{"id":687,"date":"2012-01-04T23:07:57","date_gmt":"2012-01-05T04:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/?p=687"},"modified":"2012-01-06T18:00:33","modified_gmt":"2012-01-06T23:00:33","slug":"just-one-day-to-visit-san-francisco-north-beach-chinatown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/04\/just-one-day-to-visit-san-francisco-north-beach-chinatown.html","title":{"rendered":"Just One Day to Visit San Francisco:  North Beach &#038; Chinatown"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"2e5142c0289a1f785cf2dcce097231a4\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: left; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"><!--\r\ngoogle_ad_client = \"ca-pub-6725039255769208\";\r\n\/* Reno Hotels Leaderboard *\/\r\ngoogle_ad_slot = \"0584775893\";\r\ngoogle_ad_width = 728;\r\ngoogle_ad_height = 90;\r\n\/\/-->\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you have only one day to see San Francisco, you can explore the magic of North Beach and Chinatown to get the full flavor of the City. The fusion of cultures and histories of San Francisco is visible on any block of the city. It\u2019s seen in the diversity of restaurants \u2013 get a Vietnamese bubble tea right next to a Hawaiian lunch and before your French profiterole &#8211; in the blending of shops \u2013 sample sake at one store and get your Italian designer shoes at the next \u2013 and in its people. The diversity is what makes San Francisco special. If you only have one day in San Francisco, there are two neighborhoods in this 49-square mile quilt that can treat you to a sample of European and Asian history of San Francisco. Starting at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/union.html\">Union Square<\/a>, spend your brief visit in Chinatown by day and then head to the Italian North Beach neighborhood at night.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/chinatown-san-francisco-visit.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-702\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/chinatown-san-francisco-visit.jpg\" alt=\"chinatown gate san francisco\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/chinatown-san-francisco-visit.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/chinatown-san-francisco-visit-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Early Morning Picture at the Dragon Gate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The entrance of San Francisco\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/china.html\">Chinatown<\/a> is marked by the Dragon Gate at the corner of Grant and Bush Streets. By midday, the namesake dragons are draped in tourists and witnesses to some pretty gnarly traffic. In the morning, there\u2019s ample time to get your family photo right in front of the beautiful entrance to Chinatown.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-store-figures.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-693\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-store-figures.jpg\" alt=\"chinatown san francisco shopping\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-store-figures.jpg 500w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-store-figures-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photography by Michael Lax<br \/>\n<strong>Shopping at the Canton Bazaar Marketplace<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Grant Street shopping is marked by gaudy gold and glass \u201cOriental Arts\u201d stores, blinking electronics shops, and souvenir stands selling personalized California license plates. There\u2019s tacky all along the street, but some stores have more authentic Chinese mementos. The Canton Bazaar between California Street and Sacramento is a balance of both. With a parade dragon in one window and almost-life size Terra Cotta warriors in another, the well-organized store is a souvenir hunters\u2019 oasis. In the front of the well-organized displays, there\u2019s more common fare: silk purses with Chinese characters, medicine balls, and a wide variety of lucky cats. Towards the back of the store are the most interesting selections: Mao propaganda, ivory carvings, ceramic pigs, which are symbols of prosperity, and antique snuff bottles.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/tea-store-chinatown.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-694\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/tea-store-chinatown.jpg\" alt=\"chinatown tea\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/tea-store-chinatown.jpg 500w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/tea-store-chinatown-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photography by Michael Lax<br \/>\n<strong>Tea Break at Vital Tea Leaf Company<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After hunting through <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/china.html\">Chinatown<\/a> shops, a relaxing tea tasting is in order at the Vital Teal Leaf Company. There are over 300 teas to taste at the wide tasting bar with names like \u201cGolden Throat Oolong\u201d and \u201cFairy Basket.\u201d Below the wall of glass jars, delicate porcelain tea sets and portable tea canteens are for sale. There\u2019s no tasting menu, instead a very helpful staff can share whatever you feel like \u2013 be it sweet, bitter, or floral.<\/p>\n<p><strong>History Lesson at Chinese Historical Society of America<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Chinese Historical Society of America displays the history of the Chinese immigrants who reside in Chinatown and beyond. In this Julia-Morgan designed museum (she is the architect responsible for Hearst Castle), visitors are shown the Chinese immigrant contributions to almost every industry in the American West \u2013 fishing, agriculture, minding, and the railroads. Next to the main exhibition room is a tranquil hallway that posts more modern happenings. The \u201cIn Search of Roots\u201d project shows how today\u2019s Chinatown residents are tracing their Chinese roots back to villages in China. Learn about the history of the neighborhood\u2019s many \u201cBenevolent Associations\u201d as civic organizations for the community. This museum visit feeds the mind and sense of culture, but after a day in Chinatown, it\u2019s time to head to North Beach via Columbus Avenue for dinner and a show to end the multi-cultural day in San Francisco.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-historical-museum.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-695\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-historical-museum.jpg\" alt=\"chinatown museum\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-historical-museum.jpg 500w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/chinatown-historical-museum-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photography by Michael Lax<br \/>\n<strong>Dinner Outdoors at Calzone\u2019s Pizza Cucina<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sftodo.com\/beach.html\">North Beach<\/a> thrums at night and there\u2019s a magic to be found along Columbus Street after dark. The best way to witness the action is a seat at one of the outdoor tables at Calzone\u2019s Pizza Cucina. Marked by red neon among a sea of flashy North Beach neon, the restaurant is a favorite of locals and tourists. Cuddle up with both under heat lamps and at the service of friendly waiters. People-watching along Columbus Avenue may distract, but focus instead on the menu and try the Italian pot stickers or the crab pizza.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/calzone-restaurant-san-francisco.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-698\" title=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/calzone-restaurant-san-francisco.jpg\" alt=\"italian restaurant san francisco\" width=\"341\" height=\"191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/calzone-restaurant-san-francisco.jpg 341w, https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/calzone-restaurant-san-francisco-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 341px) 100vw, 341px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Show at Beach Blanket Babylon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As the day winds down and it\u2019s time to head back to Union Square or out of town, have an espresso after dinner and perk up for one more San Francisco North Beach institution. Only the Club Fugazi location is Italian, but the vibrant, hilarious, and popular show is a final nighttime destination. The show is heavy on costumes, wigs, catchy tunes, and humor, making fun of everything pop culture \u2013 from Oprah to the Chilean miners to Lady Gaga\u2019s meat dress. After a night show, grab a taxi back to Union Square and start planning another day in San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p>By Kristin Zibell, editor and author of travel blog <a href=\"http:\/\/www.takeyourbigtrip.com\">Takeyourbigtrip.com<\/a>. After two years of traveling around the world, she is currently traveling locally in the city of San Francisco.<\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have only one day to see San Francisco, you can explore the magic of North Beach and Chinatown to get the full flavor of the City. The fusion of cultures and histories of San Francisco is visible on any block of the city. It\u2019s seen in the diversity of restaurants \u2013 get a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[243,244,245],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":711,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions\/711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sftodo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}