Postcards from San Francisco

'The City by the Bay', 'San Fran', 'Frisco' - San Francisco is a city that is known by many names, and known for many things. Its geography, its climate, its culture - there is so much that makes san francisco special. 

One of those is that, on one side it is home to the world's tech giants and has its fair share of skyscrapers, and yet on the other, it has landmarks, buildings, and neighbourhoods that are so full of charm and character. The very first impression that will strike one is that SF is such a picture postcard city. The list of places to be seen in sfo is no doubt a long one, but i just want to share here a handful of pics from my archives.

Any list about sanfrancisco should unquestionably begin with its most famous, most photographed and most loved landmark - which is of course that stately suspension bridge, the golden gate bridge. opened in 1937, spanning the waters of the pacific over the sf bay, it stands regally, the very symbol of san franciso to the rest of the world. it connects the city of san franciso on one end with marin county on the other, and has separate lanes for pedestrians and cyclists apart from the normal vehicular traffic.

San francisco is a beautiful city - a city built on hills. a walk around its neighbourhoods which go up and down steep slopes can leave one panting for breath, but also compensates for it with breathtaking views. this view, for instance, is from lombard street - go to the foot of the street and you'll find people squealing at the cars coming down the steep slope, gingerly navigating the eight sharp curves in what is san franciso's most popular 'crooked street'. but just turn the other way, and this beautiful view unfolds from lombard street. tree lined streets and pastel coloured buildings, with coit tower at the far right and a glimpse of the bay to the far left. 

'Painted Ladies' - That's what these victorian houses in san francisco are popularly known as. Built around the 1890s, this is probably one of the most iconic, and most photographed locations in sfo after the golden gate bridge - indeed, it has a permanent place in pretty much every souvenir from san fran. It is called the 'postcard row' for its charming picture postcard look, and is located across alamo square. it has been featured in numerous tv shows and movies, but is most remembered for the shot in the title song of the tv show 'full house'.

Ghirardelli square is a landmark of the city which traces its origins back to the 1890s, when it was the headquarters of the ghirardelli chocolate company. after the company's ownership changed hands and moved out, the old buildings were bought by concerned sanfranciscans who wanted to preserve them. the factory buildings were renovated and now house retail and restaurant spaces, and on any given day, there is a long line of people waiting to get their hands on ghirardelli's sinfully decadent sundaes in the chocolate store.

The largest chinese enclave outside asia exists in what has become one of sfo's most popular attractions - chinatown. this is also the oldest chinatown in the usa, and seen above is its 'dragon gate' entrance arch. it has a long and chequered history, but draws crowds today as an eating and shopping destination for all things chinese. if you have some time to kill, this is the place to go and roam around, for you'd find all that you'd expect to find in a chinese bazar, and then some. 

 - and with that i wrap up this brief list of sfo landmarks, but this is a city of never ending options - so if you're heading there, be sure to walk around the fishermans wharf area, cycle down the golden gate bridge, take a ferry ride over the bay and maybe visit alcatraz island, or drive down to muir woods just outside the city to be dwarfed in the presence of gigantic redwood trees hundreds of years old. theres something in here for everyone.