Destination Guides > North America > USA > West Coast > California > San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco is one of the most enticing cities on the west coast. Unlike many American cities, it has a rich history, a vibrant cultural scene, dramatic scenery nearby and a city centre that is compact and interesting enough to explore on foot.
The city’s big break came in 1849 when gold was discovered nearby, and more recently it was a hot spot in the hippy culture of the 1960s and Silicon Valley – the suburban sprawl on the west side of San Francisco Bay between the city centre and San Jose – has been associated with technology industries and the Internet boom of the late 1990s.
This appealing city is surprisingly easy to get around and has a wealth of worthwhile attractions including the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Trans America Pyramid and the old-fashioned cable cars that rattle up and down its hilly streets.
Practical Information
San Francisco Visitors Information Center
Hallidie Plaza, corner Market & Powell Streets, San Francisco
Tel (415) 391 2000
Website www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com
Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat-Sun 9am-3pm
INTERNET ACCESS
San Francisco is one of the most connected cities in the world, which isn't surprising when you realise that Silicon Valley and the headquarters of Google and hundreds of other internet businesses are just down the road. However with everyone connected to the net, it's easier to find a wi-fi hotspot than a regular internet café but there are a few internet cafés around including:
Brainwash Internet Cafe & Laundromat
1122 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel (415) 255 4866
Website www.brainwash.com
Open 7am-11pm
Golden Gate Perk Internet Café
401 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel (415) 362 3929
Website www.ggperk.com
Open Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 11am-6pm
Kaleo Cafe
1340 Irving Street, San Francisco, CA 94122
Tel (415) 753 2460
Website www.coffeeandcocoa.com
Red Tap
1360 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA
Tel (415) 285 0585
Website www.redtap.com
AnchorFree (website www.anchorfree.com) operate a bunch of free wi-fi hotzones around San Francisco including Castro Street between 17th and 19th Streets, a four-block stretch of Chestnut Street in the Marina District, and Union Square.
Panera Bread (website www.panerabread.com) offers free wi-fi at most of its stores including the one at 301 King Street and the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (website www.coffeebean.com) have wi-fi at their stores at 773 Market Street, 2201 Fillmore Street and Embarcadero Center.
There are plenty of small independent cafes that also provide a free wi-fi connection for their customers. These include Cup a Joe (1901 Hayes Street); Rockin' Java (1821 Haight Street); Internet Wired Cafe (1392 9th Avenue); Caffe Roma (526 Columbus Street; website www.cafferoma.com) and Café de la Presse (352 Grant Avenue; website http://www.themenupage.com/cafedelapresse.html).
