Downtown, San Francisco

Situated on the corner of Post Street and Kearny Street, the 38-storey skyscraper known as the Post Montgomery Center, designed by architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for the Crocker Bank, was built in 1983. With its pink granite façade it is widely considered one of the most pleasing of modern buildings.Not least of the Crocker Center's attractions is the highly impressive Galleria, an arcade of elegant shops where daylight floods in. Located in the Financial District.The 50 or more shops and restaurants are open during normal hours Monday to Saturday. The roof garden, where lunchtime sandwiches or picnics can be consumed, is a welcome oasis in busy downtown San Francisco.

This museum is the first in San Francisco to be devoted exclusively to photography and to the work of the celebrated Californian photographer Ansel Adams in particular.One of the five galleries houses a permanent display of Adams' work and that of his successors. The other four are used for temporary exhibitions.The museum, which was opened in 1991, has a library and a bookshop with a large selection of books on photography.The Friends of Photography closed all operations as of 10/31/01. The bookstore continues to operate at the same location.

Pioneer Hall, near the Civic Center in San Francisco, houses the museum and library of the Society of Californian Pioneers, devoted chiefly to the early Pioneer Hall (pre-1869) history of California. There are historical documents and exhibits of various kinds, including a number of coaches.Scholars researching the history of California are allowed access to the comprehensive library and large photograph collection.

This museum in the Standard Oil Company of California building will fascinate anybody interested in the story of oil from its discovery to the development of its countless by-products.The history of oil is depicted to visitors by means of models of the equipment used in the oil-fields and by three dioramas. There is also an 18 minute multi-media show called "Magic of a Refinery" which is put on several times a day. It requires no fewer than 26 projectors.

The Yerba Buena Gardens and Center for the Arts is a ten acre site in the South of Market area (SOMA) of downtown San Francisco. It was built on top of the Moscone Convention Center.The center has three galleries, an outdoor stage, a theater, a waterfall and a garden. The gallery presents rotating exhibits throughout the year with contemporary and emerging artists highlighted.

This new museum is the first devoted exclusively to the city's history. Its collection consists of photographs, town plans, paintings and objects of civic interest such as the statue of the Goddess of Progress which graced the dome of the old City Hall destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.

The Old Mint, erected between 1873 and 1874, was one of the few buildings in the Mission Street area not only to withstand the 1906 earthquake but to do so unscathed.Several of its rooms have today been restored to their appearance in the 19th century, most notably the director's office.

Dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all forms, the Cartoon Art Museum boasts a collection of approximately 11,000 original pieces in its permanent collection.

Fleur de Lys is a romantic French restaurant located in downtown San Francisco. This popular restaurant features a garden tent in the center of the dining room with a venetian chandelier.

Gump's is the oldest Asian art dealer in San Francisco. The Gump brothers opened their shop in 1861. A Ch'ing Dynasty gilded wood Buddha located on the first floor of Gump's remains the largest of its kind outside of a museum.

Attraction is closed.Levi Strauss came to San Francisco in the 1860s to make blue canvas work pants for gold miners. The tours of the factory that were once offered have been discontinued.

Jesuits founded the University of San Francisco in 1855. Originally known as St. Ignatius Academy, the university recovered from the 1906 San Francisco fire and earthquake, which destroyed the institution.

Alamo Square is one of the most photographed areas of San Francisco. The Victorian homes form what is known as "postcard row".

The San Francisco Art Commission was formed in 1932 to provide support for the arts in the city. The Gallery displays the work of Bay area artists.