San Francisco Bay Area Guide; Weather, Art & Culture – Beaches

About San Francisco Bay Area: Overview

San Francisco Bay Area (The Bay Area), ringing the San Francisco Bay in northern California, is a geographically diverse and extensive metropolitan region that is home to nearly 8 million inhabitants in cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose. Once a focus of Spanish missions and Gold Rush prospectors, the Bay Area is best known now for its lifestyle, liberal politics and innovations.

Although it doesn’t have any firm boundaries, the Bay Area is composed of nine counties that include Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa. The southern parts of Sonoma and Napa counties are considered part of the Bay Area for this guide, since their culture and economies face towards the Bay.

San Francisco is measured one of the greatest cities in the world for many things, including five-star dining, a happening theater scene, and gay and lesbian culture. There’s so much more to find, including high-tech industry (Silicon Valley), Marin’s Headlands, the Napa Valley’s vineyards, and Berkeley’s free spirit.

Weather

The Bay Area is an excellent place to visit around the year. The climate in the Bay Area is affected by microclimates, so certain parts of East Bay can be up to 15 degrees warmer than downtown San Francisco, and as much as 20 degrees warmer than the area around the Golden Gate bridge. Generally the closer to the ocean one goes the cooler it is, it is suggested that one keep that in mind when traveling around the area.

Counties

  • Contra Costa
  • Alameda
  • Marin
  • Napa
  • Solan
  • Santa Clara
  • San Mateo
  • San Francisc
  • Santa Cruz

Cities: Some of the most famous.

  • Berkeley
  • Oakland
  • Palo Alto
  • San Francisco
  • San Jose
  • Santa Cruz

Other Destinations

  • Napa Valley
  • Monterey Bay
  • Silicon Valley

San Francisco Districts

San Francisco District Map
San Francisco District Map

Art & Culture

  • Explore Jewish Heritage at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
    736 Mission St
    San Francisco, CA 94103-3113
    E-mail: (415) 655-7800
    http://www.thecjm.org
  • Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium
    Rosicrucian Park
    San Jose, CA 95191
    E-mail: (408) 947-3635
    http://www.rosicrucian.org/museum/index.html
  • Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose
    201 S Market St
    San Jose, CA 95113-2008
    E-mail: (408) 795-6202
    http://www.thetech.org/
  • Alcatraz Island
    Golden Gate National Recreation Area
    San Francisco, CA 94123
    E-mail: (415) 556-0560
    http://www.nps.gov/alcatraz
  • The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
    151 3rd St
    San Francisco, CA 94103-3107
    E-mail: (415) 357-4000

    http://www.sfmoma.org/

  • San Francisco Vibrant Chinatown
    434 Grant Ave
    San Francisco, CA 94108
    E-mail: (415) 391-2000
    http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/
  • See Art Galore—All Under One Roof (antiquarian books)
    49 Geary St Ste 232
    San Francisco, CA 94108-5748
    E-mail: (415) 986-5826
    http://www.johnwindle.com

  • The Bay Area’s new Women’s Professional Soccer team
    1850 Warburton Ave
    Santa Clara, CA 95050-4111
    E-mail: (408) 244-9660
  • Literary Landmark City Lights Bookstore
    900 Market Street
    San Francisco, CA 94102-2804
    E-mail: (415) 391-2000
    http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com

  • Shelldance Orchid Gardens
    2000 Highway 1
    Pacifica, CA 94044
    E-mail: (650) 355-4845

  • San Francisco’s Zeum
    221 4th St
    San Francisco, CA 94103-3116
    E-mail: (415) 820-3320
    http://www.zeum.org
  • Caffe Trieste
    601 Vallejo St
    San Francisco, CA 94133-3919
    E-mail: (415) 550-1107
    http://www.caffetrieste.com
  • Romantic Lighthouse Picnic
    210 Pigeon Point Rd
    Pescadero, CA 94060-9713
    E-mail: (650) 879-2120
  • Golden Gate Park. Washington Square Park. Potrero Hill. Mission Dolores Park. The Hall of Justice. Treasure Island. The Bay Bridge.
    900 Market Street
    San Francisco, CA 94102-2804
    E-mail: (415) 391-2000
    http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com

Beaches

  • Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk — One of California’s Best Seaside Amusement Parks.
    400 Beach St
    Santa Cruz, CA 95060-5416
    E-mail: (831) 426-7433
    http://www.beachboardwalk.com
  • Point Reyes National Seashore
    Bear Valley Visitor Center
    1 Bear Valley Rd.
    Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
    (415) 464-5100

    http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm

  • Muir Beach
    10 Pacific Way
    Muir Beach, CA 94965-9729
    E-mail: (415) 956-4943

    http://www.nps.gov/goga/muir-beach.htm

  • Pelican Inn
    10 Pacific Way
    Muir Beach 94965
    (415) 383-6000
    http://www.pelicaninn.com
  • Coastal Elegance Tours
    2 Alameda Ave
    Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1361
    E-mail: (650) 712-8456
    http://www.coastalelegancetours.com

External Links