![Alamo Square](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/19134907/Alamo-Square.jpg)
Alamo Square
The iconic view of Alamo Square is defined by a set of Queen Anne Victorian houses lining the south end of the park known as […]
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Alcatraz
Discovered by the Spanish and named Alcatraz, meaning “pelican,” for the abundance of the birds populating the island, Alcatraz has gone through many phases over […]
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Angel Island
In the peak of the Chinese migration (after the 1850s Gold Rush), Angel Island was used as a processing site for new immigrants, mostly but […]
Read more![Aquatic Park](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/19134951/Aquatic-Park.jpg)
Aquatic Park
The Aquatic Park Historic District was created in 1936 when a curved Municipal Pier was built to protect a specific cove of the San Francisco […]
Read more![Asian Art Museum head, San Francisco, California.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/19142348/Asian-Art-Museum-Head.jpg)
Asian Art Museum
San Francisco includes a large Asian population, with the first Chinese immigrants arriving by sea in 1848, so it seems only fit that an art […]
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AT&T Park
Located on the Embarcadero just south of the Bay Bridge, AT&T Park was built for the Giants, a baseball team originally based in New York […]
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Bay Bridge
Designed as the first bridge spanning to San Francisco in 1933, mostly because of the popularity of the automobile, the Oakland Bay Bridge (usually just […]
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Billionaire’s Row
That’s good news! It means fewer crowds, minimal tourists, and more time you can spend dodging people with guidebooks, so you can pursue your real […]
Read more![Bison in Golden Gate Park](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/19141809/Bison-Paddock-SFYT.jpg)
Bison Paddock
Bison (also less-technically known as buffalo) are a free-roaming mammal of the Great Plains in the United States. But in the late 1800s, because of […]
Read more![Tour Buena Vista Park in Haight Ashbury](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19143113/Buena-Vista-Park-View.jpg)
Buena Vista Park
Labeled as the oldest park in San Francisco, dating to 1867 and once called Hill Park, Buena Vista Park, on the eastern side of Haight-Ashbury […]
Read more![Empty cable car at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/19143359/Cable-Car.jpg)
Cable Cars
Sadly, the 7,000-kg cable cars aren’t as prominent as they once were. Andrew Hallidie, the man who came up with the cable car concept, originally […]
Read more![California Academy of Sciences living roof, San Francisco.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142734/Academy-of-Sciences-Roof.jpg)
California Academy of Science
Starting as a research group in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences moved to its present building in 2008 to perform research, broadly, on anything […]
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Castro
The Castro’s history hasn’t always been sunshine and happy-faces. Starting as a working-class immigrant neighborhood named Little Scandinavia, The Castro gradually morphed, through the 1960s […]
Read more![Harvey Milk Plaque at Castro Camera](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/19134837/Harvey-Milk-Plaque.jpg)
Castro Camera
Harvey Milk, a native of Long Island New York, moved to The Castro, San Francisco, in 1972 and started a camera business. Over time, his […]
Read more![Castro Theatre at night](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/19134312/Castro-Theatre-at-Night.jpg)
Castro Theatre
After all, you can’t miss the theatre when you visit the neighborhood. The large neon sign — representing both The Castro and the theatre itself — is […]
Read more![Chinatown Decoration](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/19134459/Chinatown-Decoration.jpg)
Chinatown
Originally the poor section of San Francisco known as the Barbary Coast, the streets of Chinatown had their start as brothels and opium dens for […]
Read more![SF City Hall in window of Civic Center Opera House.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142538/SF-City-Hall-In-Window.jpg)
City Hall
When tourists see City Hall, the first word that comes to their mind is “Wow.” The Beaux Arts design, created in 1915 (and repaired after […]
Read more![City Lights Books storefront on Columbus Ave. in North Beach, San Francisco.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/19143134/City-Lights-North-Beach-SFYT1.jpg)
City Lights Books
City Lights Books is by far most famous for its connection to the Beat Generation. While sections of bookstores around the world are dedicated to […]
Read more![Civic Center San Francisco](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/19134405/Civic-Center-San-Francisco.jpg)
Civic Center
The Civic Center consists of two plazas: the United Nations and the Civic Center Plazas. Inside, you can see San Francisco City Hall, with its […]
