#travel #vlog Sanfransico City Guide Lonely Planet
[Music] [Applause] [Music] ever since the gold rush in 1849 Sam Francisco has been a place where people have come to find a better life and to reinvent themselves Misfit Fortune Seeker dreamer all you have to do is go west to the place where you're free to be whoever Whatever Whenever San Francisco the great liberal Utopia the city by the Bay [Music] San Francisco sits in the northern part of California and is generally recognized as one of the most liberal cities in the United States the city is packed onto the tip of the peninsula where the Pacific Ocean meets the San Francisco Bay [Music] [Music] [Music] I thought San Francisco was supposed to be foggy it's gorgeous I think I'm going to walk it although it has a population of less than a million San Francisco is a thriving Cosmopolitan Metropolis the gleaming towers of the financial district starkly contrast with its range of ethnically and socially diverse neighborhoods if the financial district is the heart then these neighborhoods are the [Music] soul I'm staying in the district of North Beach just north of downtown um hi hi welcome to the Sano thanks I'm U Justine Shapiro Shapiro that's right we have you in here for one night in the penthouse um and then you'll be moving downstairs into a different room for three nights y okay and it's a shared bath they're located in the hallways and the phones are also located in the hallways too who needs a telephone me is that somebody's room sorry more stairs to the roof rooftop Penthouse wow downstairs rooms start at $50 a night the penthouse will cost you A1 a this is really lovely it's a cabin on a rooftop in San Francisco I got my own bathroom there's still no telephone and there's a television who needs it though up here I've got a 360 view it's a little pricey but it's my first night in San Francisco so I think it's worth it and after tonight I'm going to be downstairs with the rest of them sharing toilets and showers and telephones in the hallway so I think tonight I'll just enjoy my solitude wow it's so romantic and I'm all alone but you can't have everything [Music] [Music] I could live here [Music] San Francisco's famous turn of the century cable cars are not just a tourist attraction they're a great way to get around the city even the locals use them to get to work hello how you doing watch your elbows guys this is the top of Russian Hill hang on on the hill how much is it it's $2 one way or $6 all day Union streets next got a cable car coming on the left guys suck it in what's this one the middle lever grabs onto the cable underneath the street the cable's moving and when I pull back on it it clamps onto the cable like a vice to stop I have to let go of the cable and put on a brake this one on the right's a break can you stand on the side for me please thank you is it dangerous for people hanging off the side there yeah it can be they do get knocked off really it's a lot of paperwork when it happens hold on go on the hill jump if you see me jump next upop for [Music] Chinatown San Francisco is home to the largest concentration of Chinese outside of Asia the Chinese first came to San Francisco in the 19th century hoping to find gold instead most of them found racial discrimination and were segregated into an area that is now known as Chinatown as a result of this Chinatown is determinedly self-sufficient it has its own Banks schools and newspapers it's almost a city within a city walking around Chinatown in San Francisco feels a lot like walking around in China there's Chinese written everywhere Chinese spoken everywhere It Feels So authentic which I guess is one of the reasons why it's such a popular tourist destination feel a little bit like a foreigner here but I'm a hungry one and I'm determined to go into one of these Chinese restaurants dim some sounds great hi hello hi um uh can I get some dim dim yeah what do you have in in there K KAG yeah that okay uh y yo what's that t that looks good okay one of those yeah how much is do do yakman B yakman bahom 185 okay $185 man yeah Manon that's a good deal the original Chinatown started right here in Portsmouth Square it's a great place to meet the locals and even pick up some tips do you know how to use chopsticks yeah okay this one is U Can You Reach in and take take one it's made with shrimp and spinach uh what does dimsum mean dimsum is a concept it's like Chinese Tapas or snacks snacks little bite-sized pieces and then if you can't bite it just that's why I eat alone in the park that's why you eat I have to work on my gyon chop just the whole thing in your mouth no one cares because we're all doing the same thing and you're sitting in a very historic Park have you been here I've never been here before oh there are over 13,000 Chinese living in 28 square block area I feel like an intruder in Chinatown oh you haven't