Destination: San Francisco Bay Area
Mark Cantrell

The Palace of Fine Arts, Exploratorium, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Lewis Sommer, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Whether it's cable cars, suspension bridges, Rice-A-Roni®, or fog that comes to mind when you think of the San Francisco Bay Area, it's clear the region has made a big impact on the country's mass consciousness. From earthquakes to gold rushes, the San Francisco (never call it Frisco) area has often been at the epicenter of attention as the nation grew and matured.

The Spanish first came to the city's future site with a mission - literally. Named after St. Francis of Assisi, the Mission of San Francisco de Asis (later renamed Mission Dolores) was dedicated in 1776 and became the city's namesake. During its history, San Francisco has enjoyed the fruits of a gold rush (1849) that filled its coffers and swelled its ranks, but it has also suffered natural disasters such as earthquakes (1865, 1868, 1906, and 1989) and fires that killed thousands and left countless others homeless.

The gold rush also gave birth to San Francisco's sister city across the bay, Oakland, which became a staging point for people heading for the mines in the Sierra foothills. Earthquake-weary San Franciscans flocked to Oakland in the early1900s, and by 1910 the city's population had grown to more than 150,000.

Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County is a prime recreation destination in the Bay Area. Photo courtesy of City of Walnut Creek.

Today gold of a different kind sustains the Bay Area, with tourism and shipping as two of the most prominent economic engines driving the progress of the cities that ring the bay. While San Francisco's many well-known landmarks and laid-back atmosphere attract visitors from all over the world, the area's major ports make it a central focus for trade with the Pacific Rim.

Home to some seven million people, the Bay Area stretches from Mt. Tamalpais just north of the Golden Gate, east to Mt. Diablo, and south to Silicon Valley, birthplace of the personal computer industry. Today corporations such as Apple, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Pixar attract workers from across the nation and the world. The region has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country, many of whom immigrate to California to work in the technology industries.

Silicon Valley, home to many of the nation's premier technology companies. San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Bay Area has another claim to fame: It lies atop some of the most geologically unstable earth in the country. A 2003 U.S. Geological Survey report pegs the chances of a major earthquake in the next 30 years at 62%, but states that it could happen at any time. And yet, just as coastal dwellers get used to the threat of hurricanes and people on the Great Plains expect tornadoes in the spring, Bay Area residents have learned to live with the threat of earthquakes.

One reason may be the area's famous natural beauty and wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities, including some 150 parks with 7,500 miles of trails to explore. Its imposing old-growth redwood forests invite hikers to lose themselves among the majestic trees, and its coast offers a hundred miles of secluded beaches for those seeking solitude. From biking to camping to fishing, it's all here.

The Bay Bridge connects San Francisco with the East Bay. Phil Coblentz, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In San Francisco alone, there's so much to do and see that it's hard to know where to start. If you're a science fan, the Exploratorium is a good choice, but the experimental, hands-on museum is designed to spark curiosity even in those with merely a passing interest in the sciences. Located in the Palace of Fine Arts near the Golden Gate Bridge, the Exploratorium features exhibits on biology, geology, and other earth sciences, and the Tactile Dome, an interactive experience in total darkness that you explore using only your sense of touch.

No visit to San Francisco is complete without a visit to Chinatown, and that's where you'll find the Chinese Historical Society of America. Housed in the historic San Francisco Chinatown YWCA designed by Julia Morgan, the museum is dedicated to preserving the history, art, and culture of Chinese America. Over at the Civic Center you'll find one of the world's largest collections of Asian art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Housing nearly 15,000 objects from 6,000 years of history, the museum recently reopened in its expanded location.

Across the eight-mile-long Bay Bridge you'll find the Oakland Museum of California, which focuses on the state's history, its art, and natural wonders. In its Natural Sciences Gallery, you can experience a virtual walk across California from the Pacific coastline to the high Sierra, learning how natural ecosystems are dependent on each other for survival. The Cowell Hall of California History contains more than 6,000 artifacts depicting the state's journey to the present from its beginnings as a frontier outpost.

Boats ready to head out on the bay.

Arts and performances

The fine arts are well represented in the Bay Area, most prominently at the Civic Center where the San Francisco Symphony has been enriching residents' lives since 1911. Today the symphony presents numerous community concerts in the area — many of them free of charge — and its recordings and radio broadcasts are heard by music lovers worldwide.

Civic Center is also for opera lovers, who won't be disappointed when they visit: The area is home to the second-largest opera company in North America. Operated by the San Francisco Opera Guild, the company has been performing in the historic War Memorial Opera House since 1932. It offers a free performance in Golden Gate Park each year that draws as many as 20,000 listeners, and conducts lectures and symposia for both opera newcomers and seasoned fans.

