ESPANSIONI DI TESTO

MODULE C - San Francisco (p. 153)

TASK
Read about two tours of San Francisco and make notes on the special features and
attractions of each district.

San Francisco TOUR A - 9.30 a.m. Meeting point: Transamerica Pyramid

We will visit first of all the FINANCIAL DISTRICT. Dating back to 1852, it is the center for the city's banking and financial services industries, so it is the 'Wall Street' of the West. The tallest and most characteristic building is the Transamerica Pyramid. In the area there are buildings dating back to the Gold Rush, many now converted into antique stores, galleries and restaurants.

Then we move on to CHINATOWN, one of the largest Chinese communities outside China itself. The streets are lined with Chinese temples, places of entertainment, shops offering a variety of colorful merchandise and renowned restaurants and food markets offering the very best flavors of the Orient.

NOB HILL is next, where San Francisco's early millionaires - Gold Rush tycoons and railroad barons - built their mansions which have now become some of the city's finest hotels. Grace Cathedral is the seat of the Episcopal Bishop of California.

NORTH BEACH is San Francisco's 'Little Italy' where the typical bakeries, restaurants and gelato parlors remind us of its Italian heritage and create a definitive Mediterranean flavor. Once a Mecca for the Beat generation of the 1960s, this is now a favorite residential area for young professionals (from the 'beat' to the 'bit' generation!). Coit Tower on top of Telegraph Hill is one of San Francisco's most recognizable landmarks and offers panoramic views of the entire Bay area. Here we'll take some time out for LUNCH.

Then it's on to FISHERMAN'S WHARF where in the early 1900s Italian fishermen set up family stands along the beach selling crab and other seafood. Although the fishing fleet is still there along the piers and you can buy seafood from the stands, Fisherman's Wharf has changed into an area full of family attractions and fine restaurants which is a favorite destination for visitors.

San Francisco TOUR B - 9.30 a.m. Meeting point: Union Square

Our first stop will be UNION SQUARE, the shopping and theater district located in the very heart of the city. It is bordered by fashionable stores and hotels and is one of the city's major shopping areas. The adjoining streets are lined with restaurants, theaters, boutiques, galleries and shops.

Then we cross Market Street into SOMA to visit the SFMOMA.

SOUTH OF MARKET (SOMA) was an industrial area, now full of remodeled warehouses and home to many artists, art galleries and theatres. It is one of the most fashionable areas in town. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is the second largest structure in the country devoted to modern art.

We then go back to Market Street and north of Market Street to visit CIVIC CENTER, the seat of city government with fine classical buildings like City Hall and its great dome, and the elegant Opera House.

Then South again towards Mission

MISSION reflects its Mexican and Latino heritage through the large colorful murals on the walls and an abundance of lively cantinas and Mexican restaurants. Mission Dolores is the city's oldest building, established in 1776. Here we break for LUNCH.

After lunch we move on to
GOLDEN GATE PARK, one of the largest man-made parks in the USA. It was once a waste of shifting sand, but in the late 1800s a Scottish landscape gardener turned it into a beautiful pleasure ground for the San Franciscans. It includes two museums, botanical gardens, an aquarium, a planetarium and a lovely Japanese Tea Garden. The AIDS Memorial Grove is located in the eastern end of the park.