, and now Haight-Ashbury is considered a fairly prestigious area to live in. Artists and musicians live here, next to hippies, who can still be found here. While walking around Haight-Ashbury, don’t be afraid to turn into alleys - there you can see a lot of bright graffiti that is painted on the walls of houses. Most of them are original slogans with the help of which “flower children,” just like 50 years ago, call for love and freedom. By the way, graffiti is not only in this area, there is a lot of it throughout the city.

Graffiti depicting Carlos Santana, who lived in San FranciscoGraffiti in San Francisco takes up entire streets

An area where for every square meter there is a symbol of the LGBT community. Rainbow flags can be seen in every window, all souvenirs in stores have the same symbols. Even the crosswalk in Castro is colorful! And this is not just like that. Castro is a gay neighborhood.

LGBT symbols are everywhere in the Castro area

Entire generations of people free from prejudice have grown up in San Francisco.

However, you shouldn’t expect to be surrounded by scantily clad men on the streets, standing up for their right to love each other. Residents of this area have not been proving anything to anyone for a long time - they just live. If it weren’t for the multi-colored flags (which mostly appeared here in support of the recently passed law in the United States allowing representatives of sexual minorities to enter into legal marriage), you would hardly immediately understand how this area differs from others. Perhaps after a couple of hours, sitting in a cafe or standing in line at the checkout in a store, you would involuntarily catch yourself thinking that there are mostly men around.

Chinatown

As already mentioned, a fifth of San Francisco's population is Chinese. They are mostly descendants of immigrants who arrived here in the 19th century in search of work. However, if you decide to get around the city by taxi, every other driver will be Chinese and will most likely speak terrible English. During the earthquake, China Town was destroyed and then completely rebuilt. Today the district occupies a fairly large area in the city.

Lombard Street

The steepest street in the city in every sense, one section of which has an inclination angle of 27 degrees. Speed Vehicle The speed limit here is 8 km/h, but no one is trying to go faster: mostly tourists come to Lombard Street who want to take a closer look at the street and therefore are in no hurry to pass quickly.

Vintage shops

For lovers of vintage and flea markets, San Francisco is a real paradise. In the numerous shops located throughout the city, you can find anything from designer jewelry for $2-3 to a spectacular leather chair from the 50s for $80.

Decades of fashion - one of the largest stores with vintage items

Showcase of the Decades of fashion store: here you can buy both real antique clothing items and modern ones, made in an antique style.

A dress with history can be bought for $30And a real vintage bathing suit - for $15

Silicon Valley

In the southwest of San Francisco lies Silicon Valley (or Silicon Valley, as we call it) - the largest technology center in the world. It is home to technical universities and the head offices of Adobe, Apple, eBay, Google, Facebook, Oracle, Yahoo!, LinkedIn and many other companies. The staff includes some of the best scientists in the world, many of whom reside in San Francisco. If you have the opportunity to visit any of these offices, go - you won't regret it. Internal organization organizations is unusual and interesting. Airbnb was also founded in San Francisco in 2008 and is headquartered here.

After walking the streets and observing the life of local residents, you can go on “spot” excursions - visit the famous Pier 39, where dozens of sea lions rest, and have lunch at Fisherman's Wharf. The best view of the city opens from Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. At a height of 210 meters, you can take excellent panoramic pictures of the city; entry to the tower is free, but you will have to pay to go to the observation deck.

The famous Pier 39 is a favorite place for sea lions

Another place that it would be criminal not to visit when arriving in San Francisco is the famous Alcatraz prison. It is located on the island of the same name, which can be seen from the pier. Now the prison has been disbanded, within the walls of the gloomy buildings there is a museum that reminds visitors that at the beginning of the 20th century there was one of the strictest prisons in the world, where especially dangerous criminals served their sentences. The narrow windows of the cells were positioned in such a way that the prisoners could see the city and free life in it, realizing even more clearly that it was now inaccessible to them. It is believed that not a single prisoner managed to escape from Alcatraz, although attempts were made. Even those who managed to leave its walls could not reach the shore alive due to the cold waters and strong currents in the bay.

View of the island and Alcatraz prison from Coit Tower

It's also worth taking a look at the Painted Ladies, six colorful houses in the Alamo Square area. These and several thousand more houses were built in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. The earthquake destroyed most of the buildings, but these six houses remained intact. The fashion for bright, colorful houses at the end of the 19th century was widespread, local newspapers even wrote that if someone's house does not have a lemon or, for example, bright blue tint, then its owner simply has no taste. Following these houses, also called the "Six Sisters", "Painted Ladies" began to be called the colorful houses of the Victorian era throughout America.

And finally, about the Golden Gate. This red bridge, almost 2.5 kilometers long, is a symbol of San Francisco. Despite the beauty of the object, it has a rather dark reputation. People called the Golden Gate the “suicide bridge”, because over the almost 80 years of its existence, more than 1,000 people said goodbye to their lives with its help. The thick fog that envelops the bridge most of the time looks impressive and mysterious on postcards, but in real life it can make it difficult to see the bridge. So when planning a trip to Golden Gate, be sure to check the weather forecast.