learned the term n ho have you neho neho that means how are you how are you yes that's a good way to break the eyes in our chinat toown because um most of the people here still speak Cantonese yeah and how do you say thank you do do do ni do and I'll make friends in Chinatown it's a [Music] plan niow meow [Music] ni ni it worked it worked just next door to Chinatown is the Italian quarter called North Beach in the 50s and early 60s this was the center of the Beat Generation of poets and artists Jack kowak and Alan Ginsburg were among the many writers who hung out here and developed their new style of anti-establishment Pros the focal point was City Lights Bookstore owned by one of the few surviving beat poets Lawrence ferling Getti if you're lucky you might even see him browsing around his own [Applause] store Mr fingy can I ask you a really stupid question oh yeah of course what why was it called The Beat Generation I mean why the word beat oh well carak had in mind beat for beatitude I mean a lot has made been made of of the of the Jazz use of beat but no he really was thinking about beatitude that's why I drank so much he was trying to reach a state of beatitude mistakenly thinking he could reach it by [Laughter] drinking why did so many of the beat poets come to North Beach to San Francisco well um the beat PS are really all from New England and New York so they came out here um cuz this was still the Last Frontier maybe it still is do you think it still is yeah we're still out here dancing on the edge of the world [Music] live poetry readings are not a thing of the past tonight a diva of the spoken word is reading here at Visio another Beat Generation Landmark I believe in the power of rock and roll I believe the three stoes are not funny I believe that most people don't actually read books they just skim the New York Times book review section I believe that the term [ __ ] and Dyke are dumb names to use for people who just chosen to love people more like themselves than unlike themselves I believe no one ever really looked good in bell bottoms I believe the MTV Sports guy needed a volum I believe everyone should have a near-death experience they'll finally learn how to live I believe that if it comes down to your man or your cat keep the cat no wait yeah I believe women are very protected with their children men are very protected with remote control I believe one of these days someone's going to figure out how to fax a pizza and I believe that I have never ever ever had that not so fresh feeling [Applause] [Music] [Music] chinatown's influence spills out into many other parts of the city Tai Chi is regularly practiced every morning on mass here in North Beach's Washington [Music] Square a 10-minute fery ride from Pier 41 is the infamous Alcatraz thing about Alcatraz is that no matter how bad you've been unless you've booked your ticket in advance you're not going to get in because it's one of the hottest tourist attractions in the whole [Music] country during the 1930s Alcatraz Island became the most famous prison in the United States Al Capone Machine Gun Kelly and the Birdman of alcatra Richard stad all did time here it is said that no prisoner ever managed a successful Escape across the rough supposedly shark infested waters the prison it's up a very long steep windy road so do take your time going up one great way for visitors to do time here is with an audio tour thank you for joining us on our tour of the alcatra [Music] cellous in front of you is the main aisle through the cellous the inmates call this Broadway they March us into the cellous and we we March down Broadway and this was like an introduction to our they try to humiliate you in front of the other convicts by parading you down broad we dining hall now step through the doorway into the dining room they nicknamed the dining room the gas chamber cuz there were tear gas canisters around the room in case things got out of hand must be these things [Music] huh huh this is the hospital and yeah this is where Robert Stroud otherwise known as the Birdman of alcatra was put into isolation he was separated from the rest of the prison population because he was considered too dangerous and fishlyn no wonder he was so crazy [Music] walk through d block and go to solitary confinement this was the prison inside the prison the treatment unit this is where they put you when you were really bad [Music] [Applause] well it's Friday night and me and thousands of other people in this town are sitting around surfing the net so sad but the truth is if you want to find out about the really cool stuff that's going on in San Francisco you have to go online anyway it beats waiting for the phone to ring oh this looks interesting join the Cyber bus for a virtual Space Walk falam and third at 900 p.m. The Space Walk is an annual underground art event the idea is that participants move