Yep... another reason to LOVE SF. Culture, community, and somehow... magically clean?! Like I don't…read moreknow what spell they cast over Japantown but the usual city "aroma" is nowhere to be found lol. Just good vibes, music, anime, cosplay sightings, and me absolutely losing it over a Japanese vintage shop like it was a life event. Gifts everywhere, manga on manga on manga... I blinked and suddenly I needed everything. You can literally watch fresh udon being made, bounce between ramen spots, sip tea like you have your life together, and yes... plenty of veggie and vegan friendly options so we're all thriving. And the history? Not just cute... it's legit. This is the OLDEST Japantown in the U.S. and one of only three left, built after the 1906 earthquake when Japanese communities relocated here and made it their cultural home (Japantown Cultural District⁠). It was once a booming hub with hundreds of businesses before WWII internment basically wiped it out, and the community had to rebuild from scratch after . So yeah... what you're walking through now is resilience with really good snacks. Hit the mall, the Peace Pagoda, the paper stores (origami, stationery, art... obsessed), and all the Ghibli love. Cute AND historic... we love a neighborhood with depth.

Quality/Quantity - I am so sad as I/we felt that J-Town is going downhill. From so many businesses…read moreclosing, the high theft, car break ins, etc. It is just not the same. And this is one of my wife's favorite places. Well hopefully ALL this construction will be finished soon and improve the place... The good news is that there are so many great restaurants, including the surrounding areas. Over 200 small businesses; support local! Ambiance - 6 block area. If I were to guess, not many Japanese live here any more. The main mall is STILL under renovation; see pictures. Still open but NOT busy on this holiday. So many events, I look forward to re-attending. See website. A few of the major events are - Cherry Blossom Festival (in April), Nihonmachi Street Fair (in August), Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year), etc. And of course, there are so many great restaurants which are too many to name here. Okay, I am repeating myself, lol. Many tours available, including self guided. Just Google it. Parking - Because this is a "tourist" location, it is more prone to car break-ins, especially if you have out of state plates. I make sure I drive my CA registered cars here only now. Service - Self service. A tourist area, expect service to reflect that. Good or bad. Price - Reasonable. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1906. Sadly, only 1 of 3 are left in the US, but this one is the largest and oldest.

One of the most photographed... One of the most filmed…read morelocations in San Francisco. The Palace of the Fine Arts. Originally built for the Panama Pacific International Exposition - a world's fair celebrating San Francisco's recovery after the 1906 earthquake and fire. One of the last road trips we took before my husband passed. This place holds a lot of meaning for me. #fyp #traveltok #foryou #viral #CapCut

One of the prettiest and most photogenic places in San Francisco. The huge rotunda, the columns and…read morethe calm lagoon with swans and ducks make it feel like you've stepped into Rome... (water looks muddy though) Interesting fact: It was built for the 1915 World's Fair and wasn't supposed to last, but people loved it so much it was rebuilt in the 1960s. It's free to walk around, and you only need about 30-45 minutes unless you're into photography. Parking is mostly free street parking in the Marina District. We parked near crissy fields and just walked to this place. Weekends get tight, so read the signs for time limits. Great for sunrise or golden hour when the crowds are smaller and the light is soft. A must-stop if you like photos or architecture.

"You see that mansion up there on the hill? They say Charles Manson lived there, in the top room…read moreof the house." That was my first introduction to The Westerfeld House from the drugged out property manager who used to manage my apartment building - and he was wrong (surprise!) But there is a tie to the Manson Family: One of its members lived there until he moved to Spawn Ranch. And rumor is Charles Manson did visit a few times. Tom Wolfe even wrote about The Westerfeld House in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test calling it, "A great old shambling Gothic house, a freaking decayed giant known as 'The Russian Embassy.'" (I'm curious if one of my mom's law school friends crashed there because she was one of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters. It IS a small little world in which we live.) Built by a wealthy chocolatier then sold to the architect of the Palace Hotel, the Westerfeld House was built in 1889 for the then-grand sum of just under $10,000 ($27M in today's money) and is now a designated Landmark and privately owned. It housed a nightclub called "Dark Eyes" in the late 1920s just before the stock market crash then it was divided up into a boarding house in the '40s. In the '60s, Joplin and Big Brother & The Holding Company and the Grateful Dead used to hang out at The Westerfeld House. In the 1970s the founder of the church of Satan lived there (his pet lion left some deep claw marks in the ornate door frames and molding around the house). Longtime and current owner, Jim Siegel, apparently had Buddhist monks bless the house because of its provenance. I've gotten a chuckle over the years that its owner sometimes hangs hand-painted protest signs as window coverings: When Alamo Square became a huge tourist destination (it took a long time to be "discovered", surprisingly) it seemed like all the tour bus companies discovered it at once: There were eight or more busses every 5-8 minutes buzzing the park and blaring Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart.." And Siegel hung signs that read "Get off the damn bus, walk around and SEE the city!" In so many ways, The Westerfeld House is so very representative of San Francisco! Look for the house on Fulton at Scott that looks a bit like the Addams Family mansion and you're there.

