Inside SF
The San Francisco Scoop
SF Experiences
So you can have the best and most authentic experiences of San Francisco.
Check here for neighborhood guides to SF, with their history and information on attractions and things to do there, as well as ways to experience different sides and elements of the city.
10 Architectural Landmarks Of SF
San Francisco is rightly famous for many of its building and structures, visitors are generally well-aware of many of its architectural landmarks and are determined to see them in person. The city’s brightly-painted Victorian houses, the concrete Transamerica Pyramid, our Chinatown (the first to use Chinese features and designs) and, of course, the Golden Gate…
Berkeley, Oakland & Alameda: SF’s East Bay
The San Francisco-facing parts of the wider East Bay region, encompassing Berkeley, Oakland and Alameda, have a lot of attractions and things to see and do. They’re also popular places to stay for visitors to the Bay Area, since they’re reasonably well-connected to the BART and SF ferry systems, as well as being a short…
Angel Island: SF’s Immigration Station
If you’ve ever taken a ferry across the San Francisco Bay, or stood on the waterfront at Fisherman’s Wharf, and noticed a much bigger island than Alcatraz sitting close by it, then you’ve seen Angel Island. It looks peaceful now, likely a wonderful place to hike, picnic and feel far away from the city –…
Fisherman’s Wharf: SF’s Famous Neighborhood
Most visitors to San Francisco visit Fisherman’s Wharf while they’re here, it’s our NYC Times Square or Hollywood Walk of Fame. And, just like those two other famous places, Fisherman’s Wharf can be underwhelming: a few too many tourist traps and, well… tourists! At least that’s how many San Franciscans see it, and they’ll often…
Alcatraz: SF’s Prison Island
Originally named after the Pelicans that used to be inhabit the island, Alcatraz, has since become a symbol of San Francisco, as much as the Golden Gate Bridge and our cable cars. Most first-time visitors to the city by the bay will have it on their list of things to see and do here, along…
Castro: SF’s Naughty Neighborhood
The San Francisco neighborhood known as the Castro is one of the best-known in the city. It was a birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the U.S. and was where Harvey Milk, the gay-rights activist and politician, began his political career. It’s also a very picturesque and historic part of the city, with some…
North Beach: SF’s Nightlife Neighborhood
North Beach is one of San Francisco’s most storied and picturesque neighborhoods. It’s chiefly known nowadays for being our ‘Little Italy’ and most visitors want to see it while they’re in the city, to eat at one of the many great Italian restaurants and cafes that line its streets. It was also the West Coast…
How To Ride SF Cable Cars & Trams
One of the first things that pops into most people’s minds when they hear the words “San Francisco” is an image of a cable car (the other one is the Golden Gate Bridge obviously). It’s considered an indelible element of the city and many visitors coming here already want to take a ride on one,…
Crime Seen: San Francisco’s Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast was the name given to a neighborhood of San Francisco, more or less encompassing Pacific Avenue (then known as Pacific Street) between Montgomery and Stockton Streets, from the 1860’s to the 1900’s. Roughly bound by today’s Chinatown, North Beach and the Embarcadero, the area was infamous for the easy availability of almost every…
Golden Gate Bridge: History & How To Visit
Ever since the late nineteenth century San Franciscans had dreamed of a bridge across the Golden Gate, the narrow strait that separate the northern and southern sides of the entrance to San Francisco Bay. However, the practical difficulties of building a Golden Gate Bridge seemed insuperable at the time, and the crossing stayed a fever…