around the city staging brief gorilla style art attacks the trick is to stay one step ahead of the [Applause] police I've been invited on the [Applause] [Music] [Music] bus this is a great event everyone's just sort of free to be whoever they want to be that's right and who are you I'm cyber s cyber sand hold on I need to collect some data there's some cyber freak for you the Cyber bus has got to be one of the best ways to get around on The Space Walk on TR we got a little squeeze so Sam is there a philosophy behind um The Space Walk event a lot of it is just simply about being outside and having fun instead of like one guy sticking his stuff in a gallery and another guy having their their show in some theater and stuff this is the the people who do this kind of stuff here's digital Dan right here digital Dan hey digital Dan good we're going down to the aerial acction team just follow me just follow me what do you do for a living like in real life this is my real life I have done nothing wrong Hillary and Chelsea Trust me they know I'm [Applause] okay well I guess the police are here this is not a mobile home might be registered as where show me your registration have your registration excuse me turn your light off thank you very much well this looked really promising I mean all these people showed up to do something and they're not being allowed to do it I mean they just want to perform and the police are stopping them I guess San Francisco just isn't as tolerant and liberal as it used to be it's too bad go home and watch TV morning hi you waiting for the shower yeah yeah You' been waiting a long time no not really good [Music] [Music] excuse I'm taking a day trip out of San Francisco now to see the giant redwoods at Mir Woods the green tortoise bus has been around since the early 1970s specializing in lowbudget tours that cross all over the [Applause] continent everyone just seems so comfortable it's a very comfortable ride and everybody participates the other real beauty of the trip is is everybody works together works together on the meals we all work together to to help cook and clean up everybody works together in the interior of the bus and traveling together it's a very communal situation so that keeps the cost down I suppose exactly so is there like a girl section on the bus and a boy section on the bus nope everybody sleeps together what about if you have to go to the toilet we have an emergency funnel uh that's up here in the front of the bus and uh it's not if you're too shy but you can uh use that for boys and girls well it works it works best for men but girls can use it too [Music] is there any downside in San Francisco there's one thing I don't like if you have to be 21 for buying drinks or even to enter a bar like we're from Germany and you're allowed to buy be at the age of 16 and I'm 18 so I I think I'm grown up but I'm not allowed to to to enter a b that's so weird so what do you do at night not much just 40 minutes from the city is a land that time [Music] forgot how old are these trees these trees in mirwoods are about a thousand years old their claimed to fame as the tallest living things on earth they grow to 230 ft tall and about 15 ft across at the base that's amazing how do they last so long well they have a natural defense system that's uh built into the bark of the tree and the bark contains a chemical called tannin and that tannin uh works as a sort of natural asbestos although the bark can begin to burn in the case of a forest fire um uh it will smolder and go out so conceivably redwoods could live for longer than a thousand years yeah they're considered [Music] Immortal Mir Woods is the only patch of old growth redwoods left in the Bay Area most of the trees were relentlessly felled in the 19th century to provide building material for many of San Francisco's Victorian houses these Woods were saved in 190 wa when President Theodore Roosevelt declared them a National [Music] Monument just south of the city center is one of San Francisco's most famous neighborhoods the [Music] Castro almost everybody knows that San Francisco is a mecca for the gay community and Castro Street is its heart and soul but I'm curious to know why so many gays are attracted to San Francisco so I'm taking this walking tour today called cruising the Castro with someone named Trevor and we're supposed to meet on this corner in about 5 [Music] minutes hi are you Trevor no oh sorry that's are you Trevor no no I'm not no are you Trevor no I'm not Trevor no excuse me um are are you Trevor no she's Trevor oh you're Trevor I'm Trevor oh you're Trevor oh great hi I'm Justine Justine nice to meet so this is where the tour starts this is it at the turn of the century the Castro was an Irish Catholic stronghold but Legend has it that when the area's first gay bar opened the Catholics moved out this left a lot of cheap but beautiful housing