Shutter Island
A 1950s lawman (Leonardo DiCaprio) pursues a murderess who appears to have vanished from a locked room within a fortresslike psychiatric hospital.
If you’ve ever tried walking or even driving up San Francisco’s steepest hills, you know that even today, cable cars fill a need. But they’re also an exhilarating blast of fun, whatever your age, especially if you sit on or stand above the outward-facing benches on the edges of the cars.
More than just a tradition in San Francisco’s Chinatown, the Chinese New Year Festival & Parade is one of the biggest and oldest events in Northern California. The 2010 parade will mark 150 years since the first one, and the spectator turnout—if it doesn’t rain, which is always possible in February—can reach close to one million.
San Francisco Airport is San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Newspapers are San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco Sports teams are 49ers, Giants, Dons
Major San Francisco Attractions and Events are Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Mostly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Pride Parade, Chinese New Year Parade
Local Schools are U.C. San Francisco, University of San Francisco
About San Francisco, California
San Francisco packs about 800,000 people onto a 7-by-7-mile peninsula--it's the most second-most densely populated U.S. city behind New York--but it enjoys a reputation that's much larger. It's routinely ranked #1 among travelers' favorite U.S. cities for many reasons. Landmarks known around the world; a wealth of museums; cosmopolitan neighborhoods; and a rich mix of Victorian and modern buildings spread out over its famously steep cable-car hills make San Francisco a must-see for any traveler. There are entertainment options for any taste, whether you prefer opera, the theater, nightlife, baseball or street fairs. Among the free events that draw thousands to the "City by the Bay" are the Mostly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, Stern Grove Festival, Pride Parade, Chinese New Year Parade and jam-packed summer street fairs in several neighborhoods. If you're willing to open your wallet, you can enter the Bay to Breakers race, attend the symphony, see a modern-dance performance or dine at any of San Francisco's restaurants--arguably the best array of gourmet and ethnic restaurants west of Manhattan. And if you want to just enjoy the mild weather, since it's almost always between 50 and 75 degrees, you can walk along four-mile-long Ocean Beach, do a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge or jog the eucalyptus-shaded trails of the Presidio. San Francisco landmarks that draw the most visitors include the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Chinatown, Union Square and Golden Gate Park. If you haven't been to San Francisco in a while, you'll especially enjoy visiting the waterfront, which has undergone a dramatic makeover with its sparkling bayfront path, walking piers, baseball stadium and Ferry Building Marketplace. Close to downtown hotels and museums, all of these attractions are connected by historic trolleys that run between the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf. Whatever you choose to do, you'll want to return for more.
People have discovered the Press Club in a big way. Since opening in September 2008, it’s been packed on weekend nights with not only the after-work crowd, but later at night with singles who like its contempo vibe. Calling itself an “urban tasting room,” it’s comfortably and uniquely at the halfway point between a wine bar (too sedate) and a nightclub (too rowdy).
It’s a safe bet you will talk to at least one Alioto while dining at Alioto’s, one of the oldest and best seafood restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf. Ten members of the Alioto family work at the restaurant. But you may be too distracted enjoying one of San Francisco’s best restaurant views of the Golden Gate Bridge—and the straight-off-the-boat fresh seafood—to take names.