This house is incredible with an amazing history. Truly gorgeous and fun to share with people who…read morehaven't seen it before.

The Pagoda and Peace Plaza are a beautiful and vibrant community center, and it's a city park…read more While SF Rec And Park could do a MUCH better job on helping out the community here (local report it can take forever to get repairs made to the pavement, trash cans fixed, etc etc.), the plaza and the pagoda are beautiful, whether the cherry blossoms are blooming and the festival is hopping, or it's a quiet night with few tourists. Recently added color-change LED lights on the Pagoda itself have added some spice to the nighttime view. It's a great place to people-watch, get a snack from one of the many restaurants, and see some of Japantown's history and culture. The Pagoda is wheelchair accessible up to the main level, and the Plaza is accessible, if sometimes a little bumpy due to poor maintenance. The ramps are off to the side and behind the Pagoda itself.

Beautiful structure located in Japantown. It is a symbol of peace and friendship, made in the…read more1960s, by a Japanese artist. Very cool to see.

Big things comes in small packages…read more There are several mini parks in almost every neighborhood in San Francisco, and Cottage Row is a historic district (#82000983) located in Japantown that stretches along the block of Bush and Sutter streets and flanked between Webster and Fillmore streets. I would often walk to my wife's work as part of my exercise after work. I'd start from New Montgomery & Market Street all the way to Pacific Heights, which is roughly about 3 1/2 miles or so depending on the route I take. I vary my route some days and have taken different streets that are more hilly depending how I feel that particular day. On one of my many routes, I discovered this gem of a place just a block from Japantown Center. From Sutter St., there are signs posted regarding the park in front of a brick steps and pathway that stretches one block ending on Bush St. Along the path are Victorian-era houses, which adds a unique charm to the park. The park itself is well manicured with beautiful flowers, plants and even lone Redwood tree standing tall and proudly in the center. It may be small, but this mini park actually feels very spacious due to the layout and brilliant design of the park. It definitely maximizes the space without feeling cluttered and it feels very relaxing just being here. The smell of flowers and different plants provides an illusion that you are in a forest garden. I can feel my stress levels diminish as I soak in the energy of the park. Doing some research, the brick pathway along the backside of the park used to be called Japan Street due to the families living there were primarily Japanese-Americans. Sadly, they were interned during WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor. An unfortunate time in American history that must never be forgotten and repeated. Now the park is maintained by the city, and they do a wonderful job of doing so. I can imagine the people in the neighborhood utilize this space by sitting on the benches while reading a good book; playing with their kids or grandkids; walking and playing with their dogs or enjoying a casual stroll to get some sun. Either way, it's a charming little park that is worth a visit should you be in the area.

A quiet, cozy, off the beaten path, mini park with lovely flowers and trees in between busy areas…read more Recommend, especially if you can find parking.

Beat park to sit and have a picnic at, amazing views!…read more Theres a bi-rite down the street with awesome pasta salads, would highly recommend enjoying at the top of the hill on a blanket

I've been to the Painted Ladies dozens of times. I've stopped here over the years for pictures and…read moreto sing the theme song to Full House with friends after a evening of libations and I've even had a picnic on the knoll across the street and just sat and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and the view. This is a classic SF site that everyone has to see at least once. That being said, on my most recent walk past here last weekend, I ended up stopping to people watch everyone up on the hill. I spent more time looking at them than I did looking at the houses. There were so many people taking pictures and some even doing full-on photo shoots and entire families and groups of people just sitting and gazing at the architecture. The whole vibe and seem just makes this area fun. It's definitely a must-do stop for tourists, especially since it's free. I definitely recommend stopping by for at least a few minutes to take some photos, people watch and just enjoy the city and this iconic location.