which the gay community quickly transformed into one of the most prosperous areas in the city welcome to the Castro this intersection is reputed to be the gayest four corners on Earth this is the first Total gay community that the world has ever known and by total not just an area that we infiltrated for social purposes but an area where we own the businesses and the homes where we basically took our place at the table gays moved in here in 70 to and once they begin to migrate into this particular neighborhood in 2 years 20,000 moved in between these two [Music] Hills now you did bring your pencils for your test didn't you because I'm about to give you a history that I hope you're going to remember now 1849 San Francisco was a little Backwater Hamlet of about 5 or 600 people until they struck gold for the first time in American history once they struck gold people let out as individuals to settle in area so with everyone arriving on equal footing the first characteristic that developed was that of acceptance the average age of the Gold Miner was between 18 and 25 and needless to say it was predominantly men so if you've got a brand new city of 40,000 18y old young men need I say more we even had a group amongst the gold miners that openly and boldly call themselves The lavender Cowboys wow that amazing in the 1980s the Castro was devastated by the AIDS epidemic in just 6 weeks a thousand men died in this one small area of 13 blocks the names project was set up to raise awareness of the epidemic and to try and obtain some government help each cloth panel is in the shape and size of a coffin and made to honor those individuals who died of AIDS the panels are sewn together to form a memorial quilt socialization had everything in the world to do with what group or the highest risk group when this age retrovirus rose up out of the meire and begin to affect human beings now when men are socialized aren't they told that sex is a biological need a male privilege you put too many together haven't you just doubled the odds of multiple sex you put two women together my God we bonded from the nose to the toes moved in together begin to bake vegetarian casseroles and raise cats because we had a double dose of the female socialization so you see when this virus rose up out of the mire that is sexually transmitted gay men became the high-risk group who from day one has been the lowest risk group for the age retrovirus and still is today lesbi lesbians so those same people that insist that aids is God's punishment for homosexuality well then don't those same people have to accept that clearly lesbians are the chosen people all right now so isn't that going to get rid of that saying that it's a gay punishment now we've spent a lot of time together today we've talked about intimate subjects and I think that allows a group to bond thank you my what a pleasure what a pleasure oh justtin thank [Music] you earthquakes in San Francisco are an issue the last big one was in 1906 and since then there have been other Tremors and other earthquakes and they've caused lots of damage and everyone's waiting for the next big one so if you're traveling in San Francisco you should probably know a few things to do in the event of an earthquake and hanging out on a freeway overpass was probably not a good idea what do I do in the event of an earthquake can you give me some good practical advice good real advice yeah duck cover and run to me just stay out of the reach of falling things falling glass I've never really thought about it actually it's not something that I really worry about I'd probably try to run indoors or under a doorway to prevent the glass from falling down on your head that's the best advice I actually have this felt my first one just about a month ago and I was in the shower and the whole tub was shaking and so it was quite an experience but um I did well in my business the next day so I felt it was like the jolt of my life good great thank you Southwest of the financial district is the area called hate Ashbury in the 60s this place was the center of the flower power movement loins psychedelic drugs and anti-war demonstrations put the hate on the world map well the' 60s are long gone but uh there still seemed to be an awful lot of people attracted to this place it's not just a street it's a lifestyle times have certainly changed since the 60s the hate has turned its past into profit and like a psychedelic Disneyland it does feel a bit like a flower power theme park in the 60s this was a low rent Zone but nowadays no true hippy can afford to live here listen can I ask for a little change for this interview cuz I'm a real American rainbow hippie and I'm trying to make an honest box here look at see you go in circles like [Music] that if you want a taste of what the hate used to be about then check out the red Victorian bed and breakfast and meet