Mission District, San Francisco

These two unique and uninhabited hills, almost 1,000ft/300m high, are not in fact the highest of San Francisco's 43 hills, a distinction belonging to Mount Davidson which is some 33ft/10m higher. However, they are easier to get to and offer what is perhaps the finest views out over the city and the bay (there are frequent mists from the Pacific).Twin Peaks are the only hills in San Francisco not to have been built over and remaining in their original state. From them you can look down over San Francisco and the bay; there is nowhere better than this from which to appreciate the vastness of this impressive city. The Spaniards called the twin peaks "Los pechos de la Chola" (i.e. the Breasts of the Indian Maiden).Even on warm days strong cool breezes blow in from the Pacific, especially in the late afternoon. Warm clothing is therefore recommended.

Mission Dolores, or, to give it its proper title, the Mission San Francisco de Assisi, was the sixth of 21 missions founded on the California coast by Franciscans from Mexico. Father Junípero Serra (b. 1713 in Petr, Majorca, d. 1784 in Carmel) laid the foundation-stone on October 9th 1776. The building, completed in 1791, is thus the oldest in San Francisco.It is 110ft/34m long and 21ft/6m wide with walls nearly 4ft/1.2m thick. The restored ceiling is decorated with pictures painted by Indians using pigments made from natural dyes. In the mission there were a total of 28,000 baptisms, mainly of Indians.The basilica close by the mission dates from 1918; an earlier church was, unlike the mission, destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. The Baroque altar comes from Mexico. Documents about the history of the mission are displayed in a special room. The cemetery, later reduced in size, was used for burials from the 1780s until the end of the 19th century. Among those laid to rest were more than 5,000 Indians who perished in the two great measles epidemics of 1814 and 1826.As well as being one of the few sights in San Francisco south of Market Street, Mission Dolores is also the only one of the 21 missions to be now in the center of a great city and thus easily visited.

Buena Vista Park is located at Haight and Lyon Streets in San Francisco. It is a good spot for walking as there are good views of the city and ocean among the many trees in the park.

Haight Ashbury is the area that defined the sixties with its hippy drug culture and rock and roll sensibilities. The denizens of the area still favor a left-wing slant.

The Sutro Tower is a 977 foot television tower, shared by 11 television stations, four FM radio stations and about 20 wireless communications services. It was erected in 1973 and named for local notable Adolph Sutro.

THIS ATTRACTION IS NOW LOCATED IN ATLANTA, GA.The NAMES Project is a quilt designed to cure the deadly disease AIDs which has done so much to decimate San Francisco's population.

The Vulcan Street Steps in San Francisco provide views of the Mission District. The steps pass terraced cottage gardens with overgrown acanthus to the top of Levant Street.

The Castro Theater in San Francisco is a Spanish Renaissance building built by the Nasser family as a movie house.

Clarke's Folly is a fine Victorian mansion built in 1892 by Alfred Clarke on Douglas Street in San Francisco.

Corona Heights Park in San Francisco is a great place to walk your dog. The Randall Museum, a great place for the kids, is located here.

Dolores Park in San Francisco offers walks among the magnolia and pepper trees and a good view of the city.

Hello Gorgeous!! is a tribute to the screen and vocal star Barbara Streisand. Those tourists so inclined will enjoy a trip to this shrine in San Francisco.

The Mission Cultural Center for the Latino Arts offers exhibits of Latin Arts.