One of the most prominent buildings in San Francisco, the City Hall stands with all its glory and grandeur in the city. Not only is it one of the best structures in the city, it is also one of the finest looking Beaux- Art buildings in the country. Designer Author Brown is said to have drawn inspiration from the Dôme des Invalides in Paris while designing the City Hall in San Francisco.
The City Hall is special not only for its architecture but is also known for its history, for enduring hardships and surviving natural disasters. The story of its struggles began in 1899, when after 27 years of construction; the old City Hall was officially opened to the public. However, after completing only 7 years of service to the society, the building collapsed after the devastating earthquake of 1906. The present building that stands is a replacement of the older City Hall. This building also suffered a serious seismic tremor in 1989, rendering it unstable. The City Hall was then closed and underwent a thorough renovation for about a decade, which not only repaired and restored the building to its former glory but also made it earthquake proof, making it the largest base isolated building in the world.

Housing one of the largest Asian Collections in the Western World is the Asian Art Museum. The Museum boasts a proud collection of over 15000 pieces from the histories of countries like India, China, Japan, Korea, Persia and other South Asian nations.
Previously residing in the Golden Gate Park, after expansion, the Asian Art Museum shifted premises to the former San Francisco City Library, opposite the Civic Centre. The interiors of the building were specially designed by the award winning Italian architect Gae Aulenti, who is known for her unique ability to make use of historical structures as museum spaces.
The Museum houses more than 6000 years of art and craft of various civilizations of the Far East. Here, one can see an amalgamation paintings, sculptures, textiles, books, scriptures, ceramic and furniture. The Asian Art Museum came into being in 1966 after Chicago based industrialist Avery Brundage decided to donate a part of his vast collection of Asian Art to the city. In return, Brundage wanted a museum specially built to house it, which is why in 1966 a special wing was constructed in the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park and was subsequently named the Asian Art Museum.

Metreon is a shopping center located in downtown San Francisco. It is a four-story building built over the corner of the underground Moscone Center convention center. Metreon opened on June 16, 1999 as an entertainment center, the first of a proposed chain of Sony urban centers aggregating dining, gaming, music, exhibitions, shopping, and movies. In 2006 Metreon was sold and it has been refashioned as a food-oriented mall. The Metreon 13, an IMAX 3D movie theater operated by AMC Lowes Cineplex, is currently the most popular attraction. Additionally, the second floor is home to a TILT arcade and coin-operated games.

One of the most popular places in San Francisco and one that must be on every one’s must-visit list when touring the city is the Chinatown. San Francisco hosts one of the largest Chinese communities outside Asia and is home to one of the oldest Chinatowns in North America.
The establishment of Chinatown in San Francisco can be dated back to the mid-19th century that saw the influx of immigrants mostly from China’s Guangdong Province. Many of the Chinese settlers were employed with the Central Pacific Railroad and then went on to open their own establishments in the form of shops and restaurants in the region.
The area saw a steady growth of Chinese population with the inflow of immigrants. However, after the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act at the end of the 19th century the rate of immigrants decreased drastically. The fire that broke out after the 1906 earthquake damaged the colony quite severely. Chinatown, however, managed to recover and flourishes as one of the most visited sites in the city today.
Here you can visit historical places, shop at the local stores and pick up authentic oriental goodies, smell and taste the exotic cuisines that are served in the little Chinese restaurants. Today, Chinatown is aptly termed as ‘a city within a city’, where one is transported to the streets of Hong Kong and alleys of Beijing even though they are right here in San Francisco.

Nob Hill, located above Union Square and Chinatown, is one of the most elegant of the 44 hill tops of San Francisco. The area was christened “Nob” because of its rich and wealthy inhabitants. Nob Hill is bounded by Washington Street, Post Street, Stockton Street and Polk Street. Nob Hill is known not only for its rich swanking inhabitants but also for its gigantic mansions, luxury hotels and cable car museum, which make it an interesting place to visit.

One of the prime reasons why the Nob Hill attracts the affluent of the city is its centralized position in San Francisco. Also, the Nob Hill has been home to some of the most prominent names in America like Leyland Stanford, Collins Huntington, Mark Hopkins and Charles Crocker. If lucky, one can get a glimpse of their grand mansions that are poised with majestic galore atop the Nob.

Along with elaborate mansions, Nob Hill also houses some of the city's most elegant hotels. Before the 1906 earthquake and fire, this wealthy neighbourhood had huge mansions occupying an entire block. However after the disaster, these mansions were revamped into luxury hotels. The most expensive hotels like the Fairmount, Hopkins, Stanford Court and the Huntington stand on the site of ruins of the 1906 disaster.

One of the most distinct features of San Francisco is its cable cars and one cannot afford to miss a visit to the museum that educates and celebrates the advent of the cable cars in the city. Invented in the late nineteenth century, the cable cars were introduced on an experimental basis for the uneven and steep terrain of San Francisco. After two centuries, the cable car has not only proven vital for the life in San Francisco, it has also become an identity of the city and its people.

Located at 1201 Manson Street, Nob Hill, the Cable Car Museum is a perfect place where one can learn about the history of cable cars and the relationship it shares with the city of San Francisco. The Museum was established in 1974 and has been operated by a non-profit organization called the “Friends of Cable Car Museum”.

The Museum is open to visitors for free from 10am to 6pm between April and September and from 10am to 5pm during the remainder of the year, except in the holiday season. If you are planning to visit the Museum, you must also make it a point to go to its delightful gift shop. Here, you can get miniature cable cars, souvenirs, artistic images of the cable cars depicting its history and antique models of antique cable cars that you cannot see any more in the city.

The Sts. Peter and Paul Church is one of the many structures in San Francisco that has a rich history to blend in with its brilliant architecture.  Located opposite the Washington Square Park in the city, the Church has a dedicated following of many pocket communities in San Francisco like the Chinese, Italian, Hispanic, Japanese and Indian. The St. Peter and Paul Church is a Roman Catholic Church and administered by the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The original foundation of the Church was laid in 1884 at the corner of Filbert Street and Grand Avenue. However, the structure couldn’t survive the earthquake and fire in 1906 and was razed to the ground. The present structure was built in 1924 and unlike the previous one, was built with two high raised spires measuring about 191 feet. These spires have made the Church a landmark structure in the city of San Francisco.
Not only is the Church a beautiful sight from the outside, its interiors are equally breath taking as well. The high altar, made up of different kinds of marble and stone is quite a spectacle and is adorned with beautiful fresco in the background. The Sts. Peter and Paul Church is a place you cannot afford to miss when visiting San Francisco.

The Lombard Street is reckoned to be one of the most crooked streets in the world, which is far from actuality. Never the less, the 8 turns on a 4 degree slope do make one feel that it is, indeed, the steepest.
Year after year the Lombard Street manages to get its share of visitors who are awed by its scenic beauty and marvel at its natural strangeness. The zig-zag pattern of the Street makes it quite an experience when you take a ride up or down the Lombard.
Even though walking or cycling down the Lombard Street may instil a sense of immediate vertigo, which may be dangerous at times, the reason for the crooked form of this street, surprisingly, is safety. The natural grading of the land is very steep and is a safety risk. The zig-zag pattern reduces the effect of the steepness of the slope, making it easy to ply on. It was suggested in 1920 for the scenic switch backs to be added to the area in order to bring to a certain appeal to the surroundings.
Although the zig-zag street itself may be the reason to visit the place, a lesser known fact about the Lombard Street is that it houses some of the most magnificent mansions in San Francisco. Apart from that, the Montandon House has also earned a reputation for being haunted buildings in the area.