San Francisco is situated on the west coast of the USA in the state of California. By population, the city ranks 4th in the state and 12th in the US. Located halfway between Tokyo and London, between San Diego and Seattle, the city of San Francisco is of great economic importance and it attracts the attention of volume business. One of the foundations of the local economy is, of course, tourism. San Francisco ranks third in the US in terms of the number of foreign tourists visiting the city. For example, in 2007 the city was visited by over 16 million people. Would you also like to visit San Francisco, for example, this year? Use the car rental in San Francisco Airport and enjoy the popular sights and amazing views of the city.
San Francisco is situated in a very picturesque place, on the northern part of the same name peninsula. It is surrounded by water from 3 sides: by the Pacific Ocean from the west, from the north- by the Golden Gate Strait and from the east- by the Bay of San Francisco. From the rocky shores of the ‘Lands End’ park, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Pacific Ocean, and the entrance to the bay. The wide ‘Ocean Beach’ stretches away on the west coast of San Francisco, from the city’s Zoo to the park, called ‘Lands End’. Not far from this park, there is one more- the Lincoln Park. In the center of it, there is the ‘Legion of Honor’ art museum. Further to the north is the territory of ‘Presidio’. Being a military facility, for more than 200 years, now it is mostly forest-covered parkland, with wonderful views from the hills. The Golden Gate Bridge is the main attraction of Presidio.
One of the main attractions of San Francisco is the park, named ‘Golden Gate’. Stretching for 5 km, the western part of the park goes to the already mentioned Ocean Beach. This park in San Francisco is considered one of the most interesting sights of this port city. Travelers and locals have a reason to appreciate the park, because it is simply impossible not to fall in love with this place. Tourists and visitors of the city are even having possibility to stay in the magnificent San Francisco’s hotels, situated near the park. Going to the Golden Gate Park, keep in mind that it is huge. Its area is more than four hundred acres, stretching from the city center to the ocean. It is the 3rd most popular park in the whole States and it is even bigger than New York’s Central Park.
This public park in San Francisco is a real miracle of landscape design. It was constructed in the nineteenth century, and today it is one of the most famous parks in the world with an attendance of approximately thirteen million people a year.
Only two parks in the US are having more visitors – Central Park in New York and the park “Lincoln” in Chicago. The territory of the park is rich in forests, plains and waterfalls. In addition, here there are real lakes with islands, dunes and hills.
Every person would feel comfortable in this place: from those who like hiking and to those who prefer active rest such as riding a bicycle or riding a horse. Moreover, in the Golden Gate Park, every visitor is able to go in for sports or find a lot of entertainment for children. On the territory of the park, street entertainments are organized and concerts of popular performers are held. Here you can also visit several museums and watch many interesting birds and animals.
In the “Golden Gate” park, many interesting zones are located. Some of them are:
“Conservatory of flowers”- this is the name of a large botanical garden, created in 1878. It contains about 1,700 different species of plants from around the world.
“Academy of Sciences”- this is a vast, grandiose museum that represents both a planetarium, an aquarium, a rainforest and a museum of natural science. More than forty thousand animals live here, and the Academy of Sciences has a collection of twenty million exhibits. This building is equipped with the latest technology, which allows visitors to feel as comfortable as possible.
“San Francisco Botanical Garden” – it is a real splendor in the open air, representing visitors seven and a half thousand plants from all over the world.
“The Museum of Fine Arts” offers everyone a wonderful collection of paintings, decorative products and other works of art. Also in the museum, every year an exhibition of flower bouquets is held.
“The Stown Lake”. This lake is surrounded by the Strawberry Hill, from which it then flows into an artificially created waterfall.
“Music zone”. This is the name of the outdoor playground, where various musical events are usually held. The central element of the music zone is the temple of music.
In addition to these zones, there are a number of interesting places in the Golden Gate Park, for example, a tea garden in Japanese style with many ponds and paths, bridges and sculptures, a paddock with buffaloes in the western part of Golden Gate Park, mills, Biblical and Shakespeare gardens, Chalet Park and many others.
If you decide to visit San Francisco, do not bypass this magnificent park. It will take a whole day to get around the Golden Gate Park, but it is unlikely to be enough.
No Comments
Leave a comment Cancel