A San Francisco cable car

San Francisco, California is a major and diverse international center of culture in terms of arts, music, festivals, museums and much more. San Francisco's diversity of cultures along with its eccentricities are so great that they have over time greatly influenced the country and the world at large over the years. San Francisco cable car, 1994, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... San Francisco cable car, 1994, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Area    - City 122 km²  (47 sq mi)  - Land 121. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Museums

Palace of Fine Arts

The Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) contains 20th Century and contemporary pieces. It moved to its iconic building in South of Market in 1995 and attracts 600,000 visitors annually.^[1] The Palace of the Legion of Honor contains primarily European works. The De Young Museum and the Asian Art Museum have significant anthropological and non-European holdings. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 147 KB)From Jon Sullicans pdphoto. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 147 KB)From Jon Sullicans pdphoto. ... The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (or SFMOMA) is a major modern art museum and San Francisco landmark. ... South of Market or SoMa (South of Market) is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. ... Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California. ... M. H. de Young Memorial Museum,San Francisco The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum is a fine arts museum located in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park. ... Samurai armour on display. ...

Palace of the Legion of Honor

The Palace of Fine Arts, originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, today houses the Exploratorium, a popular science museum dedicated to teaching through hands-on interaction. The California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum and hosts the Morrison Planetarium and Steinhart Aquarium. The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world. From 1958 until 2003 the collection was housed in a wing of at the original de Young in Golden Gate Park. When the de Young closed while constructing a new building, the Asian Art Museum moved to the former San Francisco City Library building, which was renovated for the purpose under the direction of Italian architect Gae Aulenti who had previously overseen the converion of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 331 KB) Summary Description : Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, USA Author : own work, Urban ; I took this picture on april 2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 331 KB) Summary Description : Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, USA Author : own work, Urban ; I took this picture on april 2006. ... The Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California is a building originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. ... The Palace of Fine Arts from the Exposition The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a worlds fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. ... Smoke billows at the exploratorium The Exploratorium is a public science museum located in the Marina District at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California. ... The California Academy of Sciences is one of the ten largest natural history museums in the world. ... Table of natural history, 1728 Cyclopaedia Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as several distinct scientific disciplines. ... The California Academy of Sciences is one of the ten largest natural history museums in the world. ... The California Academy of Sciences is one of the ten largest natural history museums in the world. ... Samurai armour on display. ... Gae Aulenti (1927 – ) is an Italian architect, lighting and interior designer. ... --67. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land...

The San Francisco Zoo cares for a total of about 250 animal species out of which 39 have been deemed endangered or threatened.^[2] The San Francisco Zoo is a zoo in San Francisco, California. ...

Other museums include the International Museum of Women, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Museum of Craft & Folk Art, the Cartoon Art Museum, and the Mexican Museum. San Francisco's eccentric nature has also created some "offbeat" museums dealing in unconventional topics. Such museums and galleries include the Antique Vibrator Museum, the Musée Mécanique (dedicated to penny arcade machines), Museum of Ophthalmology, Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, the Stamp Francisco/Stamp Art Gallery (rubber stamps not postal stamps), Tattoo Art Museum (old tattoo machines and instruments), the UFO, Bigfoot and Loch Ness Monster Museum, and the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. The Cartoon Art Museum (CAM) is an art museum in San Francisco, California, specializing in the art of comics and cartoons. ... Vibrators are devices intended to vibrate against the body (including insertion in a body cavity), thereby stimulating the nerves and giving a pleasurable and possibly erotic feeling. ... The Musee Mecanique (Musée Mécanique) is a collection of penny arcade games and related artifacts located in San Francisco, California. ... A phoropter in use. ... Ripleys Believe It or Not! deals in the bizarre—events and items so strange and unusual that it is often hard to believe that they actually exist--but they do: believe it. ... A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin; in technical terms, tattooing is micro-pigment implantation. ... A purported 1952 photo of a UFO over Passaic, New Jersey, from an FBI document. ... Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is believed by some to be an ape-like cryptid and by others to be the product of imagination. ... The Loch Ness Monster, sometimes called Nessie or Ness (Scottish Gaelic: Niseag), is said to be a mysterious and unidentified animal, or group of animals, claimed by some to inhabit the Scottish loch of Loch Ness, the largest freshwater loch, or lake, in Great Britain by volume. ... Fishermans Wharf sign Fishermans Wharf is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, U.S. It is mainly a tourist attraction, known for being the location of Pier 39, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Ghirardelli Square, Ripleys Believe it or Not, ferry rides to Alcatraz and restaurants...

