| Located on the USA's Pacific Coast, the city of San | | | | in the 1850s, it continues to be a massive tourist |
| Francisco is one great big melting pot full of people | | | | draw and has also featured in many popular TV |
| from all walks of life. As a result, the city has | | | | series and films. |
| developed and nurtured its own unique and highly | | | | As well as unique culture, the city also boasts equally |
| colourful cultural identity. This hugely influential city has | | | | unique landmarks. The iconic Golden Gate Bridge that |
| been largely responsible for changing attitudes and | | | | joins the city to the rest of Northern California is a |
| cultures throughout the world; and where San | | | | true engineering marvel that overlooks the infamous |
| Francisco leads, the rest of the world follows - | | | | island of Alcatraz, once considered the USA's most |
| eventually! | | | | secure prison. The Coit Tower sits proudly atop |
| Being sited on the San Andreas Fault, one of Earth's | | | | Telegraph Hill and is one of the city's more noticeable |
| most active tectonic plates, means that the residents | | | | landmarks, alongside the Tranamerica Pyramid - the |
| of San Francisco continually live with the threat of | | | | tallest skyscraper in the city. |
| earthquakes and this has certainly affected their | | | | Other San Francisco tourist hot-spots include |
| attitude to risk. Almost entirely destroyed by a | | | | Fisherman's Wharf, looking out to the Island of |
| massive earthquake in 1906, a large tremor | | | | Alcatraz. Fisherman's Wharf features a fantastic |
| devastated the city most recently in 1989, although | | | | selection of restaurants and shops and is the |
| with minimal fatalities. As a result the residents of San | | | | departure point for the tour of Alcatraz prison, which |
| Francisco have developed a uniquely different | | | | now serves as a tourist attraction devoid of any |
| approach to life, living under the daily threat of | | | | dangerous criminals! And one hot-spot is totally |
| obliteration by earthquake but ensuring that, in the | | | | unique: Lombard Street is a street like no other in the |
| meantime, their days are lived to the full. | | | | world, bedecked in flowers and winding its way up |
| Each year the people of San Francisco enjoy hosting | | | | the side of a hill in a series of hairpins that slows the |
| many street carnivals and festivals, the most famous | | | | traffic to a complete crawl. |
| being the world's largest Gay Pride parade, which | | | | To make sure you get the best out of a trip to San |
| takes place each September. Others include the | | | | Francisco aim to book into a hotel in the Union |
| Chinese New Year parade in February and the | | | | Square district, as it is very central for all the city |
| LoveFest held in late summer. The former has | | | | attractions and a hub for the legendary Street Cars. |
| developed as a result of San Francisco's Chinese | | | | And remember to book your hotel in San Francisco |
| community, and the city is home to one of North | | | | early if you're going during any of the major festivals |
| America's largest and oldest Chinatowns. Established | | | | or parades, as they soon fill up! |