Marina Savelyeva (HELLO.RU)

A few more tips:

1. For the USA, San Francisco has a well-developed system public transport, however, local residents prefer to travel by car. So when planning a trip, be prepared to spend $30 to $50 a day on a 20-minute round trip. Or you can travel by bus, it will cost you 5-7 dollars per day, but a taxi is, of course, more convenient and faster.

2. Getting around the city will be easier if you use Uber taxi services. In American Uber, everything is exactly the same as in Russian, and you don’t even have to reinstall the application on your phone - it will simply adapt to the country on the spot. However, there is one caveat: in America, Uber includes a Pool function, by selecting which you can take a travel companion along the way and split the bill in half with him.

3. Writer Jack London was born in San Francisco, actors Robin Williams and Savely Kramarov lived here, and the houses of Carlos Santana and Steven Spielberg are still located here to this day. Find out in advance where they lived to see the city through their eyes.

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History of the city of San Francisco

In March 1776, in the northern part of the peninsula, where the city of San Francisco is now located, the presidio was founded - the first Spanish military fort and the first Catholic mission - Mission Dolores. On forty unnamed hills grew the fragrant grass "Uerba buena", so the first settlement that arose here in 1835 was called - "Yerba buena" ("Good grass").

In 1846, this settlement was taken over by the Americans, who, in the hope of heaven's favor, renamed it San Francisco - in honor of Francis of Assisi. At first, only a few dozen people lived in the village, and its economic activity was less than in the Ross Fortress, founded 120 kilometers north by the Russian-American Company for the fishing of sea animals and the fur trade.

But Saint Francis did not disappoint: two years later gold was discovered here, and thousands of fortune-seekers rushed to the previously unknown Californian village with a population of only 500 people. If in 1848 only 15 ships visited the unknown port, then the next year - already 755. Railway It wasn’t here yet, but the adobe village with lightning speed turned into a city and soon became a port of world importance. Five years later, San Francisco already had 50,000 residents.

In order not to sleep in tents or under awnings, the settlers brought prefabricated houses with them: although there was plenty of forest around, people were in a hurry to search for gold. Several hundred ships on which the settlers arrived also served as housing, restaurants and even a prison.

"History of the City of San Francisco"

People of many different nationalities contributed to the development of San Francisco, and as a result of decades of the Gold Rush, it became a city of many religions, languages ​​and cultures.

The first urban plan for San Francisco was developed by the Irish engineer D.O. Farrell. He planned to create a large boulevard in the city similar to the Champs Elysees in Paris and therefore, despite numerous protests, he drew a wide Market Street diagonally to the already laid streets. It became the central thoroughfare of the city.

In 1856, the French architect Verseman transported the house from his homeland and built several more in San Francisco based on its model. Houses from Holland, England, Scotland appeared in a similar way; In the 1850s, spacious buildings for restaurants were imported from Belgium, and granite houses were built exclusively by the Chinese, since only they could read the instructions included with the stone blocks arriving from China.

Rich citizens usually invited world-famous architects to build their mansions. The city grew, developed and became more beautiful; magnificent buildings of public institutions and hotels, industrial corporations and banks were erected in it. Moreover, not only gold, but also silver, discovered in 1859 in the neighboring state of Nevada, ended up in the banks.

Architecturally, San Francisco was a bizarre mixture of old and new buildings. Many of them were built without any consideration for possible natural disasters, and yet the San Andreas Fault runs near the city - a kind of giant “scar” stretching through heterogeneous natural areas.

Since its founding, San Francisco has experienced many earthquakes, some of which even caused minor destruction. But none of the city residents thought about a serious danger.

In the early morning of April 18, 1906, there was also no sign of trouble: the weather the day before was fine, the warm evening attracted masses of people to the parks and theaters, restaurants and cafes were full of visitors even after midnight. Meteorologists predicted clear, calm weather, and the day promised to be cool. But at 5:11 am local time the first blow was heard, from which many residents woke up; it was followed by the second - the strongest and most destructive, after which there was a whole series of tremors, but weaker.

A terrible roar and crack of bursting buildings, like a crushing tornado, swept through the streets. The underground shock, which lasted only 40 seconds, shook multi-storey buildings, heaved alleys, broke power lines, burst gas and electrical pipes... The asphalt warped, cobblestones flew out of the pavement, tram rails were torn, carriages and cars overturned. A giant cloud of dust shot up into the sky and obscured the sun. The sudden darkness enveloped all of San Francisco, and only the bright glow of the fires flashed brightly and alarmingly. A beautiful city, located in a cozy green bay, the resort city turned into flaming ruins in a matter of seconds...

In memory of this earthquake, every year on April 18 at 5:11 a.m., residents of San Francisco gather at the “Lotta Fountain” located on Market Street.

"History of the City of San Francisco"

According to a long-standing tradition, they go to paint the “golden hydrant”, through which water was continuously supplied for three days to extinguish the fire.

The city was revived very quickly, and already in 1915 it hosted the Panama-Pacific Exhibition, held in honor of the opening of the canal. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first high-rise buildings began to be erected in San Francisco, many of which still adorn the city center today. The heart of the financial district is a forest of skyscrapers built from glass, steel and concrete. One of the symbols of the city was the building of the Transamerica Corporation - a pyramidal structure built in 1972.

