Are you looking for somewhere to visit during the summer or for Spring Break next year? You want to go somewhere fun, but you don’t want to go to the typical college vacation spots such as Panama City and Daytona Beach in Florida, Cancun, Mexico or South Padre Island, Texas? I highly suggest visiting the San Francisco Bay Area.
The San Francisco Bay Area is an excellent place to visit, especially if you are a college student. There is literally something for everyone.
Everything is all within a few miles of each other, which can be easily conquered with transportation offered by the San Francisco Municipal Railway— better known as MUNI— in San Francisco city limits and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), which runs all around the Bay Area including San Francisco, Oakland, the surrounding cities and both international airports.
One of the great things about the Bay Area is with all the public transportation available, a car is not necessary unless you plan to travel down the California Coast. The trains and buses are well organized and maintained, and do not leave you feeling lost or unsafe.
There are so many different places and things to see and do while in San Francisco. It doesn’t matter if you’re interested in history, culture; there is always something to see.
If you’re a history buff, then you will love the Bay Area. U.S. News & World Report ranked it the 12th best U.S. Historic Destination behind East Coast cities such as Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Williamsburg, Va.
The city of San Francisco was founded shortly before the start of the American Revolutionary War on June 29, 1776 as a Spanish mission. These missions are still standing in the Mission District just outside the immediate downtown San Francisco area and are a popular tourist destination for many visitors.
There are many historical San Francisco landmarks and areas that are well known throughout the world over including the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, the classic Cable Cars going up and down the many hills of San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz and many stunning buildings from different eras.
The city boomed thanks to the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century and continued to grow with the waves of immigration from every part of the world. With all of the different cultures, San Francisco has become known for its unique fusion of cultures.
San Francisco is the breeding ground for many different artistic influences. There are several well known art museums in the city including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which houses works by Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, and the Legion of Honor, which showcases many famous pieces of European art by Monet, El Greco and many recognizable statues.
The Bay Area is a musician’s paradise, with many popular musical artists coming from both San Francisco and the East Bay. Many people will recognize the city’s influence during the hippie movement and the beginning of classic rock bands such as the Grateful Dead, Journey and Santana from San Francisco and Creedence Clearwater Revival from the East Bay.
The Bay Area was also the breeding ground for many different genres of rock including trash metal, punk rock and alternative rock with the help of influential Bay Area bands such as Metallica, the Dead Kennedys and Green Day all coming from the area.
If art or music isn’t your cup of tea, then the cuisine will definitely hook you in San Francisco. There is so many different types and styles of food and drinks in the Bay Area that it’s easy to have something different everyday for months.
Anywhere you go in the Bay Area, you will find food from all over the world. It’s not uncommon to go down one stretch of road and find restaurants serving Chinese, Mexican, Greek, Indian, Laotian and Italian all on the same block. There’s enough food to satisfy any pallet.
San Francisco is the home of many micro-breweries as well, some even dating back to the peak of the California Gold Rush in the late 1840s. Many of the microbreweries offer tours, which include beer tasting, and there are tours offered by third party tourist groups that will take you to different pubs and breweries around the city.
San Francisco is known for its culture and it will give you a different taste that your typical Spring Break destination.
