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One of the movers and shakers of San Francisco politics in recent decades, she became a US Senator in 1992.

Yet another detective story (1971) set in the city that invites such mysteries, perhaps due to its fog.

One of the legendary homes of psychedelic rock during the 1960s. Along with the Avalon Ballroom and the Winterland (both now gone), this is where the San Francisco Sound found its first audience.

Since 1850, this church has been a progressive voice in the city. Welcoming all faiths and creeds, this congregation is not bound by dogma, but by shared values. Coffee and conversation follow services.

Remnants of the early fishing industry that contributed to San Francisco’s growth are still found here, just layered over with a slick veneer of tourism. Fishing boats still come in and deliver their catch of the day, and nature makes its presence known with a colony of sea lions that lounge on the pier.

Another native son, the director of The Godfather makes San Francisco the home of his Zoetrope productions, and has also branched out into other enterprises. His Niebaum-Coppola winery in the Napa Valley is one of the best.

Pro-Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War riots occurred from 1964 to 1970

Stein (1874–1946) was raised in Oakland, Toklas (1877–1967) in San Francisco, and both were members of the wealthy Jewish bourgeoisie that has played such an important part in the city’s cultural life. But these two larger-than-life women soon deserted the Bay Area for Paris, where they became Queen Bees of a circle of brilliant international artists and writers, including Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway.

This church has a credo of “the human condition first, not the Bible.” Services can draw up to 1,500 celebrants, with a gospel choir and jazz band. This is also one of the religious institutions where same-sex couples can exchange vows of matrimony.

In 1848 landowner John Sutter noticed a curious glitter in the sediment of the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills and realized it was gold. Despite attempts to keep the discovery quiet, word leaked out, and businessman Sam Brannan displayed a bottle of gold dust and nuggets for the whole city to see. The subsequent stampede of ‘49ers turned the city into a boom town overnight.