Performing arts

War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

Classical and Opera venues in San Francisco include the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Ballet. They all perform at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. San Francisco's Ballet and Opera are some of the oldest continuing performing arts companies in the United States. The city is also home to the American Conservatory Theater, also known as A.C.T., which has been a leading force in Bay Area performing arts since its arrival in San Francisco in 1967, routinely staging original productions. A major player in the promotion of theater in the Bay Area is Theatre Bay Area (or TBA). A non profit organization, Theatre Bay Area has members from more than 365 Bay Area theatre and dance companies, is the publisher of Callboard Magazine, and runs San Francisco's Half-Priced Ticket Booth. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (824x475, 152 KB)San Franciscos War Memorial Opera House, morning October 31, 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (824x475, 152 KB)San Franciscos War Memorial Opera House, morning October 31, 2005. ... Logo. ... San Francisco Opera (SFO) is the second largest opera company in North America. ... San Francisco Ballet, or SFB, is a San Francisco, USA based ballet company, founded in 1933 as part of San Francisco Opera Ballet. ... The San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center is located in San Francisco, California and is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. ... American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a prestigious theater company in San Francisco, USA that offers both contemporary and classical theater productions and a wide range of classes. ...

In addition to professional, mainstream performing arts, San Francisco is home to the 200-member San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, the world's first gay chorus, as well as the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, the world's first gay marching band. Two additional gay choruses, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco and Golden Gate Men's Chorus, also perform throughout the year.

San Francisco has had a thriving improv theatre community, with a distinctly different style of improv than much of the rest of the country. Unlike Chicago where one venue will host three 30-45 minute shows in one evening, most San Francisco improv shows are 2 hours long, complete with their own intermission. And while Chicago and New York are full of improv companies who perform formats based on the Harold (with multiple storylines going on at the same time), San Francisco is full of improv shows with single-story formats. Often referred to as play-length improv shows, these improv shows are rooted in the idea that if someone can perform something scripted (like a play, movie, or musical) then it can also be improvised just as well. Some groups that define the improvisation scene in San Francisco are: The Committee, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, BATS Improv, The Un-Scripted Theater Company, True Fiction Magazine, The San Francisco Improv Alliance, and 3 for All. Improvisational comedy (also called improv) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. ... Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, The City of Big Shoulders The 312 Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook Incorporated March 4, 1837 Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area... Improvisational comedy (also called improv) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. ... Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town, The City of Big Shoulders The 312 Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook Incorporated March 4, 1837 Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Many theatre troupes are devoted to staging improvisational performances and growing the improv community through their training centres. ... The Harold is an improvisational long-form. ... Improvisational comedy (also called improv) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. ... Improvisational comedy (also called improv) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. ... Improvisational comedy (also called improv) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. ... The performing arts include theater, motion pictures, drama, comedy, music, dance, opera, magic and the marching arts, such as brass bands, etc. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... The Fantasticks was the longest-running musical in history. ... Improvisation is the act of making something up as you go along. ... The Committee Theater was a San Francisco based improvisational comedy group formed in 1963. ... BATS Improv (formerly known as Bay Area Theatresports) is a non-profit improvisational theatre company. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... True Fiction Magazine is an improv theater troupe bassed out of San Francisco California. ... Started in 2005 by Artistic Director of Oui Be Negroes,[1] and former founder of The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative Shaun Landry The San Francisco Improv Alliance is a group of actors dedicated to the work of Improvisational Theater. ... 3 for All is an improv troupe based out of San Francisco, California. ...

