City Page Type: Destination

  • CenturyLink Field

    CenturyLink Field

    CenturyLink Field replaced the old Kingdome and construction was finished on the new stadium in 2002. Originally named Seahawks Stadium, the facility was also briefly known as Qwest Field before the telecommunications carrier was acquired by CenturyLink in June of 2011. The stadium is best-known for its superior acoustics, having twice set the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium. Although well-renowned for its sporting events, CenturyLink Field is also home to the Washington Music Theater. The theater is acoustically engineered to provide excellent sound quality and the 130,000-square foot venue is one of the most flexible indoor performance centers in the U.S. In addition, interested visitors can join regularly scheduled public tours of CenturyLink Field to get a behind-the-scenes look at the stadium’s unique operations. These tours take place on Friday through Sunday from September 1st through May 31st and daily from June 1st through August 31st. Be sure to check CenturyLink Field’s website for blackout dates.

  • Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

    Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

    When considering the diverse tapestry that makes up the many communities of the San Francisco Bay Area, there are few places which better celebrate that wide range of culture than the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Located in the Yerba Buena Gardens, it is a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts center that houses visual art, films, music, video, and performances from local, national and international artists. 1976 marked its opening year, though the idea for this inspiring location had been floating around since the 1960s. The arts center does subscribe to any particular art form or style in what it displays, often favouring the eclectic over what’s immediately recognizable. It is spread out over two locations: The Gallery & Forum Building where art galleries, a forum event space, and film screenings are located, and YBCA Theater where the center’s stage is located.

  • University of San Francisco

    University of San Francisco

    Spanning over a 55-acre space, the University of San Francisco currently teaches more than 11,000 students in over 230 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and certificate programs in 25 distinct buildings. First established in 1855 by the Jesuits, it has since become a school with a diverse student body (tied for 3rd in undergraduate student diversity for 2018), dozens of clubs and organizations, and a formidable athletic program that includes football, soccer, and basketball. Centrally located in the heart of San Francisco, this school makes a point of being an integral part of city life while being home to a vibrant campus life of its own. Ranked in the top 100 of the United States’ schools out of a total of 1,600, USF provides a competitive academic environment with a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio that puts learners at the forefront of its academic mission.

  • University of California Berkeley

    University of California Berkeley

    The University of California Berkeley stands as the foremost institution for research in California’s broad system of universities. Founded in 1868, it has since gone on to boast producing 107 Nobel laureates, 20 Academy Awards, 207 Olympic medals, and much more. It’s been a cornerstone in progressive thinking for the whole state, having been a historical focal point at times such as the Free Speech Movement of 1964 and its students’ opposition to the Vietnam War. Over time, UC Berkeley has accumulated a wide range of buildings with a wider range of architectural designs and distinctions. Its academic programs and departments number in at over 130, is at the leading edge of medical and mathematical research, and its 32 libraries combined make up the fourth largest academic library in the United States. American Literature aficionados should take note that among all of its rich collections, The Mark Twain Papers are housed here.

  • Union Square

    Union Square

    Union Square is home to the city’s largest collection of luxury, department, and boutique shopping. It’s an incredibly popular tourist attraction throughout the year, and it also boasts an incredible selection of hotels, art galleries, salons, and theaters. The diversity of the square and round-the-clock activity are cornerstones of San Francisco’s cosmopolitan identity. The center of the Union Square neighborhood is home to a park that is bordered by Geary, Powell, Post, and Stockton Streets. The square was built in 1850 and originally used as a gathering spot for pro-Union demonstrations on the eve of the American Civil War. It was named by San Francisco’s first mayor, John Geary, in remembrance of the pro-Union rallies. If you visit the park today, you’ll find it the center of a vibrant and diverse community, as well as home to many of the city’s political and cultural gatherings.

