If you have never been to San Fran, imagine the vitality of New York City without the attitude, the culture of Montreal without the cigarette smoke, the friendliness of Toronto without the constant political whining, the architecture of Chicago without the bitter cold wind, and the best sushi this side of the Pacific Ocean. That only begins to describe San Francisco.

Unfortunately, it also has the fog and drizzle of London, the traffic of Los Angeles, and the cost of living of Tokyo. Hey, I never said it was perfect. But it is still my favorite city in the U.S.

San Francisco juts into the ocean and is surrounded by water. Land is at a premium, and as a result, houses tend to be tall and narrow. Homeowners contribute to the beauty of the city by taking great pride in the appearance of their homes. San Francisco is a terrific city to explore if you enjoy the urban landscape. There are many museums and art galleries as well, my favorite being the San Francisco Musem of Modern Art.

San Francisco is filled with parks. The largest park in the city is the Presidio of San Francisco, which from 1776 to 1994 was an important military post. In 1994, it became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, covering some 1500 acres and more than 500 historic buildings that blend seamlessly into the surrounding forests and beaches. Within the park is an extensive network of paths that are used by thousands of cyclists and pedestrians every day. There is also a well-known bowling alley that welcomes you to bowl in the nude. If you really want to. Sorry, I have no photographs of that one.

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area spans beyond the city limits north into Marin County, which is joined to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge. This is an area of bluffs and beaches. A narrow road leads off the north end of the bridge and winds through the mountains to the beach below.

As North American cities continue to grow, it is rare to see a responsible balance between urban development and nature preservation. The area in and around San Francisco demonstrates that it is possible to sustain a large population without destroying the natural resources that make it possible to sustain life in the first place. Sadly however, smog is no less a problem here than in other North American city its size.

One of the most popular tourist destinations in San Francisco is Fisherman's Wharf. In many ways, this area reminds me of Harbourfront in Toronto, the Old Port in Montreal, and Navy Pier in Chicago. There are four main types of restaurants in Fisherman's Wharf: Italian restaurants, seafood restaurants, bars, and Italian seafood restaurants with a bar. Some are decent, most are tacky, and all are overpriced. You should still go. There is good food to be had at Scoma's, at the corner of Jones and Jefferson. Elsewhere, you will be paying more for the view than for good food.

This area is also home to souvenir shops selling t-shirts, key chains, and world-famous Ghirardelli chocolate. There are also many electronics shops of dubious repute, where unsuspecting foreign tourists buy long-discontinued cameras and electronic equipment at double the retail value. Amazingly, they all leave thinking they got a great deal because the price tags generally indicate triple the retail value. (For you, special discount! Today only!) In all fairness, this is a rampant problem in just about every major American city, with the worst offenders in my experience being in New Orleans and New York City. But I digress.

Not to be overlooked is the city of San Jose, which is an hour or two southeast of San Francisco, depending on traffic on Hwy 101 through Silicon Valley. (Hwy 280 is a more scenic drive, if you have some extra time.) San Jose is an important high-tech centre, but I have never particularly enjoyed it there, as my stays have been limited to office buildings and the convention centre. However, I have enjoyed visiting The Tech Museum of Innovation downtown (pictured below) and the Winchester Mystery House which... simply cannot be explained in words. You have to visit it.

The unique combination of culture, architecture, and harmony with nature put San Francisco at the top of my list of favorite U.S. cities!

All images copyright © 1999-2002 Sassan Sanei.