touring around the united states of america alone gives me a feeling of independence. armed with b1/b2 visa class, i toured the country when the snow across its mountain is about to melt. the 13-hour flight from beijing gave me shivers as i stepped out of the airport.
the famous bay bridge of san francisco
san francisco, officially the city and county of san
francisco, is the cultural center and a leading financial hub of the san
francisco bay area and northern california. the only consolidated city-county in california, san
francisco encompasses a land area of about 46.9 square miles (121 km2)
on the northern end of the san francisco peninsula, giving it a density of
about 17,867 people per square mile (6,898 people per km2). it is
the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the
state of california and the second-most densely populated major city in the
united states after new york city. san francisco is the fourth-most populous
city in california, after los angeles, san diego and san jose, and the
14th-most populous city in the united states—with a census-estimated 2013
population of 837,442. the city is also the financial and cultural hub of the
larger san jose-san francisco-oakland combined statistical area, with a
population of 8.5 million.
sanfo's famous chinatown
san francisco (spanish for "saint francis") was
founded on june 29, 1776, when colonists from spain established a fort at the
golden gate and a mission named for st. francis of assisi a few miles away. the
california gold rush of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city
on the west coast at the time. due to the growth of its population, san
francisco became a consolidated city-county in 1856. after three-quarters of
the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, san francisco was
quickly rebuilt, hosting the panama-pacific international exposition nine years
later. during world war ii, san francisco was the port of embarkation for
service members shipping out to the pacific theater. after the war, the
confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing
attitudes, along with the rise of the "hippie" counterculture, the
sexual revolution, the peace movement growing from opposition to united states
involvement in the vietnam war, and other factors led to the summer of love and
the gay rights movement, cementing san francisco as a center of liberal
activism in the united states.
a view of the painted ladies from the alamo square
san francisco is a popular tourist
destination, known for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix
of architecture, and landmarks including the golden gate bridge, cable cars,
the former prison on alcatraz island, and its chinatown district. san francisco
is also the headquarters of five major banking institutions and various other
companies such as the gap inc., pacific gas and electric company, yelp,
pinterest, twitter, uber, mozilla and craigslist (wikipedia).
pier 39, the fisherman's wharf
truly, the country is rich in all its essence. san francisco, considered the paris of the west, greeted me with a cold kiss of the spring wind. the city is relatively small but i was in awe with the intricacy of how the buildings were lined along the city in slopes. trees were delicately planted to give the modern city a touch of the country side. the city is notable for its clean, foggy streets.
the union square in san francisco stages program for public viewing
san francisco is known for delicate works of art. touring around the palace of the legion of honor, the museum boasts of different collections of art. it overlooks the golden gate bridge that crosses the san rafael county.
outside the palace of the legion of honor
the romanesque architecture at the fine arts museum
the city is known for the world's "crookedest" street, the lombard street. a downhill ride zigzags its way to downtown san francisco. it is in its perfection when flowers bloom in full glory.
lombard street, the world's crookedest street
the coit tower overlooking the city of san francisco
a pose with the famous golden gate bridge
jumpshot... don't mind the excess baggage. LOL
finally, walking along the three-mile long channel between san francisco bay and the pacific ocean completes the experience. the mile-long bridge connects san francisco county and marin county. the bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols in california, san francisco and the united states.
stopping by for a picture along the mile-long bridge
truly, im coming back for more of san francisco. laden with rich culture from different melting pots, it is where my heart is next to my hometown.