  • SF Chinatown

    SF Chinatown

    While there are actually four notable Chinatowns in San Francisco, the oldest and largest is the main Chinatown to visit. Since its establishment in 1848, it has played an important and influential role in the history and culture of Chinese immigrants in North America. Chinatown spans a total of 24 city blocks and it is the most densely populated neighborhood west of Manhattan. San Francisco’s Chinatown offers visitors the opportunity to experience Chinese culture. One of the most photographed locations in Chinatown is the Dragon’s Gate, which is the southern entrance to Chinatown on Grant Avenue, which runs the length of Chinatown. Once in Chinatown, visitors can explore a maze of herbal and tea shops, souvenir stores, bakeries, karaoke bars, and dark cocktail lounges. Other notable attractions include St. Mary’s Square, the Sing Chong and Sing Fat buildings, and Portsmouth Square, which is the oldest public space in San Francisco.

  • San Francisco State University

    San Francisco State University

    The San Francisco State University campus includes a total of six academic colleges and the college’s mascot is the Gator. Overall, students can choose from 118 different bachelor’s degrees and 94 master’s degrees. Doctorate degrees are also available across five unique disciplines. The university is part of the California State University system, which includes a total of 23 campuses throughout the state.    San Francisco State University was originally founded in 1899. It first went by the name of San Francisco Normal School and was a two-year teacher-training college. The first graduating class, which consisted of 36 women, earned their diplomas in 1901 and the first four-year program at the university wasn’t initiated until 1930.    Today, the campus covers more than 144 acres and is home to a student body consisting of almost 30,000 undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students. More than 90 percent of the student body is originally from California and the average fees for undergraduate students taking more than six units totalled $3,632 per semester in the spring of 2019. Some of the university’s most distinguished alumni include Annette Bening, Danny Glover, and Johnny Mathis, who some consider to be “the greatest romantic singer of our time.” 

  • San Francisco International Airport

    San Francisco International Airport

    Every year more than 55 million passengers come and go through the San Francisco International Airport. It is, with a total of 62 airlines being serviced and being one of the top North American gateways for nonstop flights passing over the Pacific, in a word: busy. It’s a vast space as well, spanning over 5,000 acres (21㎢). It’s pretty impressive when considering that SFO started as a dirt airstrip in a cow’s pasture ninety years ago. Located 13 miles (21km) from downtown San Francisco, this airport originally spent its first decade in service accommodating the work of carriers and shipping companies before taking on passengers. Given its prime location, the Second World War necessitated that it rapidly restructure itself into the beginnings of what it is today. Now, it’s the base of operations for the swanky start-up airline Virgin America and is a major concentrated hub for flights with companies like Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.

  • San Francisco Bay

    San Francisco Bay

    San Francisco Bay is actually a drowned river valley that parallels the California coastline and connects to the Pacific Ocean via a strait known as the Golden Gate. The bay is 60 miles (97 kilometers) long and ranges from three to 12 miles (five to 19 kilometers) wide, depending on the exact location you’re looking at. The bay is home to a total of four islands: Treasure, Yerba Buena, Angel, and the infamous Alcatraz. Predominant theory in the scientific community suggests that the bay was submerged during the melting of the last glacial ice sheet. The bay covers an area of approximately 550 square miles, which is larger than the combined sizes of the cities of San Diego and San Jose. It is largely filled by fresh water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers.

  • Ripley’s Believe it or not! Museum

    Ripley’s Believe it or not! Museum

    Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum is THE place to take your group if you want to experience the bizarre, explore the mysterious, and enjoy the weird. Their exhibits feature incredible artwork, but also showcase some very interesting items, including shrunken heads and an Egyptian mummified foot. The exhibits, video displays, and illusions you’ll find here are hardly believable and, yet, somehow true. The museum’s Odditorium is home to more than 70 interactive and hands-on exhibits in and of itself. In total, the museum is home to more than 400 exhibits organized across 18 themed galleries. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum usually takes most visitors around 45 minutes to an hour to move through, but there’s enough to keep your attention for much longer. Visitors are allowed to take both pictures and videos while touring the museum.