The most densely packed neighborhood in San Francisco is every bit as lively, flavorful, and action-packed as you’ve heard.
History: When Chinatown burned to the ground after the 1906 earthquake, bigoted city officials tried to relocate the entire Chinese-American neighborhood to the outskirts of the city. Resisting the ouster, the community rebuilt the neighborhood much as you see it today, with its many pagodas and colorful canopies.
Don’t Miss: The Dragon Gate on Grant Street offers an obvious starting place for exploration. Stop by the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, which has been cranking out prophetic treats in Ross Alley since 1962, to watch the action and taste fresh samples. Three blocks away, Portsmouth Square is not only the heart of Chinatown, but also the original location of Yerba Buena, the mid-19th-centurty colonial settlement that eventually became San Francisco. Of Course, no visit to Chinatown is complete without a stroll through Waverly Place, the temple-lined “street of painted balconies.”