Read more![Historic Victorian Cliff House](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142606/Historic-Cliff-House-Victorian.jpg)
Cliff House
The Cliff House has gone through several phases in its lifetime. Originally, the restaurant was nothing more than old cargo ship wood, placed high on […]
Read more![Portrait of Lilly Hitchcock Coit, San Francisco.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142557/Lilly-Hitchcock-Coit.jpg)
Coit Tower
The city of San Francisco erected Coit Tower after a generous bequest from Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a local resident of San Francisco’s early years. Referencing […]
Read more![Inside Conservatory of Flowers](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19134548/Inside-Conservatory-of-Flowers.jpg)
Conservatory of Flowers
The construction of the Conservatory of Flowers almost didn’t happen. Found among the possessions of carpenter and land baron James Lick after his death in […]
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Crissy Field
Part of the Presidio land reserve, Crissy Field started as a runway for the U.S. Army in 1919. Over time, though, as landmarks such as […]
Read more![de Young Museum African Art, Golden Gate Park.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/19142816/De-Young-Museum-Inside.jpg)
de Young Museum
The de Young Museum was created in 1894, approximately 120 years ago. Its collection, consisting of priceless artifacts from 1670 to the present, including everything […]
Read more![Dutch Windmill](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/19134742/Dutch-Windmill.jpg)
Dutch Windmill
Golden Gate Park was formerly sand dunes; it was the “outside” part of San Francisco that not many people bothered to visit. After all, why […]
Read more![Old Embarcadero freeway before the 1989 earthquake.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142551/Old-Embarcadero-Freeway.jpg)
Embarcadero
The Embarcadero beauty is a key San Francisco attraction today that almost didn’t happen. From 1950 to 1990, the Embarcadero (which is the neighborhood, but […]
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F-Line
Newer than you think, the F-Line was created in 1995 to enhance the post-1989 earthquake ground-level roadway called The Embarcadero. The cars, though, date back […]
Read more![Ferry Building](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/19135159/Ferry-Building-on-Wharf.jpg)
Ferry Building
To make up for the lack of traffic through the doors since 1930 (when the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges were constructed), a series of […]
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Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf was originally just that – the wharf for fishermen during San Francisco’s Gold Rush of the 1850s. Over time, as the population of […]
Read more![Fort Point diagram, San Francisco, California.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142631/Fort-Point-Diagram.jpg)
Fort Point
Although Fort Point never saw action during wartime, for security reasons, San Francisco officials decided to keep the fort for emergency purposes. Once it was […]
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Fortune Cookie Factory
The Fortune Cookie Factory has served San Francisco locals and visitors for more than 50 years. Although not the typical “factory” you picture in your […]
Read more![Solo Female Traveler on Cliff](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19134330/Solo-Female-Traveler-on-Cliff.jpg)
GGNRA
Started in 1972, the GGNRA is protected land all around the bay area, not just in San Francisco. The 80,000 acres total include everything from […]
Read more![Ghirardelli Sign](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/19134917/Ghirardelli-Sign.jpg)
Ghirardelli Square
Italian chocolatier and entrepreneur Domingo Ghirardelli founded the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company during the San Francisco Gold Rush of the 1850s. A savvy businessman, he grew the […]
Read more![Golden Gate Bridge from Marin Headlands.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142620/Golden-Gate-Bridge-From-Marin.jpg)
Golden Gate Bridge
As the second bridge built across the bay to San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge permanently etched its way into our hearts for two reasons. […]
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Golden Gate Park
In the 1860s, once the City of San Francisco sectioned off the land for Golden Gate Park for use as public green space, similar to […]
Read moreGrant Avenue
Grant Avenue starts with the Chinatown Gate, a wooden-gate structure located on the corner of Bush Street and Grant Avenue. Walk underneath the gateway, and […]
Read more![Tour the landmark Haight Ashbury sign in San Francisco, CA.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/19143009/Haight-Ashbury-Landmark-Street-Sign.jpg)
Haight Ashbury
The naming of Haight-Ashbury isn’t the most exciting story, but that won’t stop us from telling you. Henry Haight was a banker, and Munroe Ashbury […]
Read more![Hayes Valley](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/19134503/Hayes-Valley.jpg)
Hayes Valley
Coming soon.