The symbol of the city is the elegant orange-red Golden Gate Bridge, spanning the Golden Gate Strait - the longest suspension bridge in the world. It opened to traffic on May 27, 1937, creating a direct route between San Francisco and Marin County. That’s when those who insisted that such a bridge was impossible to build fell silent.

And the construction of the bridge was truly difficult: there were even accidents with workers who, in the most difficult conditions, struggled for 4 years with floods, fast currents and thick fog to build this 1,730-meter-long bridge. The most difficult task was laying the foundation for the southern piles of the bridge, but the builders coped with this task...

Golden Gate was painted from the very beginning with orange-red paint, which is always used when constructing steel structures.

"History of the City of San Francisco"

Such paints contain a lead component, which protects the steel from rust; in addition, the color of the bridge is clearly visible in the often thickening fogs.

North of Golden Gate is the famous San Francisco Park, whose first architect was W.H. Hall. After him, the park was looked after by the Scot D. McLaren, who planted about 2 million trees here and created many attractions in the park. He even developed special rules of conduct, for example, he forbade workers to wear gloves and smoke while working. D. McLaren was completely indifferent to park sculptures, and if they were installed, he tried to quickly hide them behind overgrown bushes.

The city park was built on sand dunes, and everything in it - hills, waterfalls, valleys, lakes, islands - was created by human hands. In the Golden Gate oasis there are, for example, several gardens at once - the Biblical Garden, the Garden of Aromas and others. There is also a Shakespeare Garden in the park, where trees that are mentioned in the works of the great English playwright are specially grown.

San Francisco, by the standards of Europe and Asia, is a very young city; its oldest stones are no more than 200 years old. Today's San Francisco is changing and becoming prettier, and at the same time the city carefully preserves the memory of times past. Here they try to preserve not only ancient houses, but even their individual details, for example, the facades of buildings damaged by earthquakes and fires.

In 1978, the San Francisco Civic Center, built in a neoclassical style, was declared a national landmark.

Several buildings made of gray granite are picturesquely located around the square of J. Marshall, the carpenter who first discovered the gold mine.

If you enter San Francisco from the south, the urban changes here are immediately noticeable. The plum and apricot orchards have disappeared, and entire villages of caravans line the road. Relatively few skyscrapers were built in the city, and when constructing modern buildings, architects tried to combine their architecture with the traditional style of the Spanish period.

San Francisco has changed less than other American cities in recent decades. This is a city of white two-story mansions built in the style of Victorian architecture. It seems that they all look alike, but in reality there are no similarities. When you look at San Francisco from Twin Peaks, almost the entire city appears in the clear air: white, sparkling, with bays and bridges in its eastern part and with the foggy outlines of the ocean in the western part. It’s not for nothing that America’s advertising brochures say: “You will leave your heart in San Francisco!”

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TRAVEL NOTES

SAN FRANCISCO

PART 1: VICTORIAN HOUSES, MARINA AND PALACE OF FINE ARTS.

01. We continue to explore the American continent with AutoTour. Traveling along the Pacific coast almost from the very border with Mexico, every day we saw new cities that were different from each other and discovered a completely different California. Today will be no exception. Welcome to San Francisco!

02. We stopped for the night in the neighboring city of San Jose, just 50 miles from San Francisco. Few people know, but San Jose is larger in population than its famous neighbor and is the third largest city in California. We enter San Francisco via the giant bridge from Oakland San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, which runs across the bay. The journey is paid and its cost depends on the time of day.

03. The bridge consists of two parts, which are separated by a tunnel that goes straight through Yerba Buena Island. The total length is more than seven kilometers. The western section of the bridge consists of two levels. You arrive in San Francisco along the upper part, enjoying a good view, and back for free along the lower, non-picturesque level. In my opinion, everything is extremely fair.

04. The eastern part of the bridge combines traffic in both directions on the same level and is the widest bridge in the world. The bridge opened in 1936, six months before the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge. By the way, initially cars only traveled on the upper level of the bridge, and trains and trucks traveled below.

05. The bridge is indeed quite long and has a dense flow of cars. Therefore, you need to take care in advance not to miss your congress. This is how hilly San Francisco appears to our eyes. Look how densely the mountains are dotted with small houses.

06. We go to the Embarcadero embankment - one of the main transport and pedestrian streets of the city. There are always a lot of tourists and local residents walking here; they have been allocated a wide pedestrian zone, which is not inferior in size to the roadway. And there are palm trees and palm trees everywhere, this is California.

07. Remember how convenient San Diego and Los Angeles turned out to be for motorists? In San Francisco, you need to forget about it and switch to two-wheeled transport without any questions asked. The limited space of the peninsula on which the city is located does not make it possible to build wide overpasses and highways, parking is expensive by Californian standards, and STOP signs are installed almost every 100 meters.

08. Therefore, we leave our cars in a private parking lot and go on foot to explore the city. The first thing that catches your eye in San Francisco is the incredibly diverse and colorful architecture of small houses. I doubt that you will be able to find two buildings similar to each other.

