San Francisco is a very visitor-friendly city: easy to get around, and relatively compact. Mid-Market is a great base from which to explore the city, and at YOTEL you are never far from some of the best things to see and do in San Francisco.
Union Square
Turn right on Market as you leave YOTEL and you’ll quickly find yourself in San Francisco’s premium shopping district, starting with Westfield San Francisco (for Bloomingdales) and then up Powell Street (for Macy’s) and on to Union Square, where you’ll find Apple’s flagship store, as well luxury retailers including Chanel, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, and Bulgari.
Painted Ladies
A 30-minute walk down McAllister Street takes you to Alamo Square, famous for its row of Victorian painted ladies at 710-720 Steiner Street. The fashion for painting the exteriors in multiple colours, “say[s] more about the taste of the 1970s and 1980s than… the 1870s and 1880s,” wrote a local San Francisco historian in 1987. Today, though, these photogenic homes are as much as part of San Francisco’s heritage as Alcatraz or the Golden Gate Bridge.
Cable cars and trams
Cable cars were invented (in 1873) specifically to climb the hills of San Francisco, and today there are three lines: two of them start at Powell and Market, a 10-minute walk from YOTEL. The city also has the world’s most diverse collection of historic trams (or streetcars) and includes the F line, which stops just outside the hotel. With a Clipper Card, you can hop on and off both cable cars and streetcars as you explore the city.
Alcatraz Island
Home to the oldest working lighthouse on the west coast of the USA as well as to colonies of nesting seabirds, Alcatraz Island is best known for its huge concrete cell block. The prison was completed in 1912 for military use, and served as a federal prison from 1934 until 1963 – a year after three prisoners successfully escaped, although whether they drowned or successfully fled to South America remains a topic of hot dispute. Official tours depart Pier 33 throughout the day.
Golden Gate Bridge
One of the most iconic bridges in the world, the Golden Gate is open to pedestrians between the hours of sunrise and sunset. Start off at the Welcome Center, and then walk the 1.7 miles (2.7km) across the suspension. It can be chilly, so bring layers and refreshments. You can stop off at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, or walk another 3 miles (5km) along the coast to Sausalito, where regular ferries run to Embarcadero.
Fisherman's Wharf
This popular tourist attraction covers most of the northern waterfront of San Francisco, spanning Ghirardelli Square to Pier 35. In the 1800s, this area was filled with fishermen selling their wares, and is still home to San Francisco’s fishing fleet. Try the famed fresh seafood at the local restaurants, see the sea lion colony near Pier 39 and see decommissioned submarines and cargo ships. Fisherman's Wharf is an 11-minute drive from YOTEL San Francisco.
San Francisco Giants
This National League Baseball team plays at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country and overlooking the Bay Bridge. The Giants have won the World Series Championship three times since 2010, and home game occur regularly between April and September.
Ferry Building
Opened in 1898, the Ferry Building along San Francisco’s Embarcadero today provides a marketplace for some of the Bay Area's best independent food makers and growers, with an additional farmers’ market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. You can also catch ferry services across the Bay to Sausalito and Tiburon.
Haight-Ashbury
Fifty years after the “Summer of Love” – when about 100,000 hippies converged on this charming neighbourhood – Haight-Ashbury remains a counter-cultural destination. From vintage clothing and record stores to skateboarding emporia and the so-called Grateful Dead House (where all five band members lived during the 1960s) the area retains a thriving spirit of independence.
City Hall
Just five minutes from YOTEL, the City Hall is one of the United States’ most magnificent Beaux-Arts buildings. The City Hall’s iconic dome is the fifth largest in the world, and public tours are provided Monday to Friday. At night, the City Hall dome and its façade are illuminated by a computer-controlled LED lighting system.
Golden Gate Park
Larger by 20% than Central Park in New York, Golden Gate Park stretches over 1,000 acres (400 hectares) to include a Japanese Tea Garden, oak woodlands, and botanical garden. The Park is also home to the California Academy of Sciences (aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum) and the De Young fine arts museum. stretch of nature has many gardens and museums to enjoy. See fine art at the de Young Museum or make a scientific discover at the California Academy of Sciences both located within the park. Find tranquillity at the Japanese Tea Garden or Conservatory of Flowers to escape the urban chaos of the city.