We normally wander about San Francisco in an unstructured way, so I thought it would be fun to try…read morethe 49 mile scenic drive. It took us through some less populated areas of San Francisco that I hadn't seen before, and it was nice not to worry about my level 2 navigator getting us lost. I see what people are saying about how this drive kind of skirts around much of the city, but I liked it for that. When I'm exploring the city on my own I tend to stay in the city; it was nice to be directed to areas on the edges that I hadn't seen yet. It would have been 5 stars but sometimes the bird signs let us down and I had to fall back on my human navigator.

The 49 Mile Scenic Drive was created in 1938 in order to showcase the highlights of the City of San…read moreFrancisco. for the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition. It was already a convoluted route which originally began at city Hall and ended on Treasure Island. Since 1939 the route has been altered somewhat but still remains convoluted and today plagued with traffic problems and poor maintenance of signage. Specifically, the Seagull in profile with a blue background signs have been badly faded and not all are clearly visible. You will need to use the internet to get a clear description of the route. Some of the major sites along the route are City Hall, Asian Art Museum, Little Saigon, Japan Town, Union Square, China Town, Telegraph Hill, Lombard Street, Coit tower, Fishermen's Wharf, Palace of fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Lake Merced, California Academy of the Sciences, Haight-Ashbury, Twin Peaks The Castro and Oracle Park. Parking at these various sites runs the range of easy to very difficult. Metered street parking is available at some locations. Due to the numerous hassles involved in trying to run the route most tourists opt for city transportation or the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus. "If you are going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair..."

Dragon Gate has been part of my San Francisco story for as long as I can remember. I first saw it…read morein the mid-1970s during a visit with my parents, and it made an immediate impression on me. I still remember taking photos of it with a brand-new camera my father had just given me, not realizing at the time that it had only been completed a few years earlier, in 1970. Over time, I've come to appreciate more of its details and background. The gate was a gift from Taiwan and built in a traditional Chinese architectural style, complete with guardian lions, decorative tiles, and inscriptions symbolizing prosperity and good fortune. It marks the formal entrance to Chinatown at Grant Avenue and Bush Street, and it's a natural stopping point for visitors before heading further into the neighborhood. Nearly twenty years after that first visit, I moved to San Francisco and have been here ever since. These days, walking past the Dragon Gate feels more personal. It's less of a tourist attraction for me and more of a familiar landmark, one that quietly welcomes people into a neighborhood full of history, culture, and character.

I've walked under the Dragon's Gate more times than I can count but I still love that moment when…read moreyou're walking up and you finally see it and suddenly you know you're in Chinatown. It sits at the edge of Grant Ave and it is a literal gateway into Chinatown. As soon as you walk past it, you are under the beautiful green tiled roofs curling along the streets with stone lions in this ornate, colorful and instantly recognizable neighborhood. The gate was a gift from Taiwan in the 1970s and every time you see it it feels special and different. It's not the largest or most beautiful gate I've seen, but I think it holds a special place for me because it's so familiar. It can look different depending on whether you visit on a bright sunny morning, or a foggy afternoon, or whether you see it under the glowing lanterns of a San Francisco night but to me it always feels familiar. No matter how many times I've been to Chinatown, I always stop here for a second before heading in. I have to take a moment to pay homage to this little spot that marks the entrance of one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the city.

I've been to San Francisco many times. I was in the Presidio area, so I decided to finally check…read moreout the Lyon Street Steps. In hindsight, it was a bad idea to climb these steps the day before the San Francisco Marathon. However, it wasn't too bad and the views were pretty spectacular! Not quite as popular for tourists, but I would rate these steps over the windy Lombard St.

Can here on a whim from another hike since I was in the Presidio. The steps are semi high, so make…read moresure you are comfortablr walking up these steps! The crowd is seemingly friendly. I was taking some photos and this lady jogger paused so I could do that. Think she also wanted a break from her run lol. These stairs are surrounded by lots of lush greenery. So it's a good place to get your steps in.

I'm so sad we couldn't get up close due to the renovations but I know it'll be amazing when fully…read morere- opened.

When I think SF, the Japantown plaza is always in my thoughts. The energy here makes it one of my…read morefavorite landmarks of the city and a must see when showing newbies/family/tourist friends around. The mall hasn't changed since I was a teenager and the streets around the plaza have so many different businesses who value your patronage. They host many vibrant and interesting events here so be sure to check their online calendar. Like I said, the energy here is so amazing. The name is well suited!