09. Hardly any other American city can tell such an extensive history of architecture. Time passed, and the city did not cease to adopt all the new and diverse trends in the construction of houses.

10. Since the middle of the century before last, houses similar to Italian cottages and villas have gained the greatest popularity. Unfortunately, most of them burned down after the 1906 earthquake. Also, many houses of those times were built using sequoia trees from neighboring forests.

11. In the 1920s, there was a demand for uniqueness, fueled by monotonous assembly line production and soaring middle-class incomes. The idea was that each object was endowed with its own soul and was deprived of a factory mark. This trend is fully reflected in the construction of new houses.

12. Most houses are covered with plaster, which traditionally takes on every imaginable pastel color. You get the impression that different varieties of delicious ice cream are lined up in front of you: vanilla, pistachio, peach, chocolate. Very tasty houses.

13. In the 1930s, the effects of the Great Depression and the spread of uniform international styles gave birth to the minimalist style in San Francisco. The architects drew inspiration not from the country's historical heritage, but from simple forms of industrial technology.

14. In the 1950s, the era of space exploration began, and, of course, new houses tried to embody an unearthly appearance in their appearance as much as possible. During construction, the most advanced methods of space planning and construction were used, with great preference given to glass.

15. New styles continued to appear, but there was absolutely not enough space for them. Not only the city center, but also all surrounding areas were completely built up with houses. Therefore, modern buildings can often be found on distant hills and mountain slopes. But from there there are excellent views of the city and the bay.

16. San Francisco has always been a center of radical change. From civil rights and women's rights to the sexual revolution and rock 'n' roll, this spirit of freedom continually produced a vibrant mixture of views, people, art and styles. And this diversity has always suited the city very harmoniously, leaving its special unique charm of free San Francisco on the streets year after year.

17. Regardless of the time of construction, all houses are very similar in terms of functionality. On the ground floor there is almost always a garage and utility rooms. The second floor is a full-fledged living room, usually with a large panoramic window, and above there are one or two floors of rooms or a rooftop patio.

18. Right here on the shores of the Marina Green area we came across a very unusual sports ground. It turns out that this is a pilot project by the National Fitness Campaign to implement a cool concept of next-generation public sports fields. Anyone can practice here absolutely free of charge according to the special program “7 exercises in 7 minutes”.

19. This area has become especially convenient for runners, who can now warm up before jogging along the bay. The creators of the project want to convey to the population the importance of exercise and healthy eating in everyday life. As planned, such Fitness Court sites should become widespread. This is indeed a very correct and necessary project for a healthy city.

20. Parallel to the beautiful houses, expensive yachts and boats of local residents lined up in the same orderly rows along the embankment. Convenient parking across the street from the house.

21. Thanks to its convenient natural bay, San Francisco has one of the largest ports on the West Coast.

22. For lovers of luxury holidays, several yacht clubs are open here. Golden Gate Yacht Club has been in existence since 1939 and is the current winner of the America's Cup Regatta, which is recognized as the world's oldest international competition of all sports and has been held since 1848. The most prestigious national and international competitions are held annually in San Francisco.

23.Also, every year a section of the AutoTour across America route runs through San Francisco.

24. Was your yacht stolen? Call the police immediately! In the past, when mobile and landline telephones were not ubiquitous, such communication stations installed on many streets were used by the police and other city services. A direct line immediately connected police officers or firefighters to the control room.

25. Probably in no other US city have we seen so many cyclists and such a developed cycling infrastructure. The reason for the constantly growing popularity of this type of transport is the fairly compact location of San Francisco within the borders of the peninsula and the mild, warm climate throughout the year.

26. Both tourists and locals find it easier and faster to get to places of interest, to work or to the store by bike than to waste valuable time on traffic or finding parking. Despite being hilly, many parts of the city are quite flat and comfortable for cyclists. Ideal road separation - enough space allocated for everyone - pedestrians, bicycles and cars are happy.

27. Look, the bike lane has the highest traffic density. This is despite the fact that since 2009, the length of bike lanes has nearly doubled to more than 80 miles. According to statistics, approximately 16% of local residents regularly use a bicycle, and this figure is constantly growing. It is expected that by 2020, 20% of the entire population of San Francisco will ride a bicycle.

28. An incredible number of events take place in the city to increase interest in cycling. Up to 10 times a year on Sundays, car traffic is selectively blocked, giving the streets entirely to pedestrians and cyclists. Every last Friday of the month at six o'clock in the evening hundreds of cyclists organize bike rides. In addition, there are many different festivals and cool events.

29. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition made a great contribution to the development of cycling ideology. For example, anyone can install an application on their phone that will track their movements on a bicycle. Based on the collected data, the streets that most need bicycle lanes are subsequently identified. San Francisco is very fond of cyclists.

30. Those who don’t want to pedal can ride around the city on this three-wheeled mini-transport. Rent will cost from $50 per hour. Inside the voice guide with a navigator. It's probably fun.