its owner and artist and residence Sammy sunsh child there's so many peace signs here Sally I know you know that's what this place is about in the 60s it was the peace sign it was the symbol to get out of Vietnam and to start making a peaceful world and it was about personal power I was so happy Justine to be a part of the 60s myself what I've done is collect all the spiritual energy and all the love and all the idealism from the 6 and then this is the place where it has a safe haven I feel it why don't I show you around a few of our rooms what kind are you looking for they're all designed for the effect that they have on the guest do you want something to calm you down or something to make you laugh or what would you like oh I like a room that'll make me laugh oh okay well how about starting in this is the room that's called friends and uh this is a room where if you want to not get lonely uh you can see our window here it's very famous yes you know what happens sometimes at night the guests actually hang a towel over when they're getting undressed or when they're sleeping hey Justine have you ever seen a mirror like this look at this this is one of our special mirrors here at the red Vic look you can even do this you mean like this that that look really skinny make yourself fatter [Laughter] Justin isn't this a silly Place well here it is Justine this is the flower child room a real happy place is it's so colorful love the clouds on the ceiling and did you do that crochet well you know this is a real 1967 hippie hand crocheted piece really it's an authentic collector's item it's wonderful well if this room's available I'd love to stay here this is your choice yes okay great well see you later okay Sammy bye bye the flower child [Music] Room San Francisco's a great place to get around on a if you're an Olympic champion but there's an upside to this and that's the downside [Applause] [Music] Golden Gate Park's a bit more my speed because it's big it's beautiful and it's [Music] flat San Francisco has a food culture all its own and that's vegetarian and hardcore vegetarians are vegans and these are people who don't eat d they don't eat egg and I'm eating a a vegan Feast today I've got here um an organic bagel and on my organic Bagel I'm going to be putting some of this stuff it's veggie pepperoni it's contains no meat and on top of my vegetable pepperoni I'm going to be putting a slice of it's not cheese it's a veggie single made with Organic tofu it's a Swiss alternative it says on the package and of course no meal is healthy unless you have your vegetabl so I have veggie Delight it's a live Zing salad it's fresh raw vegetables that are ground up put into a stainless steel container and left to culture for 5 to 7 Days sounds kind of dangerous oh God that smells like a lab experiment oh my goodness gracious me let's see how it all tastes together M oh tastes like [Music] dust San Francisco is renowned for its revolutionary spirit and you can catch it the last Friday of every month when hundreds of cyclists gather here in the heart of the financial district at rush hour the intention is to stop traffic it's called critical mass and this month it has a Halloween theme like every other night of the month the cars take over and jam up the streets in their traffic so bike critical mass is the one night of the month when the bikes get to be trafficed and we make a big tea party out of it today's society depends way too much on oil for too many things um and people are dying around the world due to Wars and based on oil and so we're just showing that this very simple vehicle can take where you need to [Music] go can you give me a favor and uh get up on the sidewalk please yeah sure thank you very [Music] much the cycle route is always kept a secret until the last minute just to keep the motorists off guard music on we need some music [Applause] good B cars no more car the San Francisco Arch dases would like to welcome everyone to critical mass tonight in supporting alternative transportation and promoting a more liveable city for all folks where does it end where does it end the the the ride tonight will be going to help and [Applause] [Music] back pilot guides brought to you by Oh Henry white [Music] chocolate nobody stands behind their cars like Mitsubishi because every new Mitsubishi now comes with a 10-year powertrain limited warranty 5year new vehicle limited warranty and 5-year roadside assistance Mitsubishi the best bad cars in the [Music] world you can take oatmeal anywhere oatmeal to go bars everything you love about Quaker oatmeal Quaker goodness inside you can take oatmeal anywhere oatmeal to go bars everything you love about Quaker oatmeal Quaker goodness inside hey Sally taking a break my wrists are on fire have you tried this will it work extra strength aspirin helps extinguish the pain of muscle inflammation at the site