San Francisco, California

When I hear the name San Francisco, I think of fog blanketing the Golden Gate Bridge, the world famous Chinatown, tie-dyed shirts, the steep streets that were made famous by a car chase in the movie Bullit (starring the late Steve McQueen), trolley cars, and thanks to excellent marketing, Rice-a-roni™. San Francisco is truly a fantastic place!

San Francisco has something for everyone. If you can't find it, it's just because you aren't looking in the right place, not because it isn't there. For the fine art fans, you can visit anything from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for the highbrow, to the Cartoon Art Museum for the lowbrow or just plain fun. There's the San Francisco Opera and the oldest professional ballet company in America. The theater scene encompasses everything from schmaltzy Broadway to the confusing avant-garde. For the sports fans, you have MLB's San Francisco Giants or the Oakland Athletics; the NFL's San Francisco 49ers or the Oakland Raiders; and the NBA's Golden State Warriors.

The real draw, in my opinion, are the neighborhoods. These wonderfully distinct places are home to many different cultures (and sub-cultures). Probably the three most famous of these neighborhoods are the Castro District, Chinatown, and Haight-Ashbury. Castro is the "Gay mecca" of the San Fran area and a great place to people watch. Haight-Ashbury was probably the most famous place in the world for the hippie culture in the '60s, being home to such notables as the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin. As if the '60s never left, tie-dye and incense are still "hip" in that neighborhood. Chinatown is like going to China without the jetlag. The area is jammed with herbal medicine stores, temples, and, of course, unbeatable restaurants. But don't stop there. Try South of Market (or SoMa) where all the hip clubs are popping up nowadays, or the Hispanic Mission District, where you can celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Carnaval; or try North Beach, where you can enjoy a cappuccino and a gelato; and the list keeps going.

San Francisco is a place that has to be experienced. You may even want to work part-time so that you can do so!

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