31. From the embankment you can clearly see one of the most famous prisons in the world - Alcatraz. Until 1934, Alcatraz was a long-term military prison with a fairly mild regime. The prisoners helped local residents with housework and were even allowed to build their own baseball field.

32. In 1934, Alcatraz was completely rebuilt, leaving no chance for prisoners to escape. The prison became federal and only the most dangerous criminals were sent here, including Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and others. In the 29 years of operation of the prison, there is supposedly not a single successful escape.

33. In 1963, the prison on Alcatraz ceased to function, and in 1971 the island was opened to tourists. Now everyone can be inside the cells in the place of the most famous gangsters, bandits and murderers of the 20th century. The legendary prison can be accessed from Pier 33 for just $30.

34. Almost along its entire length, the embankment is designated as pleasant and convenient parks.

35. Here you can also see a very cool architectural structure - the Palace of Fine Arts. It was built back in 1915 during the Panama-Pacific Exposition, and is one of the few surviving buildings from that time.

36. The palace stands out very much among the surrounding landscape and will certainly impress every visitor. Although this monumental work of art was not always used for its intended purpose. Since 1934, there have been tennis courts, a military warehouse, limousine parking and even a fire department headquarters.

37. The initial structure was made of lightweight, fragile materials, and due to partial deformations in 1964, the Palace of Fine Arts had to be completely destroyed and restored. After some time, an interactive museum and theater with almost a thousand seats were opened here.

38. Many tourists and wedding couples walk among the Greek columns and rotunda. This atmospheric place can rightfully be considered one of the symbols of San Francisco.

39. Spread around the palace big park with an artificial lake where swans and ducks constantly swim.

40. We return to the bay promenade and continue on our way to our main destination.

41. No one can resist taking a photo and selfie in front of the most recognizable bridge in the country.

- a city that grew out of the Good Grass.
Located in the west of the state of California, the administrative center of the district of the same name. The largest commercial, financial and industrial city of the American West. The epicenter of the 19th century gold rush. The capital of all informal youth movements of the 20th century.

San Francisco. What enthusiastic epithets were bestowed upon him! Beautiful, dazzling, mysterious ... Connoisseurs say: San Francisco is the most picturesque city America. Solid and reliable, with many banks and corporations, and at the same time free and rebellious. He is hailed by the staunch romantic Jack London as "the world's home port of romantic adventures." And Robert Stevenson remarked: “This is the City of Gold, to which adventurers are carried by all the winds of heaven. I am amazed that the charm of a thousand and one nights has become a reality in a single generation.”

By American standards, San Francisco is not very big. Bounded by the ocean and natural terrain, it covers an area of ​​122 sq. kilometer And in terms of population (730 thousand) it is not among the top ten major cities U.S.A. But, nevertheless, with the suburbs of the Santa Clara Valley and the city of San Jose San Francisco forms a huge metropolis (6.3 million people). Silicon Valley, where engineers and programmers work and new “high” technologies are created, is located right within its boundaries. The center of the US electronics industry produces a fifth of the world's electronics.

The city is located at the very tip of the peninsula and is surrounded on three sides by the ocean. But San Francisco can be called a resort conditionally. It is washed by the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. Thick fog envelops the city every night, and cool sea breezes disperse it only in the morning. There is no cold winter here, but there is no really hot summer either. The temperature throughout the year stays within +20° C. Mark Twain said about the local weather: “The coldest winter of my life was in the summer in San Francisco.” Romantics call San Francisco the city of eternal spring, and skeptics call it eternal autumn.
“Frisco”, “City”, “City by the Bay” - these are the nicknames the Americans awarded their favorite. And if California in America is called the “Golden State,” then San Francisco can be called the “Golden City.” Much in it, one way or another, reminds us of a noble metal. Golden Gate Bay, the bridge that connects the peninsula to the mainland is the Golden Gate. The beautiful city park is also called “Golden Gate”.

But don’t forget that the city’s history began much earlier than the Gold Rush. The first to visit here, in 1542, were the ships of the Portuguese Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who served the Spanish crown. In 1579, the famous English pirate F. Drake sailed off these shores. But the first settlement was founded only in 1775, when spanish sailors We found a bay with a convenient bay. They founded Fort Presido and the village of Yerba Buepa in this place, which translated meant “Good Grass.” It was from this “Good Grass” that the future city actually grew. Later, the tireless Spaniards missionaries built a church, which received the name of St. Francis of Azis. In 1848, Mexico lost the war with the United States and gave them the upper part of California, which included a small coastal village. The Americans began to call the town the same as the church - San Francisco.
The city began counting down its prosperity on August 19, 1848. It was on that day that the New York Herald newspaper published a sensational message: a gold deposit had been discovered in California, on the Sacramento River. This information was later confirmed by US President James Knox Polk. From that time on, settlers began to arrive in the small town with a population of five hundred people in search of fortune. In 1849, the city was inhabited by more than 10,000 adventurers, and in 1850 there were already one hundred thousand. Not only Americans came here for good luck. Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Greeks, Filipinos, Scandinavians, Mexicans, this is not a complete list of nationalities. All of them settled in their communities around the city, forming a kind of conglomerate. Now, traveling around San Francisco, you can find yourself in amazing places where residents religiously preserve the traditions of their native places.

