The City of San Francisco, named after St. Francis of Assisi, was once a settlement established by Spain in 1776 for the purpose of converting Native Americans into devoted Christians. Perched atop hills overlooking the largest natural harbor of the Pacific Ocean, the Mission San Francisco de Asis was part of the 21 mission system interconnected by the 600-mile El Camino Real that traversed California from San Diego to Sonoma.
Once a wild west of Cowboys and Indians, San Francisco accelerated in growth with the discovery of gold in California. Its central location and vast shoreline capable of harboring many ships made it the hub during the Gold Rush, providing transportation and commerce needed by the sudden influx of forty-niners (gold-seekers named after the height of the Gold Rush in 1849).
San Francisco was the frontier’s edge; linked to known or prospective goldmines by a network of trails and rivers probing inland from the Bay to the Gold Country. Three hours by car from San Francisco, a majestic statue of Claude Chana welcomes visitors to the town of Auburn. He discovered the first gold nugget in the area.
San Francisco is a hotbed for activism; a melting pot of ideas from a diversity of cultures, lifestyles and viewpoints. So don’t just cross the Golden Gate Bridge, ride the cable car, visit Alcatraz Prison, climb Coit Tower, or walk up or down crooked Lombard Street; but also indulge in the magic where the psychedelic dream is frozen in time at the corner where Haight meets Ashbury; at the ballpark full of forever Giants fanatics; and in chic little enclaves where the bohemian counter culture flourishes.
Delight in the audacity of the Beat Movement (alienation from modern society) as you roam casual chaotic neighborhoods where colorful shops and restaurants display an impassive celebration of release from traditional norms.
In the Little Italy District of North Beach is Washington Square, one of the city’s first parks (circa 1847). This park is neither a square nor holds any tribute to George Washington. The statue of Benjamin Franklin stands central in what was originally a rectangular oasis; until Columbus Avenue sliced through making it a 5-sided haven for the closeted beatniks who still surreptitiously snap fingers, sway heads and mumble “cool” in bated breath.
At the edge of Washington Square hangs a sign inside Original Joe’s Restaurant that best captures the city’s detached demeanor “better to live rich than to die rich”.
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