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These beautiful San Francisco images are free for your use in any way you like. The images are the property of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. Credit in the form of "San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau Photo" must accompany use of these images. |
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ALAMO SQUARE
 The
crown jewels of San Francisco's Victorian treasures, this row
of houses called "Postcard Row" is one of the most-photographed
residential streets in America. Bounded by Webster, Broderick,
Oak and Golden Gate streets, Alamo Square Park looks out over
the downtown area to the east, framing these turn-of-the-century
beauties against a backdrop of modern skyscrapers. A number of
them are open to the public either on private-home tours or as
B&Bs. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz.
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ALCATRAZ
 Once
the chilling destination of maximum-security convicts, Alcatraz
now sees hundreds of thousands more tourists per year than
the total number of prisoners in its entire 29-year life
as a federal penitentiary. Audio-assisted tours in several
languages recount the history of the island and its famous
inmate inhabitants: Machine Gun Kelley, Al Capone, Robert
Stroud, "the Birdman of
Alcatraz." On a clear day, the views of the San Francisco skyline
and bridges are alone worth the crossing by ferryboat. SFCVB
photo by Phil Coblentz.
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BAY BRIDGE -- HORIZONTAL
 Just
as vital, though less famous than its golden cousin, the
hardworking Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge links the City
with the communities of the East Bay. Opened on November
12, 1936, it remains one of the largest bridges in the world
and carries more traffic than any other toll bridge -- over
270,000 vehicles each day. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz.
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BRIDGE-TO-BRIDGE
 Framed
by San Francisco's two bridges, Coit Tower stands proudly
atop Telegraph Hill against a backdrop of the bay and city
of Oakland. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz.
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CABLE CAR
 The
nation's only moving national historic landmarks, the cable
cars still run on 8.8 miles of track along three of their
original hundred-year-old routes. These motorless carriages
travel by gripping onto the constantly-running underground
cable on the ascent and releasing on the descent. Average
speed: 9 1/2 miles per hour. Steepest grade: 21.3%. There
were 9,600,000 cable car riders in 1995-1996. Hyde Street
Pier, Alcatraz in background. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz.
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CHINATOWN
 Home
to the largest concentration of Chinese outside of China, San
Francisco's Chinatown crams exotic shops, restaurants, produce
markets, herbalists and temples in its 24 square blocks of
teeming activity in the midst of downtown. Chinatown was
founded by the young men who came seeking fortunes from the
Gold Rush and transcontinental railroad in the late 1800s,
and later brought over their families. Every year in February
the neighborhood explodes in a riot of color and festivity
for the Chinese New Year celebrations.
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FISHERMAN'S WHARF
 The
most popular tourist destination in the city, Fisherman's Wharf
is still a working fishing pier, bringing in thousands of tons
of fresh fish and crabs annually. Freshly cracked crab and
crusty sourdough bread are not the only delicacies to tempt
the visitor here. Over eleven million people a year come
for the shops, bay cruises, attractions and historic view
restaurants. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz.
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GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE -- HORIZONTAL
 Looking
north, from San Francisco to Marin County. The world's best-loved
bridge is recognized everywhere as a symbol of San Francisco.
Built in 1937, the 1.7-mile suspension span was designed to
withstand the forces of nature, including gale force winds
and earthquakes. Over 40 million vehicles a year make the
crossing. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz.
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GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE -- VERTICAL
 The
world's most famous bridge spans the Golden Gate strait, a
mile-wide gap between the bay and the ocean, separating Marin
County from the City. The early Spanish explorers sailed
up and down the fog-shrouded coastline for years before finally
discovering this vital gateway that, in 1769, led them from
the violent Pacific to the vast shelter of the San Francisco
Bay. The Golden Gate Bridge is actually painted "International Orange." SFCVB
photo by Phil Coblentz.
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MISSION DOLORES
 The
oldest building in San Francisco, Mission Dolores was constructed
by the Franciscan friars and Ohlone Indians in 1791, when
the land was still claimed by Spanish pioneers and called
Alta California. The columned façade is actually a
single wall of whitewashed adobe bricks. Inside the church
is a small museum and in back, the Mission cemetery contains
an array of historical gravestones. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz. |
NIGHT SKYLINE
 As
seen from the bay, the lighted towers of the Financial District
and northern waterfront gleam under a clear sky just after sunset.
In the forefront, the Ferry Building, whose spire was built in
1898 to and modeled after the Giralda cathedral tower of Seville,
Spain, is today dwarfed by the Transamerica Pyramid, Bank of
America building and downtown skyscrapers. SFCVB photo by Phil
Coblentz. |
PALACE OF FINE ARTS
 Conceived
as a grand classical ruin, the Palace of Fine Arts
was originally designed by architect Bernard Maybeck
as a temporary structure for the 1915 Panama-Pacific
Exhibition. The romantic lagoon, Romanesque rotunda
and elegant colonnade evoke a sense of joy and timeless
beauty. Even after the other structures were torn down,
the public clamored to preserve the Palace. It was
rebuilt in near entirety in concrete in 1966, after
crumbling for over 50 years. The Exhibition Hall now
houses one of the most unusual museums in the world,
the hand-on science Exploratorium, conceived by physicist
Frank Oppenheimer, and an adjacent 1000-seat theater
hosts events and concerts. Marina district. SFCVB photo
by Phil Coblentz. |
POWELL STREET HILL
 The
foot of Powell Street is a downtown transportation hub -- site
of the cable car turnaround and underground Muni and BART stations,
plus the F-Line Historic Streetcar route along Market Street.
Four blocks up the hill lies Union Square, the heart of the City's
vibrant shopping district. Bank buildings and retail shops line
Market Street on either side. SFCVB photo by Phil Coblentz. |
PYRAMID VERTICAL
 The
tallest building in San Francisco at 835 feet,
the Transamerica Pyramid marks the edge of the
financial district and beginning of North Beach,
the cafe-studded Italian quarter. SFCVB photo by
Phil Coblentz. |
MOSCONE WEST
 The
newly opened Moscone West adds another 300,000 square feet of
state-of-the-art and functional meeting and exhibition space
to the exisiting Moscone South and North facilities. The $191
million building offers dazzling views of San Francisco's legendary
skyline at every level, as well as a luminescent glass facade,
ceiling heights of 27 feet on every level, expansive pre-function
space awash in sunlight, and an interior transport system that
would please R2D2. |
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