Chinatown - Chinatown of San Francisco. This is one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia with more than 60 thousand people, and the largest in America. Walking through the streets of the quarter, you plunge into the unique atmosphere of a Chinese city - numerous pagoda-shaped buildings, ethnic restaurants, and souvenir shops. All inscriptions on cafes and shops are duplicated in Chinese and made in oriental style, and the houses of residents are painted in colors that, according to legend, should bring good luck to their owners. Red gives happiness, green - longevity, yellow promises the owner a good fate, and black - money.

Describing the history of San Francisco, one cannot help but touch upon the “Russian question” in North America. One of the 42 hills on which the city is located is called Russian Hill. Here in the middle of the 19th century. The graves of Russian seal hunters working for the Russian-American Company were discovered. And not far from Yurod, if you go north along Freeway No. 1, there are the restored remains of the wooden fortress Fort Ross, founded by Russian settlers in 1812. It is sad to realize that it was from the Russians that the enterprising American Sutter bought the land on which, eight years after the sale, gold was first discovered. Now “Russian quarters” are located in the Richmond area. Russians, like other ethnic groups of emigrants, try to preserve their identity. There are Russian restaurants, Russian cinemas showing exclusively Russian films, Russian newspapers, many of which are delivered from Moscow.

California also attracts Americans with its own lifestyle, which is so different from other states. Not only emigrants from abroad move here, internal immigration is strong here. The incredible mixture of races and peoples in the city created here an extraordinary freedom of morals and tolerance for other people's way of life. For its free inhabitants there are absolutely no strict Puritan traditions. The city's bars have become legendary. The weakness of local residents for strong drinks was emphasized by “Mr. San Francisco” - Herb Kane, a well-known local historian who devoted his whole life to studying his city: “San Francisco learned to drink in the days of the gold rush and improves in this capacity all his life.” And in the 50-60s of the XX century. San Francisco has become the capital of a global counterculture that has challenged the morals and tastes of a world of well-fed and limited laymen.

Young rebels Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg created in the 1950s the Beat generation philosophy and its new values, among which the motorcycle, alcohol, poetry and jazz are in the first place. You can go to City Light, where Allen Ginsberg read Howl. Or visit City Lights in North Beach, the former headquarters of the Beats. Now it is one of the richest and most interesting bookstores in the United States.
Hight-Ashbury is a neighborhood in San Francisco from which a generation of hippies roamed the world. Compared to the more aggressive beatniks, the "flower children" preferred passing cars, drugs, oriental teachings and rock. The hippies staged a half-million "Summer of Love" here in 1967, the culmination of their movement. Now the area for tourists has been put into museum order. One of its attractions is the wild-colored psychedelic bus that Ken Kesey, the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, cultized by Hollywood Czech Miklash Forman, drove across America.

One of the symbols of free America - the famous jeans - was born here. Work pants for gold miners from Levi Strauss have become the iconic clothes of the rebellious generation. The mass fashion for them came with the beatniks, from the Hollywood images of James Dean and Marlon Brando. Against the backdrop of all the ups and downs, the history of this clothing is very indicative. It was working, then rebellious, and now the average American or European cannot imagine his life without comfortable casual trousers.
San Francisco is still one of the world leaders in the non-standard approach to life. The city is the most famous center of the civil rights movement for sexual minorities. On Christopher Street, seven-color flags are hung in the windows of many houses to ensure that no one doubts the sexual orientation of their residents.

San Francisco is located in a seismically dangerous area and does not have the San Andreas Cleft running underneath it. Now Oma “behaves” relatively calmly - 100 shocks per month with a force of less than 1 point. In modern houses such small tremors are almost unnoticeable. You notice them only when the paintings on the walls periodically change their position. But there were times when the elements showed themselves in all their power. Strong earthquakes were recorded here in 1812 and 1865. From 1849 to 1852, San Francisco experienced major fires caused by underground vibrations six times. In 1906, it was almost completely destroyed by a strong earthquake and the subsequent large fire. But the city was always rebuilt. It is no coincidence that its coat of arms is decorated with the legendary Phoenix bird, reborn not from the ashes, but from a ring of flame. After the last destruction, restoration proceeded at a truly “Stakhanovite” pace. Already in 1915, San Francisco was restored to the point that it could host international exhibition Panama International.
The city's desire for constant development is characterized by the fact that during the Great Depression, when the United States was going through hard times, an ingenious project was implemented here, which has now become a symbol of San Francisco - the Golden Gate Bridge. This is one of the longest (total length - 2730 m, central span - 1280 m) and beautiful bridges in the world. It spans the bay and connects the city to the mainland. It has six lanes of traffic, and for walkers there are two walking paths. If you look down from the bridge, at the fog swirling below, then there is a fantastic feeling of flight. The romantic image of the bridge and the strait of the same name was sung by Jack London: “The Golden Gate really gilded in the rays of the setting sun, and behind them the immense expanses of the Pacific Ocean opened up. Behind them are the Pacific Ocean, China, Japan, India, and... Coral Islands. You can sail anywhere through the Golden Gate, to Australia, to Africa, to seal rookeries, to the North Pole, to Cape Horn.”

