:::San Francisco::: - THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY IN THE AMERICAS -

[c0kelitr0]

i miss my birthplace!!! waaahhhhh

[AcesHigh]

Alex, do you consider SF to be the most beautiful city in terms of architecture, urbanism and feel or GEOGRAPHY? I think its very hard to say SF has more gorgeous geography than Rio...

[c0kelitr0]

rio has a stunning setting but SF's is not far behind.

[Aaron W]

Beautiful. If I could find a good paying job there, I would move in a second. Maybe one of these days...

[Arpels]

for me its the moust beautiful city in North America!!

[Booyashako]

Hmm...maybe instead of LA I should consider Frisco. It's been a while since I last visited. What is the climate like? Are there any swimmable beaches? WILL HOMES THERE EVER BE AFFORDABLE?! - Where can I find (at least somewhat) affordable homes/communities within commuting distance?

Is it true that SF is a declining city? (people/jobs leaving)

[kony]

thanx for the tour...it is truly one jewel in the Americas, along with the NYC, DC, Toronto, Rio, BA...

wow !

[sean storm]

Originally Posted by MikeHunt

SF has beautful geography, but most of its buildings pale in comparison to those in NY, Boston and DC. Therefore, notwithstanding its attractive geography, I would not say that it's the most beautiful city in the US -- let alone the Americas. The latter title clearly belongs to BA.

Anyway, I have spent a lot of time in SF and have never found areas that have street after street of magnificent and elaborate old buildings like those that exist on the Upper East Side between 5th and Lexington or the Upper West Side, etc.

do you have to rain on every goddamn SF thread londonlawywer?

jesus, let people have their own opinions.

SF is the most beautiful city in the US to MANY people around the world, for a number of reasons. if you think the setting alone makes SF beautiful then you obviously don't know much about SF, because it isn't just the setting (many cities have more dramatic and awe-inspiring settings)..... it's the whole package.



............................

nice pics, btw....

[sean storm]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Gorgeous pics of one of the world's most fascinating places.

I love the San-Oak Bay Bridge and I'd love to cross it one day, but I'm pretty sure the busiest bridge in the US is either the George Washington or Williamsburg bridge in NY. SF-Oak Bay is likely third though.

no. that's not true.

i've seen numerous resources that have said the SF bay bridge is the most heavily traveled bridge in the world (in terms of vehicles), as well as George Washington bridge. the bay bridge alone carries almost 300,000 autos daily. i've never seen actual hardcore stats that unanimously put one of these bridges over the other.

and i've never seen any stats that mention Williamsburg as being the 'busiest'.

there is every reason to believe that the Bay Bridge is the busiest bridge in the world, as it is the most vital urban link in one of the most congested metros in the US (much more so than NYC).

[Pisco_Perú]

NICE PICS, A WONDERFUL CITY!

[AGC]

I'm just on vacations in sillicon valley and enjoing also SF. let me show you pictures from my thread http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=252038

first we went to lincoln park in NW SF, between Golden Gate and ocean
there is a museum




holocaust monument




and some bridge


then we went near the ocean








richmond district on the left




surfers on the right


then we went to SE, thru sunset district, on the top of twin peaks (280 m above sea level). views from there are great.


SF-oakland bay bridge


financial district






not bad point of view


I just had to put on my glasses


road, which we used to go to the city


castro is proud district






municipal transportation


old trams, some from italy




already near the bay. a part of oakland bridge


ferry building


there is commerce inside


bay bridge is tall, even over the city


I'm going on SW thru financial district. I stay north from market street and east from chinatown, so on small area






I didn't expect SF to be so "newyorky"
















small architecture


do you remember a movie "meet my parents"?




there is a number of old buildings between towers


transamerica pyramid - 260 m, the tallest building in SF




on many buildings there are state and national flags


TAP from near


it has original groundfloor








it is probably forbidden to go upstairs but there are cameras on the top so you can see images from the street


so nice building in front of TAP


is a scientologist center. in SF there are also masonic temples


there are plenty of banks


some of them funny












good brakes are needed


eventually I went to chinatown


the oldest church in SF is now near chineese street




I like such back streets








the sun is going down

[kony]

wonderful pix AGC...but first pix , i don't think it's called lincoln park does it ?

it's the San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of honor.

[tpe]

The Asian Art Museum started out with the Avery Brundage collection, which was assembled here in Chicago. How it got to SF is worth telling.

Avery Brundage assembled his art collection with the help of the Curator of Asian Art at the Art Institute of Chicago (I believe it was Kelly at the time.) Avery Brundage wanted to give the collection to the Art Institute provided that they build a separate wing to house it. Kelly promptly forwarded the request to the Director of the AIC, who promptly suggested that it be offered to San Francisco!!!!

This anecdote tells you a lot about SF and Chicago at that time. For one, fashionable Chicago society remained predominantly WASPish long after society in places like NYC and Boston relaxed. Another is that SF was very forward looking even at that time after WWII. It also tells you that unlike the cities of the West Coast, Chicago did not deeply appreciate the Arts outside the traditional western canon (with the exception of the likes of Clarence and Kate Buckingham.) Although changing, many things remain the same here in my native city.

Sorry for being long-winded. My point is that, to me, the beauty of SF lies more in the sense its openness and experimentation to try new things, and to look at the arts and business in ways different and truly innovative compared to its older sister cities. I agree that such things like the expense of owning a house in the City give it a distinctly elitist flavour, but I think people nonetheless flock to the Bay Area not just because of the geography -- or the climate (which is no match for the likes of San Diego-La Jolla).

I do agree: that it's the whole package that make SF what it is.

[legal]

Beautiful city, but "the most beautiful city of the Americas"?

It doesnt even scratch Rio de Janeiro..

[Arpels]

thys old tram is fantastic

[sean storm]

Originally Posted by legal

Beautiful city, but "the most beautiful city of the Americas"?

It doesnt even scratch Rio de Janeiro..

Rio's beauty lies solely in its geographic setting.

however it's architecture, streetscape, vernacular bldgs, etc are nondescript, if not borderline ugly (can we say favelas?).

beauty comes in different forms. and with SF it is the combination of hills, water, landmarks, pastel victorians, fog, and character that create an experience unlike any other.

[alex3000]

Originally Posted by AcesHigh

Alex, do you consider SF to be the most beautiful city in terms of architecture, urbanism and feel or GEOGRAPHY? I think its very hard to say SF has more gorgeous geography than Rio...

The most beautiful overall. Guys... you're taking me way too serious...

I've never been to Rio, but SFO has an awesome natural setting. I personally find SFO's natural setting more attractive than Rio's... So, as you can see, it all depends on who you ask.

[alex3000]

Originally Posted by legal

Beautiful city, but "the most beautiful city of the Americas"?

It doesnt even scratch Rio de Janeiro..

I've been in this forum for years and I've seen thousands and thousands of pics from Rio. The only people that I've heard saying that Rio is a " really beautiful city" are Brazilians. I even asked some Brazilians to post street level pics of Rio to see how beautiful the city is, and IDK... I didn't find the city ugly, but I didn't find it " beautiful."

[AGC]

@kony: my map says that this museum is in lincoln's park
@Arpels: as far as I know, these trams are italy-made.

[sean storm]