San Francisco Overview

There is the famous Golden Gate Bridge in the northwest corner of San Francisco (also known as San Francisco). A friend once asked me: "If there was no Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, would you go and play?" Friends have always had weird problems. Perhaps, we have long been accustomed to visiting every standard scenic spot and taking photos as a souvenir, so that it can represent our visit to this city. I deliberately raised my voice and said to my friend: "I don't want to be like a puppy occupying the basin, peeing to show that I have arrived in this city!". Perhaps, falling in love with a city is like falling in love with a person. It starts from the first moment with the surface impression of the eyes. It is just a feeling. Only by truly getting along with each other and understanding the heart of the city can we confirm whether we can continue to fall in love with it!

To be honest, I fell in love with San Francisco, not its popular tourist spots, the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf. What I fell in love with is the Farmers Market, which is only open for one day every weekend, the ancient trams that shuttle up and down the city, and the Haight Street, which is famous for its psychedelic hippies... .etc. This time, it was my friend's turn to say loudly: "What are these? Grocery shopping, taking the tram and shopping! But what's so strange about it!".

It is true that traveling is an excuse to relax and broaden your horizons. And I happen to be the kind of tourist who only loves to see people’s livelihood and artistic life in the market, and approach the crowd with a magnifying glass. Perhaps, to see San Francisco clearly, we must start with the word "attitude." From this Farmers Market, which is only open for half a day starting early in the morning on weekends, I saw a new generation of city residents falling in love with the human touch of the ancient vegetable market! Although the farmer's market advertises food based on organically grown vegetables, every weekend, there are homemade cakes made by several friends in the small stalls, and sweet jams made by housewives are sold for more than just one purpose. It’s about money, but also about that kind of interest. Perhaps, unlike us who just opened up in China, now everyone loves to go to supermarkets to buy vegetables and meat. But as time goes by, do we feel that we are getting less and less connected with each other and becoming more indifferent and mechanical?

After leaving the farmers market, I would suggest you take the cable car and walk to Chinatown. On the road, not only can you feel the leisurely feeling of slowly getting on and off the cable car, but you can also relax your mind that has been tense at work. San Francisco's Chinatown may be older and more dilapidated than Chinatowns around the world, but the lively and noisy driving roads bring out the vitality here. Even though the people I met here were all familiar Chinese faces, but listening carefully to the conversations of the tourists on the road, I found that they were mixed with local languages ????from Vietnam, Cambodia, the United States, and various provinces in China. It felt a bit strange, but in another way. There is a different kind of intimacy.

Of course, the most lively and prosperous place in San Francisco is Union Square in the city center. It is the city's commercial district, and many new buildings are concentrated here. However, the SFMOMA San Francisco Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, not far from Union Square, is my personal escape from the pressure of the city. In addition to the world-famous buildings, the regular modern art exhibitions here make me re-invest in art. The amusement park of the world! In addition, the elegant teahouse in the basement of the Modern Museum is a selection of teahouses that are a little artistic and pay attention to the quality of life. If you are someone who pays attention to quality and life, Four Season's, the top hotel in the city, is not only far away from this hotel, it is also a five-star hotel with luxurious and elegant decoration.

Perhaps, as my friend said, I was born "alternative" and the things I like are always different from others. In order to catch up with the trend, I asked a friend to drive me to the birthplace of hippies and psychedelics. Although today's Haight Street has become a street focusing on avant-garde and fashionable clothing, walking along the street always feels more novel. In addition to well-known fashion brands for young people, many unique Punk cultural stores and small stores specializing in nostalgic clothing have opened.

Coupled with the young people dressed in avant-garde clothes on the street, coming to Haight Street is like walking into a fashion stage street to watch a show, which is extremely interesting!

On the last day I left San Francisco, I once again made it difficult for my friend to take me to the Castro, a gay community here. My friend insisted, "I won't go, I'm not gay!" Of course, I am not gay, but in order to get to know a city, I took the light rail to this area alone. It is true that among the many creative friends, I also know some friends who are gay, but it is still a bit trepidating for a person to enter a well-known gay community. To be honest, I believe this small community, like other small communities, has various types of small shops. Perhaps the only difference is that many of these shops are run by same-sex friends. I think walking around here can be considered a kind of experience!

Someone said: "San Francisco is the most avant-garde, open, free and unrestrained city in the United States!". In fact, from the analysis of a person's inner subconscious, San Francisco is located in the fault earthquake zone of California, and everyone has had a sense of potential crisis for a long time. Therefore, special emphasis is placed on personal freedom, and a kind of realism that finds oneself is slowly becoming popular here. To put it simply, it means valuing life and loving every day. This is exactly why I love it, a lifestyle of independence, creativity, ignoring others, and pursuing one's own dreams!