The history of the bridge's creation is very interesting. People began to think about the need for its construction at the very beginning of the 20th century, when cars appeared in the lives of city residents. The initial estimate for the project was $100 million.
The amount was indeed very substantial, so such projects were not taken seriously. But Joseph Straus, an experienced engineer, said that he would meet the construction cost of 27 million. By the way, the actual estimate did not exceed the promised one by much - by 8 million. Construction began in 1933, and in 1937 the bridge was inaugurated. From now on, you can get into the city directly from the mainland by paying $3 per car. And at the entrance to the bridge stands a bronze figure of engineer Joseph Straus, protecting his brainchild from all sorts of harm.

In some ways the city is typically American, in others it has its own unique features. Repeatedly rebuilt after fires, each time it became a little different, reflecting the inclinations and tastes of its architects. The main street of San Francisco is Markst Street. It was drawn by the Irishman Jasper O'Farrell diagonally to the already laid streets, taking the Champs-Elysées of Paris as a model. As elsewhere, the city center is decorated with huge skyscrapers made of glass, steel and concrete. For example, the office of the Transamerica Corporation, built in 1972, is a pyramidal building 260 meters high. Or a complex of five skyscrapers - the Embarcodero Center, designed by D. Portman.

Named after the carpenter who first discovered gold, John Marshall Square is home to the San Francisco Civic Center. The majestic buildings of gray granite, built in a classical style, were declared a landmark of national importance in 1978. The building of the City Hall (Town Hall), built in 1915, is also located here, the object of special pride of the townspeople. The dome of the Town Hall is modeled on the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the main Catholic church. It has a height of 102 m and is 4 m higher than the Washington Capitol.

Despite its business rhythm, San Francisco is conducive to unhurried walks. It is very good to walk here on foot or on special excursion trams - cable cars. The city even has a museum dedicated to the townspeople's favorite species of granporga. The tram climbs along the “humpbacked” streets with the help of steel ropes. The elevation changes in the hilly terrain are practically not felt here. On the contrary, every new turn in the road reveals another facet of the beautiful city. Almost all of modern San Francisco was built before 1935. Since the 50s of the XX century. Gelstio construction in the city, limited by the natural topography of the area, was reduced. In the 90s, a moratorium on the demolition of any buildings was declared. Therefore, houses built in the Victorian style are being replaced by buildings in the neoclassical style. Further on you can see luxurious Italian mansions and Moorish turrets - the Palace of Fine Arts, a community center, a Morris store. From the height of the Coit Tower you can admire the opening panorama of the city with its attractions - Telegraph Hill, Fort San Francisco, Historic ships.

There are a lot of museums in the city, and they all differ in variety - from serious academic to interesting everyday ones: the Museum of Asian Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Memorial Museum painting by M. H. de Young, Wells Farto Historical Museum, Maritime Museum, Wine Museum. They exhibit collections of antiques and works of art, including ancient Indian ones.
There are more than 140 theaters in the city, the most famous of which are the Opera House, the Alcazar Theater, the Orpheum Theater, as well as concert halls - the Curran, Little Fox, and On Broadway.

San Francisco is a major center of science and education. The most famous educational institutions are the University of San Francisco, the Department of the University of California, San Francisco State University, and the Conservatory. The California Academy of Sciences, founded in 1853, is also located here. It operates the Morrison Planetarium and the Steinhart Aquarium, which are open to tourists.
A distinctive feature of the city can be called its streets. Some of them have a slope of up to 35 degrees. Cars park at an acute angle to the sidewalk, otherwise they will roll away, despite the most reliable brakes. Lombard Street, located on Russian Hill, is considered the steepest and most winding street in the world. Built in the 20s of the 20th century, it became one of the symbols of the city and is included in the Guinness World Records. The circular hillside gives the street a broken outline. Without zigzags, the descent on the slope would be like moving along the chute of a ski jump. Except without snow.

Quite dense development still provides space for flowers and trees. There are more than 130 parks in the city.
Among them is the most (local “Golden Gate” - National Recreation Area. The powerful green area is the pride of not only the residents of San Francisco. This is the most Big city This is a man-made park in the United States, it covers an area of ​​411 hectares. It is difficult to imagine that such beauty was created in a “bare” place. The park was laid out on a sandy section of the seashore. The sand was reinforced with grass, and the area was fenced off with a rampart from winds from the Pacific Ocean.
Here all the lakes, waterfalls, green valleys and hills were created by the caring hands of man. Walking along the paths of the park (their total length is 43 km), you can go to the Rhododendron Valley, where the most significant collection of these plants in the world is collected, or visit the elegant Japanese Garden with a traditional Japanese house for tea ceremonies, and your feet will lead to the exquisite Garden of Aromas , or the Biblical Garden.

