Foggy California City is Tops With Tourists

San Francisco ranks among ‘best’ US attractions

November 23, 2011

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world’s most-recognized, and photographed, bridges.

Hilly San Francisco is America’s 13th-largest city. Three other California cities - Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose - are larger. Yet each year, San Francisco ranks first or second in the nation in tourist visits.

What’s the attraction? Why did singer Tony Bennett, in his signature song, leave his heart in San Francisco, rather than, say, Boston or Cincinnati?

Perhaps it’s the setting; the city is shrouded in fog along 40 steep hills overlooking glistening San Francisco Bay. Many of the densely-packed neighborhoods clinging to these hills are filled with ornate Victorian houses called “painted ladies.”

A San Francisco cable car - the nation’s only moving national monument, ascends hilly Hyde Street.

Considering its ocean beaches, bustling commercial waterfront, two of the world’s most striking bridges, and the largest urban park west of Philadelphia, it’s no wonder San Francisco is a desirable - and expensive - place to live and a treat to visit.

Add in its lively theater scene, the oldest ballet company in the United States, dozens of art galleries, and thousands of fine restaurants, and San Francisco exudes sophistication.