4. Attractions
Neighborhood worth a visit : Chinatown San Francisco
- 26 Nov 2009
Chinatown, a city within a city!
Fleeing famine and the Opium war in Asia, the first Chinese immigrants came to San Francisco in 1849, lured by the promises of California’s “Gold Mountain”. They owned laundries and restaurants, and later built the railroads, most notably the Central Pacific, working in poor conditions and facing constant prejudice. America said thank you by voting the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which halted all Chinese immigration for 10 years and severely limited it thereafter until it was repealed in 1943. Chinese people were also denied the right to buy homes outside the Chinatown ghetto until the 1950’s. Despite the restrictions, the Chinese community continued to thrive.
Today, Chinatown is a major tourist attraction, drawing more visitors than the Golden Gate Bridge, another popular destination. More than 80 000 people live there, but the majority of Chinese people have moved to the suburbs and the San Francisco bay. The entrance of Chinatown is marked by a gateway at Grant Avenue and Bush Street. A few blocks west of Grant Avenue, is Stockton Street, the community’s main shopping street, where herb markets, restaurants, and shops line up.
The heart of Chinatown is Portsmouth Square, where you will find locals playing card or board games. On Waverly Place, where the Chinese celebratory colors of red, yellow, and green are in full display, you will find three temples that give the neighborhood its distinctive Chinese character: Jeng Sen (Buddhist and Taoist), Tien Hou (Buddhist), and Norras (Buddhist). Make sure to spend some time in Chinatown, explore its alleys, visit its temples and bazaars, and rest in one of its many squares. You won’t regret it.
5 great hotels near or in Chinatown, San Francisco hotel reservations
- The luxurious Mandarin Oriental San Francisco – Rates starting at 250$/night
- The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco – Rates starting at 199$/night
- Omni San Francisco Hotel – Rates starting at 161$/night
- InterContinental Mark Hopkins – Rates starting at 99$/night
- Baldwin Hotel – Rates starting at 90$/night