Il Ferry Building, l'Embarcadero e il Bay Bridge — Il Lungofiume di San Francisco
The Embarcadero — the boulevard running along the eastern (Bay) waterfront of San Francisco from the Bay Bridge in the south to Fisherman's Wharf in the north — is the historic economic spine of San Francisco, the place where the city's identity as a Pacific port was established and where the Gold Rush (1848-1855) transformed a small Mexican pueblo into the largest city on the West Coast of North America.
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Ferry Building Farmers Market — California's Best Saturday Market
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (Embarcadero, Saturday 8am–2pm, Tuesday and Thursday 10am–2pm, managed by CUESA/Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture) is California's most celebrated farmers market — 100+ vendors from Northern California farms within 150 miles; the specialties include Frog Hollow Farm nectarines and peaches (Brentwood, the Sloane's Frog Hollow peach is the most sought-after single piece of fruit at the market), Cowgirl Creamery fromage blanc, Acme Bread sourdough, and the Dirty Girl Produce Early Girl tomatoes (the San Francisco summer benchmark).
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Bay Bridge — The Other Bridge, The Technical Masterpiece
The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (the western suspension span, 700 feet above water, and the eastern self-anchored suspension span, opened 2013, the largest self-anchored suspension bridge in the world) carries 270,000 vehicles per day — the Bay Lights (Leo Villareal, 25,000 white LED lights on the western span's cables, the world's largest illuminated sculpture, originally installed 2013, permanent from 2016) are the most significant permanent public art installation in the US; the bike and pedestrian path on the new eastern span (from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island, 2.2 miles) is free and open daily.
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Transamerica Pyramid — San Francisco's Skyline Icon
The Transamerica Pyramid (600 Montgomery Street, Financial District, 1972, William Pereira architect, 260m, the tallest building in San Francisco) was the most controversial building in San Francisco when proposed — the narrow pyramid (wider at the base than the top, opposite of the expected profile) was designed to allow more light to reach the street level; the building's earthquake performance (the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, 6.9 magnitude, caused the building to sway 30cm for 1 minute with no structural damage); observation deck closed to the public but the Redwood Park (the public grove at the base, free) is accessible.
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Jackson Square Historical District — San Francisco's Oldest Commercial Buildings
Jackson Square (the triangular area bounded by Columbus, Pacific, and Sansome, the Financial District, the only area of San Francisco to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire intact) is the city's oldest commercial district — the 19th-century brick buildings (1850s–1870s Gold Rush era warehouses) now house interior design showrooms and antique dealers; the History Center of the San Francisco Public Library (the most complete archive of city history, 100 Larkin Street, free) complements the walking tour of the surviving 19th-century streetscape.
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Wells Fargo History Museum — Gold Rush Banking
Wells Fargo History Museum (420 Montgomery Street, Financial District, free, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm) is the best free museum in downtown San Francisco — the Concord Stagecoach (an 1866 original, the definitive symbol of Wells Fargo's cross-country express service), the gold rush artifacts (scales, gold dust, panning equipment), and the story of Western Union (sold to Wells Fargo) make it the most accessible introduction to San Francisco's financial history; the museum occupies the ground floor of the Wells Fargo headquarters and is staffed by company employees who are also accredited guides.
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Salesforce Park — The High Line of San Francisco
Salesforce Transit Center Park (425 Mission Street, Salesforce Tower Base, rooftop park 5.4 acres, 70 feet above street level, free, daily 6am–9pm) is San Francisco's version of New York's High Line — the rooftop park (bus terminal below, the park on top) contains a 1,000-foot bus rapid transit loop, a performance meadow, forest garden, children's play area, café, and walking path; Salesforce Tower (61 floors, 326m, Pelli Clarke Pelli, San Francisco's current tallest building, 2018) rises directly adjacent; the park's tree canopy (200+ trees of 22 species) is at the 3rd-floor window level of the surrounding office towers.