thanks extra strength aspirin really worked extra strength aspirin helps extinguish fiery muscle pain in my world I can go anywhere all flights leave in the afternoon all hotels are on the beach all rental cars are SUVs no convertibles in my world I am a goddess planning a trip with expedia.ca is the difference between getting a trip and getting your trip expedia.ca flights hotels car rentals packages now we're getting somewhere it was a time of quick triggers it was a time when chasing your fortune could make you an outlaw hunting down the baddest Outlaws of the West you boys have been looking for a fight Michael Madson now you got one makes his o n debut as the infamous Wyatt Earth and introducing Mark Blundell as the biker the outdoor life Network proudly presents Chasing The Outlaws April 9th on o [Applause] [Music] hi baby just south of the city center is the distinctly Latin Mission District this is the oldest part of the city and was founded in 1776 by Franciscan monks hoping to convert the native [Music] population it wasn't until the 60s when thousands of Central and South American immigrants and political refugees poured into the area that the mission began to assert its Latin roots and became one of the city's most vibrant neighborhoods good even though the Mission district has been hijacked by Rich Kids coming up from Silicon Valley it's still managed to maintain its earthy working class Latino feel and this neighborhood's different from any other neighborhood in this the city the weather's warmer here the streets are crowded and the smells coconut milk lemongrass coriander cumin tortillas seared onions I'm [Music] hungry hola H um can I have a Carne assada tacos please you want hot sauce or mild mild sauce yes good $1 $1 $1 see everybody who knows know knows that the mission is the place to come for good inexpensive food and you know it's authentic cuz there's stands like this all over Mexico they have tacos pork chicken tongue head tripe I guess that's guts and cesos what's cesos brain brains yeah I'll stick with the grill meat hello it's readyy that looks really really good and fresh put a little lemon on it and this is an authentic Mexican taco because the tortilla is soft that is delicious amazing you can get something so good out of that little van yeah h [Music] noes my name is Francisco Lon and we're celebrating the Day of the Dead that really connect us to our ancestors join us to call the four directions and we're going to say one word together can we say together [Music] The Day of the Dead is traditionally a Mexican celebration honoring all who have died the mission celebrates it every year in early November the event originated with the Hispanic Community but like so many events in San Francisco it has taken on its very own identity what is it about what it's about for you well to me it's something we don't have in our sort of honky culture and the H we have like funerals wakes and memorials but this this thing is L of you know take a day to celebrate all the ancestors all the people that have come before you even if they weren't your relatives just think about the people that made you who you were where you came from and you know not where we're going but it is where we're going so you know we're going to 24th in Mission we're going there yeah San Francisco is kind of famous for giving things that sort of postmodern twist but it's kind of powerful the whole mission's been taken over by all these people a lot of them are taking this very very seriously and the smell at Sage and incense air the ritual drumming kind of weird [Music] well you don't have to go far to find a stunning beach in San Francisco but it's not really your sunny bikini Covered California Dream Beach it's almost always foggy out here and with the strong currents and The Ripped tides and the seriously cold water it's not advisable to swim but it doesn't stop the Surfers [Music] we're heading 30 minutes south to a beginner beach in [Applause] Pacifica Kyle Abby John and Max are convinced I can learn to surf in one afternoon but I'm not so sure you're just going to jump up there put your feet right under you want to scoot back more yeah but you want to have this foot kind of like it's not ballet we're surfing okay she's [Music] [Applause] [Music] ready the water is freezing I'm acting really cool but the water is [Music] freezing riding [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I did it I did it I did it I did it I can't excited that's good I like that I love s [Music] San Francisco used to be a place where people came to escape the establishment find their fortunes now it seems like people are coming with their fortunes and shaking out the very people that made the city what it is I love San Francisco and so do a gazillion other people I just wonder if perhaps she isn't being loved to death [Music] oh [Music]
2024-08-12 18:01
