Why is San Francisco considered different from the rest of the USA

Asks monkeysay

A. San Francisco is often considered different from the rest of the US because it is believed to be more alternative i.e. hip and trendy from the rest of the country, and also because it is a more tolerant and relaxed place to visit. It bred the notorious Beat Generation, has one of the largest gay communities in the world and started off the whole hippy, flower power movement of the 60s. It has been a cool place to visit for over 40 years now, and is still a great holiday destination.

Q. Where is San Francisco

A. It is located on a peninsula in northern California, surrounded by San Francisco Bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.

Q. So what has it got on offer for the tourist

A. San Francisco is a huge city - apparently it covers 50 miles if you were to drive around it in a circle - so it is best to get your bearings before you start any sight seeing. The best areas to visit are Downtown (encompassing the Financial District, Union Square, SoMa and the shopping district of Van Ness Avenue/Market Street), The Mission, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Chinatown, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf.

Chinatown: The centre of Chinatown can be found around Grant Avenue and is full of markets, restaurants and tiny alleys that are easy to get lost in. It is also home to the city's 30,000 Chinese inhabitants.

Downtown: As a tourist you'll no doubt stumble upon Union Square - it is full of shops and hotels�- or pass it on one of the city's cable cars (which travel down (and up) the west side of the square). Other points of interest here are the financial district, SoMa (south of Market Street) which is a trendy converted loft area, the Aquatic Park, Mark Hopkins Hotel (which boasts the best and highest views in the city), Embarcadero (museums and art galleries) and Folsom Street/11th Street (street theatre, buskers and lots of bars).

North Beach: No visit to San Francisco is complete without a trip to North Beach - it is very lively and was the original home of the Beatniks in the 50s. For the full tourist experience visit Jack Kerouac Street and the City Lights Bookstore at 261 Columbus Ave. You'll also find Coit Tower here (on Telegraph Hill), San Francisco's most famous landmark alongside hundreds of bars, restaurants, cafes and fabulous book shops. Close to Telegraph Hill you can visit two famous streets - 60 Alta Street where the author Armistead Maupin wrote his Tales of the City series and Montgomery Street, which was the setting for Lauren Bacall's house in Dark Passage.

The Mission: The Mission is found south of SoMa and concentrated between 16th and 24th Streets. It is full of trendy bars, clubs and restaurants and famed for its junk and second hand shops, book stores and is the hippest place to be in San Francisco. The area is named after Mission Dolores, which was built by Spanish missionaries in 1776. The first Mass celebrated here, on 26 June 1776 apparently (and symbolically) marked the official opening of the city.

Nob Hill: this is the posh and rich area of town synonymous with old Californian wealth. It offers fantastic views of the city but today is a mainly residential area, with swanky hotels.

Fisherman's Wharf: a lot of the city's cheaper accommodation is located here so it is usually full of tourists - and therefore lots of tacky souvenirs for tourists, plus shops galore. You can also visit Alcatraz, Ships Pier and the Maritime Museum from here.

Alcatraz: this island in San Francisco Bay was home to the most famous high-security prison in the world, and the topic for many films in the 50s. Al Capone was probably its most famous prisoner, and it was renowned for being impossible to escape from. The prison authorities believe that 9 prisoners actually left the prison - but that none survived the rough waters and made it to freedom. You can visit the island by boat (it has 750,000 visitors each year) and have an audio guide around the prison.

Lincoln Park: is home to the Palace of the Legion of Honor a great museum that is famed for its cast of Rodin's The Thinker in its courtyard. It is also home to some great work by Manet, Monet, Degas, Rembrandt, Rubens and El Greco. On the cliffs beneath the museum is Lands End known to be the only area of wilderness left in the city, at low tide you can see the wrecks from ships that have failed to navigate the notoriously rough waters around the cliffs here.

Castro/Haight-Ashbury: The Haight area is famed for its connections with hippies and flower power in the 60s and is well worth a visit, even though it is a lot more sophisticated and upmarket these days. The Castro area is the main gay part of the city, and is very lively and safe.

Golden Gate Park: takes up about six miles of greenery in the centre of the city, and is an ideal place to visit to soak up the atmosphere and unwind. It also has some spectacular gardens, cafes, museums, lakes and horse riding. You could spend days in this park alone, as there is so much to do.

Golden Gate Bridge: this structure across San Francisco Bay is likely to have been on any postcard you've received from the city - but unless you hire a boat it is virtually impossible to get a good close-up photograph of it or indeed look at it head on, I could only get a side long glimpse of it through my camera lens no matter what I tried. It is however, visible from every elevated area in the city, so you can get some great shots of it from a distance. It was completed in 1937 and was the longest suspension bridge in the world at that time.

Q. When is the best time to visit

A. Summer is the prime tourist season but best to avoid it if you can as there can often be a lot of fog which clouds most of the city's spectacular views. The best time to visit is between September and December. If however, you wish to visit during a festival bear these in mind: January/February: Chinese New Year; April: San Francisco Film Festival; June: Gay Pride (lasts a week); July: Blues Festival.

Q. Is there anywhere else nearby to visit

A. Marin County, the Napa Valley (infamous Californian wine), Oakland, Berkeley (University of California) and San Jose are all nearby and easy to reach from downtown.

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By Karen Anderson