You can't miss the romantic Shakespearean Flower Garden. The author of such a “literary-botanical” masterpiece is Alice Eastwood. According to experts, she "created a collection full of poetic harmony." There is a wall in the garden, in which six bronze slabs with 88 quotations from Shakespeare are mounted. In the center of the wall is a safe containing a copy of the sculptural portrait of the great playwright, made from a death mask in 1620 by G. Johnson. This rarity (there are only two such portraits) was handed over to the garden from the inhabitants of Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare died.
On the territory of the park complex there is also Botanical Garden California Academy of Sciences. Here, more than 500 species of plants from all over the world are collected in the natural-scientific collection.

Golden Gate Park is a favorite vacation spot for city residents. Here you can not only admire nature, but also have a festive picnic. Or listen to one of the many concerts organized right in the open air. And for lovers of roller skates, this is a traditional gathering place. But this park could not accommodate all the natural attractions of San Francisco. For example, in Sutro Park there is the End of Land, the westernmost point of the Earth's continental surface in the direction of its rotation around its axis.
If we talk about the nature of the city, we cannot help but mention the majestic Pacific Ocean, its beaches and promenades. There is a constant surf here. Observing the endless distance, you detach yourself from everything earthly, from the worries and worries of the crazy rhythm of life. On the piers and jetties you can see rookeries of fur seals basking in the sun. City residents tell funny stories about how you can come face to face with these funny animals in the water. The beaches are located on Point Reyes, and although the water here is quite cool, there is no shortage of people wanting to swim and sunbathe.

The final touch of urban features is the local cuisine. Fast food restaurants are not particularly popular among city residents. Residents of San Francisco know a lot about the refined niche. Here they catch the most delicious crabs in the world, white sturgeon, and chikun salmon. The excellent restaurants on Rybachaya Embankment will not leave the most demanding gourmet indifferent.
Yes, San Francisco is one of the most beautiful and original cities in the United States. And Robert Stevenson very correctly said in his time: “San Francisco has only one drawback: it is difficult to leave.”

I have said more than once that the works of human hands do not really attract me. This is true. Moreover, after an oversaturated 2-week trip, solo walking and cycling trips around San Francisco did not give an explosion of emotions - fatigue made itself felt. However, a year later, processing photographs on winter nights, I began to realize how much emotion was missing. It's good that there is an opportunity to experience some moments again. Join us!

Foster City

Foster City is a kind of bedroom suburb of San Francisco, from where I rode to the big city, either on foot, or by car, or by bicycle. Although Foster himself deserves special attention. Built on artificial islands, it is riddled with canals. The streets are beautiful and quiet.

The cars are, of course, in perfect condition. Not a speck on the sidewalks. Like everywhere we went on this trip...

San Francisco

The first days I walked. Given the extreme hilliness of SF, you can't walk much. Even on a bicycle, it is sometimes difficult to climb to certain points. For example, on highest point cities - the hills of Twin Peaks. I managed to get there on my second attempt by car. This is where we will start our walk. The entire city center is under your feet!
Standing on a hill, you can outline your main goals for a walk. Here is the business center of the city with skyscrapers.
Oakland Bay Bridge is one of the 2 main bridges in the city.
And, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge!
Without leaving the spot, you can study how architecture changes from the center to the outskirts of the city. 2-3 stories is the typical maximum for residential developments in California. The climate is warm, so houses do not have to be built of stone. But despite the deceptive sunshine of the landscape, the wind constantly blows on the ocean coast and is cool even in summer. For walks, be sure to take a windbreaker, especially in the evening. The cold ocean is also responsible for San Francisco's famous fogs.

But let’s return to the impressions of the city themselves. I realized that the city cannot be taken at once. You need to get used to it, live at least a couple of days without the tourist bustle. And how good it is that I had these days. I walked around Chinatown and rode the famous cable car. San Francisco's signature attraction and historic means of transportation.



I saw the local slums and the luxury of restaurants on the top floor of a skyscraper. It wasn't hard to do. No one will stop you from simply taking the elevator there to see the panorama of the city.



Cycling was especially enjoyable. After all, the city has bicycle paths everywhere, and the local Caltrain train has special bicycle cars! In the following days, like thousands of city residents, I traveled almost the entire center and the entire coast from Golden Gate to Bay Bridge, often just filming as I went.

This footage was filmed in the vicinity of the Legion of Honor Art Museum. It is close to the waterfront and the Golden Gate Bridge. Very Beautiful places! Cozy residential areas. And this is the city center!

And here is the building of the University of San Francisco!


In the direction behind the museum there is a large park, descending its hills I went straight to the Golden Gate Bridge. Wonderful evening light...

And here he is! I have already crossed the bridge and am observing the park and the city from the other side of the bank.

Fun fact: after 9 pm, pedestrians are prohibited from walking on the bridge! But cyclists can. This is apparently due to the fact that the Golden Gate is one of the most popular places for suicides. And anyone who rides a bicycle is unlikely to suffer from acute depression. Everyone on bikes!
The structure is colossal. Judging by the information, this could not have happened without our compatriot. Odessa resident Lev Moiseev is considered one of the main architects of the bridge.

The most vivid memory from San Francisco was watching the sunset on the shore! I had to freeze on the beach, but it was worth the goosebumps.



At some point, a local solar eclipse occurred.

Perhaps these are the shots that best convey my memories. San Francisco for me is the city of sunshine straight out of postcards.