San Francisco's Beautiful Neighborhoods

I've already done a post on the Mission District, but San Francisco is full of so many beautiful neighborhoods I wanted to highlight a few more here.

The Castro, famous for it's gay culture -

Chinatown, home of handmade fortune cookies and delicious food -

Alamo Square, with the beautiful Victorian 'painted ladies' -

San Francisco Tourist Central

I couldn't leave San Fran without doing the whole tourist thing.  So we hit up the Ferry Building, Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square.

The Ferry Building is full of foodie stalls selling artisanal cheese, olive oil, chocolate - really anything you could ever want.  And on our way we found this cool fountain that you can walk around.

Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli were good places to find souvenirs and get a sweet treat.  The actual Ghirardelli factory is no longer here, but it's a destination nonetheless.

The lines were always too long to consider a cable car ride, but it was fun seeing this iconic mode of transport anyway.  

San Francisco's Great Outdoors

What is it about iconic bridges that is so fun?  I mean it's just a bridge - and yet...the Golden Gate Bridge is so beautiful and so San Francisco, like the Brooklyn Bridge it's a destination all its own.

And then just a few miles past the bridge is Muir Woods.  This beautiful nature preserve is full of massive, old trees.  It was a bit muddy when we went so I suggest some decent footwear, but this out of the way sight is a great place to take photographs and get away from the busy city for a while.

San Francisco's Mission District

One of our first stops was the Mission district.  Famous for it's Mexican/Latin heritage, this neighborhood is full of vibrant, beautiful and political murals.  Many are concentrated in Balmey and Clarion alleys, but they're scattered throughout the neighborhood as well.

Balmey alley's murals have a more traditional style and tend to pay homage to earlier struggles of indigenous people.

Whereas Clarion alley has a more modern, graffiti feel.  It's political messages are more overt and the designs are bold and urban.

Both places are really breathtaking and inspiring.  After working up an appetite walking through the neighborhood definitely enjoy one of the many taquerias that line the streets.