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Montgomery Street, now the heart of the Financial District, was once lined with small shops where miners came to weigh their gold dust. It marks roughly the old shoreline of shallow Yerba Buena Cove, which was filled in during the Gold Rush to create more land. Today it is lined with early 20th-century banking “temples” and modern fabrications of glass and steel. At the end of Market Street stands the newly renovated Ferry Building, which once handled 100,000 commuters a day before the city’s bridges were constructed, and is now a bustling meeting spot with cafés and artisan food shops. Its tower is inspired by the Moorish belfry of Seville Cathedral in Spain.

Bank of California, Financial District

Although now largely tourist-oriented, there are still authentic sights to see, aromas to savor, and salt air to breathe among these piers.

Formerly a military base established during the Civil War, some of the army buildings have been devoted to cultural programs of all kinds since 1976. Some 50 organizations now call it home, including museums, art galleries, theaters, shops, festivals, fairs, and performance spaces, as well as libraries and various institutes. Some of the most prominent are the Museum of Craft and Folk Art and the Museo ItaloAmericano, the San Francisco African-American Historical and Cultural Society, the Children’s Art Theater, the Magic Theater, and Herbst Pavilion. The city’s finest vegetarian restaurant, Greens, is also located here, enjoying unique views of the Bay and Golden Gate.

This world-famous engineering masterpiece sets off the entrance to San Francisco Bay in the most spectacular way, and never fails to elicit gasps of awe from first-time visitors and old-timers alike.

One of the largest, finest parks-cum-cultural centers in world. No visit to the city is complete without taking in some of its wonders.

At the southeastern corner of the park, kids will love the old carousel, a treehouse, and some great swings, slides, and other kid-driven rides. In the summer, there are often Punch and Judy shows to tickle and delight children of all ages.

This anarchic quarter is one of the most scintillating and unconventional in the city, resting firmly on its laurels as ground zero for the worldwide Flower-Power explosion of the 1960s (see Top 10 Sixties Figures). Admire the beautiful old Queen Anne-style houses, a few of them still painted in the psychedelic pigments of that hippie era. There are still some tripping freaks and neo-Flower Children here, along with far-out shops and the venerable Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. Groove along the street and recreate your own “Summer of Love.” The Lower Haight is noted for its edgy clubs and bars.