Another free event occurs each summer, when fans of the Bard of Avon descend on various parks in the region for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. From its relatively small beginnings in 1983, the outing has become one of the premier free Shakespeare programs in the nation. The festival's actors, designers, and directors also hold yearly two-week Shakespeare Camps where young aspiring actors can learn about the theater both on stage and backwww.

In Oakland, concertgoers have the elegant Calvin Simmons Theater to enjoy, with its art deco design, gold leaf detail, and European charm attracting arts patrons from all over the Bay Area. The city's Four Seasons Concerts presents a number of diverse performances there each year, as well as at venues such as the Valley Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Holy Names University.

Pleasing the palate

The quality of the Bay Area's cuisine matches that of its arts, and it's no surprise that many restaurants focus on Pacific seafood. One of the best is Aqua, an elegant destination known for its unusual, complex culinary creations as well as its beauty. Visitors may be impressed by the mirrored, floral decor, but they'll keep coming back for creative dishes such as Arctic char en papillotte and octopus and prawn salad. It's not inexpensive, but the sheer wealth of creativity and plethora of options (the wine list itself runs some 29 pages) make it a must-try.

One of the Zagat guide's favorites is Chez Panisse Café & Restaurant in Berkeley, which became one of the first to focus on locally grown organic ingredients when it opened more than 30 years ago. Today owner/chef Alice Waters carries on that tradition with three- to four-course prix fixe meals ranging from stuffed Wolfe Ranch quail with morel mushrooms, bread crumbs, and sage, to Sonoma County liberty duck breast with blood orange, asparagus, and green olives. The legendary food isn't cheap; however, those seeking a more economical meal can try the upstairs café, with its à la carte menu and more informal vibe.

San Francisco may be the best-known culinary destination in the Bay Area, but Oakland is no slouch when it comes to fine dining. Bay Wolf Restaurant, for example, has become a favorite of locals and visitors alike due to its attention to detail and excellence. As founding owner Michael Wild puts it, “If we don't have uncompromisingly high standards, it's just a job and we've misjudged our calling.”

The Bay Area's ethnic diversity is reflected in its cuisine, with Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Bolivian, Afghan, Moroccan, Mexican, and even Egyptian food sharing the restaurant scene with more traditional eateries. For a completely different adventure in ethnic cuisine, try Yoshi's: a Japanese restaurant that also happens to be a jazz club. Here you can enjoy the traditional dishes you'd expect — either at regular tables or a traditional Japanese tatami room. But you'll also find the Jazz House, a semicircular 300-seat amphitheater with a state-of-the-art sound system. The sleek, modern facility hosts both well-known jazz artists like Branford Marsalis as well as up-and-coming performers at the start of their careers.

Alcatraz Island at sunset. Lewis Sommer, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Buying by the bay

San Franciscans have been meeting at Union Square since it was a public plaza in the late 1800s, and today it's one of the Bay Area's premier shopping destinations as well - the third-largest in the U.S., in fact. One early addition to the square's retail scene was Gump's, founded in 1871, that has since become a must-see on any Bay Area shopping expedition. Blending the best of East and West, the store offers handmade jewelry, home accessories such as crystal, china and silver, and a host of art objects from around the world.

There's also a Macy's in Union Square, which at 700,000 square feet is the largest department store west of New York City. Speaking of the Big Apple, many of that city's most recognizable stores are represented at Union Square, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Tiffany & Co. Smaller shops abound as well, including art galleries, shoe stores, clothing boutiques, cafés and restaurants and many more. It's enough to wear out the hardiest of shoppers.

In San Jose, a new kind of shopping experience has taken shape. Santana Row is home to 70 shops and 18 restaurants, but it also offers apartments and condominiums for those who wish to live close to amenities. Santana Row offers residents and visitors a series of open-air concerts, a farmer's market and a day spa, all located in a European-styled, pedestrian-friendly urban village.

Located down on San Francisco Bay is Pier 39 at world-famous Fisherman's Wharf, known as one of the Bay Area's main tourist attractions. Sure, you'll find street performers, an aquarium, and a gaming arcade here, but also 110 small shops. Ghirardelli Square, once home to the world-famous Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, is now a complex of shops and restaurants at the west end of Fisherman's Wharf. Shops featuring apparel, jewelry, art, leather goods, and more can be found here. And of course, there's a chocolate shop. When you're tired of shopping, you can catch a ferry to Alcatraz Island or just watch the sea lions loll around over on K Dock.

Blessed with so many amenities and natural beauty, it's no wonder so many people want to live here. You may well fall into that category after visiting the Bay Area, and it is indeed a great place to live. The cost of living is higher than the national average, but that doesn't stop a constant influx of new residents, some of whom come for a vacation and end up staying for a lifetime.

One reason the area is so attractive is its cheerful acceptance of diverse lifestyles. Here you'll find bohemians, gays, and the well heeled all living as they see fit while enjoying all their cities have to offer. In the Bay Area, there really is a place for everyone.