Popular music

The Grateful Dead

San Francisco has often hosted influential rock music trends, starting with the San Francisco Sound during the 1960s. Two of the most influential bands from that era, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane started out in San Francisco in 1965. Punk, electronica, industrial, goth, and rave activity 1980s and early 1990s, was also somewhat influential. Intense gentrification during the late 1990s forced many performers to move away and has limited current creativity, though San Francisco, especially in the Fillmore and Hunters Point districts is the home of numerous rappers. Rap artists from San Francisco include Messy Marv, RBL Posse, Rappin' 4-Tay, San Quinn, JT the Bigga Figga and Paris. San Francisco DJ's and electronic musicians are credited with defining the laid- back, dub- influenced sound of West Coast House Music. Prominent DJ's and artists include: Miguel Migs, Mark Farina and DJ Garth. Om Records, one of the country's most respected electronic music labels, is also located here. ^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Gdead2. ... Image File history File links Gdead2. ... Rock is a form of popular music from the mid 20th century which typically features a vocal melody (often with vocal harmony) that is supported by accompaniment of electric guitars, a bass guitar, and drums, often with a strong back beat. ... The San Francisco Sound refers to rock music performed live and recorded by San Francisco-based rock groups of the mid 1960s to early 1970s. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... The Grateful Dead were an American psychedelia-influenced rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. ... Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the LSD-influenced psychedelic rock movement. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Electronica is a term that covers a wide range of electronic or electronic-influenced music. ... NYC goth band The Naked and the Dead (1985). ... A rave (sometimes referred to as a rave party) is an all-night dance event where DJs and other performers play electronic dance music and rave music. ... Gentrification, or more specifically urban gentrification, is a process in which low-cost, physically deteriorated neighborhoods experience physical renovation and an increase in property values, along with an influx of wealthier residents who typically replace the prior residents. ... The name Fillmore may refer to: Millard Fillmore, the thirteenth President of the United States. ... Hunters Point or Bayview-Hunters Point is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of San Francisco, California. ... RBL Posse (short for Ruthless By Law) is a rap group from the Hunters Point district of San Francisco, California. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... San Quinn began in the early 90s alongside JT the Bigga Figga and recorded for J.T.s Get Low label for several years before breaking away at the end of the decade. ... JT the Bigga Figga born Joseph Tom is a hip hop producer/rapper from San Francisco, Californias Fillmore neighborhood. ... Miguel Migs is a highly influencial DJ and producer, known primarily for his distinct style of house music. ... Mark Farina (born in Chicago on March 25, 1969) is a disk jockey and musician, known for his ambient house, acid jazz and downtempo works. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Om Records is a USA-based record company, established in 1995, specialising in house music. ...

Famous songs featuring San Francisco include Tony Bennett's I Left My Heart in San Francisco, and the Scott McKenzie song "San Francisco". Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926) is an American popular music, standards, and jazz singer who is widely considered to be one of the best interpretative singers in these genres. ... I Left My Heart in San Francisco is a popular song. ... Scott McKenzie (b. ...

Festivals and street fairs

San Francisco is home to many different and unique street festivals, parties and parade. Most famous are its Gay pride parade, the world's largest, held every June, the Folsom Street Fair held every September, Chinese New Year Parade held in February, Carnaval held during the spring, Fleet Week in October, and the North American home of the rave the Loveparade (now known as the "Lovefest") held in the late summer/early fall. San Francisco is also home to running marathons such as the Bay to Breakers and the San Francisco Marathon. Drag queens on a float at San Francisco Pride 2005 Dykes on Bikes start the parade. ... The Folsom Street Fair marks the end of Leather Pride Week in San Francisco, California Bondage demonstration at the 2003 Folsom Street Fair The annual Folsom Street Fair happens on the last Sunday in September and is now the final event in San Franciscos Leather Pride Week. ... The San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is an annual event held in San Francisco. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The guided missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG-68) sails past the Statue of Liberty at the beginning of Fleet Week 2004 in New York City. ... A rave (sometimes referred to as a rave party) is an all-night dance event where DJs and other performers play electronic dance music and rave music. ... Alternate meaning: The Love Parade, a 1929 film. ... The Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco, California. ... The San Francisco Marathon is an annual marathon held in San Francisco, California on a Sunday at the end of July or beginning of August. ...

