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San Francisco is a free spirit, somewhere between hip and hippie and always reinventing itself. It’s a city in love with its own over-the-top wackiness,
bent on celebrating every culture and alternative lifestyle at home within its borders. Like a fascinating dinner companion, the city gives up its
secrets—hidden alleys, unexpected views, one-of-a-kind shops—to those who take the time to go beyond the cliché. Here are a few beginnings:
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Check Reality at the Door
Where can you find action-hero-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paris Hilton, the guys from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and Glinda the
Good Witch together at the same time? Only in the nation’s longest running musical revue. Beach Blanket Babylon, at the landmark Club Fugazi in
the heart of North Beach is a campy, cabaret-style chronicle of pop culture. Throughout its 30-year run, the characters have changed with the times,
but the format remains the same. Snow White, searching for love, skips through a string of exuberant musical numbers with parodies of celebrities.
The show ends with headliner Val Diamond in a 12-foot wide hat.
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The Museum of the Streets
While you can see murals in many neighborhoods around the city, the primarily Latino Mission District is most prolific for its public art. Buildings,
alleys even fences bloom with colorful expressions of family life, political views and historic struggles and achievements. Nearly every inch of narrow
Balmy Alley is covered in murals. “500 Years of Resistance” follows racial and economic struggles from Mexico’s Padre Miguel Hidalgo to Martin Luther
King. Every weekend, Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center (24PthP St. near Harrison) offers guided mural walks conducted by experienced muralists.
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Five Museums, Four Theaters, and a World-Class Restaurant with a View
Fort Mason Center, on the water in the Marina District, is one of San Francisco’s best-kept secrets. A lively hub for visual and performing arts,
humanities, education, ecology and recreation, it includes: the Museo ItaloAmericano (Building C), the only museum in the U.S. devoted exclusively
to Italian and Italian-American art; Greens restaurant (Building A), a pioneer of gourmet vegetarian fare for more than 25 years and still consistently
included in the “Top 100” Bay Area restaurants; and The Magic Theatre (Building D) is internationally recognized as an outstanding American playwright’s
theater, presenting new plays by Pulitzer Prize-winners like David Mamet, as well as emerging playwrights. There is much, much more to see and do here,
so be sure to check out the calendar at www.fortmason.org.
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San Francisco written by Joyce Hadley Copeland. Joyce has been writing about
travel trends and vacation destinations for more than 20 years.
View all of Joyce's articles.
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