Read more![Jackson Sign](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/19135319/Jackson-Sign.jpg)
Jackson Square Historic District
Jackson Square Historic District — along with San Francisco — started with the Gold Rush of 1849, when the city grew from 800 to 25,000 […]
Read more![Backpacker posing for photo at Lombard Street in San Francisco.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/19142527/Backpacker-Lombard-Street.jpg)
Lombard Street
Known as the “crookedest street in the world,” (some joke that it’s the second crookedest, after Wall Street), the 200-meter stretch of Lombard Street — […]
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Marina
The Marina originated after the 1906 Earthquake when several tons of debris were pushed into the San Francisco Bay marshland to be covered by the […]
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Mission District
Coming soon. Orange Sky says: Coming soon. Map
Read more![View from Top of the Mark](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19134955/View-From-Top-of-the-Mark.jpg)
Nob Hill
Named after the original magnates (nobs) who constructed their mansions at the top of the peak during the San Francisco boom days — some say […]
Read more![Cafe Trieste](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/19134455/Cafe-Trieste.jpg)
North Beach
First designated as part of Little Italy, North Beach is branded by a series of Italian flags painted on light posts in the streets. Typically […]
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Ocean Beach
In the past, Ocean Beach was known as “outside lands,” too far for most of the San Francisco general population to travel. Over time, as […]
Read more![Old Saint Mary Church after 1906 Earthquake](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/19135748/Old-Saint-Mary-after-1906.jpg)
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral
Constructed with a base of granite carried by ship from China, the structure of Old St. Mary’s Church has seen its fair share of history. […]
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Pacific Heights
Started in the 1870s once residents could reach the area using the newly formed cable car, Pacific Heights turned into a posh neighborhood rather quickly. […]
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Painted Ladies
Well, we will. Best visited during the afternoon when the lighting is ideal, the Painted Ladies, or Seven Sisters, were constructed in the early 1900s […]
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Palace of Fine Arts
Built in 1915 for the San Francisco World Expo (called the Panama Pacific Exposition), the Palace of Fine Arts — along with 20+ other buildings […]
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Pier 39
Easily accessed by the F-line, San Francisco’s street-level answer to the cable car, Pier 39 has become the perfect family destination over the years. Everything […]
Read more![American Flag flown in Portsmouth Square, San Francisco.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/19142530/American-Flag-Portsmouth-Square.jpg)
Portsmouth Square
Over time, as the people of San Francisco moved outward and over Nob Hill, Portsmouth Square turned from the hustle-and-bustle center of a new-growth city, […]
Read more![Presidio canon in San Francisco, California](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19143109/Presidio-Canon-Landmark.jpg)
The Presidio
Sometimes called a second Golden Gate Park of San Francisco, the Presidio is a neighborhood and park with a militaristic-type theme. Since the fort’s closure, […]
Read more![Peter and Paul Church North Beach](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/19135848/Peter-and-Paul-Church-North-Beach.jpg)
Saints Peter and Paul Church
Recognizable in photos, Saints Peter and Paul Church has been captured by millions of professionals and amateurs on camera. Even baseball great Joe DiMaggio, who […]
Read more![San Francisco Bay View](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19135000/San-Francisco-Bay-View.jpg)
San Francisco Bay
Consisting of mainly marshland, San Francisco Bay on average is around 10-15 feet deep, roughly the same depth as a deep swimming pool. On the […]
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Sea Lions
To find the sea lions, you need to travel to the neighborhood of Fisherman’s Wharf, specifically Pier 39. They’re not ON the pier—that would be […]
Read more![SOMA in San Francisco](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/19142314/SOMA.jpg)
SOMA
Coming soon. Orange Sky says: Coming soon. Map
Read more![Historic Sutro Baths of Ocean Beach, San Francisco.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/19142601/Historic-Sutro-Baths-Ocean-Beach.jpg)
Sutro Baths
Adolph Sutro, a 19th-century millionaire and pioneer in the mining industry, was the man responsible for creating the Sutro Baths. After buying the land in […]
Read more![Cannery Building landmark in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/19142947/Cannery-Landmark-Fishermans-Wharf.jpg)
The Cannery
Built in 1907 for the California Fruit Canners Association, the Cannery became home to one of the most famous fruit companies in the world, Del […]
Read more![Homeless facts San Francisco](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/19141927/Homeless-Facts-San-Francisco.jpg)
The Tenderloin
Coming soon.
Read more![Pyramid Skyscraper San Francisco](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/19135734/Pyramid-Skyscraper.jpg)
Transamerica Pyramid
Designed and debuted in 1972 on the historic Montgomery Block after 3 years of construction, the 853-foot structure became the world’s 8th tallest building upon […]
Read more![Twin Peaks Observation Deck](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/19140132/Twin-Peaks-Observatory.jpg)
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is the tallest hill in San Francisco, save one — Mt. Davidson. But comparing the views, the winner is no contest. Not only […]
Read more![Union Square Flowers](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/19134253/Union-Square-Flowers.jpg)
Union Square
Nicknamed the heart of San Francisco because of its central location in the city (and next to the main thoroughfare of Market Street), Union Square […]
Read more![Washington Square in North Beach.](https://orange-sky-adv.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/19142504/North-Beach-Washington-Square.jpg)
Washington Square
Located in the Italian part of town, North Beach, Washington Square is the classic park of downtown San Francisco. And unlike the concrete Union Square, […]
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