Many neighborhoods in San Francisco have annual street festivals featuring live music, arts and crafts vendors, and community organizations. Among the largest of these are Castro Street Fair, Union Street Art Festival, North Beach Festival, and Haight-Ashbury Street Fair. The San Francisco Opera company puts on an annual free Opera in the Park performance in Golden Gate Park. The San Francisco Symphony does likewise on several dates in July, including one as part of the Stern Grove Festival. On the Fourth of July holiday, there are fireworks shows over Fisherman's Wharf and Marina Green. Another fireworks show is held every May as part of the KFOG: Kaboom!. San Francisco Opera (SFO) is the second largest opera company in North America. ... Logo. ... Established in 1938, the Stern Grove Festival is an admission-free performing arts event held during the summer months at Stern Grove, a eucalyptus-wooded natural amphitheater on a 33-acre site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Blvd. ... These fireworks over the Washington Monument are typical of Fourth of July celebrations In the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. ... Fishermans Wharf sign Fishermans Wharf is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, U.S. Roughly speaking it encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square or Van Ness Street east to Pier 35 or Kearney Street. ... The Marina Green in San Francisco, California is a 74-acre expanse of grass between Fort Mason and the Presidio. ...

Architecture and tourist attractions

Coit Tower

The Transamerica Pyramid, A famous building and symbol of the city

Despite its limited geographical space, San Francisco contains a plethora of unique architecture that also serve as tourist attractions in their own right. They include its Civic Center, Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill, the Ferry Building on its waterfront, the world renowned Golden Gate Bridge, the twisty and windy Lombard Street in Russian Hill, "Painted Ladies", terraced victorian houses that can be found city wide, the San Francisco cable car system, the abstract San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the ruins of the once great Sutro Baths, and the Transamerica Pyramid. Download high resolution version (1944x2592, 949 KB) A photograph of Coit Tower from the steps right in front of it. ... Download high resolution version (1944x2592, 949 KB) A photograph of Coit Tower from the steps right in front of it. ... The Transamerica Pyramid. ... San Francisco City Hall on Civic Center plaza in 2004 San Franciscos Civic Center is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and van Ness Avenuethat contains many of the citys largest government and cultural institutions. ... Coit Tower seen from Outside Coit Tower is a notable landmark built at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco. ... Coit Tower (photo courtesy of Michael Doeff) Coit Tower is a notable landmark dedicated to the San Francisco, California firefighters. ... The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. ... Lombard Streets famed twists Lombard Street in San Francisco, California is a major east-west thoroughfare that crosses the entire city. ... Russian Hill is an affluent, largely residential neighborhood of San Francisco, California, in the United States. ... Victorian houses known as the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square park in San Francisco. ... Victorian house A Victorian house is a type of house popularized in the Victorian era. ... San Francisco Cable Car No. ... The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (or SFMOMA) is a major modern art museum and San Francisco landmark. ... The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge ( ; known locally as the Bay Bridge) is a toll bridge which spans San Francisco Bay and links the California cities of Oakland and San Francisco in the United States, as part of Interstate 80. ... August 2004 Photo of the ruins of the Sutro Baths, San Francisco California In 1896, the Sutro Baths was opened to the public as the worlds largest indoor swimming pool establishment. ... The Transamerica Pyramid. ...

Notes

See also

• San Francisco in popular culture
• List of dramatic theatres in San Francisco