Here Are Amazing San Francisco Views You Don't Have to Pay For
A field guide to ten free San Francisco views, with addresses, directions, and which ones win at sunset....
I ❤️ San FranciscoA collection of 65 posts
We love San Francisco. This is a feature series of essays that highlight what makes San Francisco iconic and irreplaceable.
A note to our readers.
I want to keep this publication going because I think it meant something to the young generation of San Franciscans at the time. And maybe it can for the current one, or the next one. This is a bit tl;dr - apologies....
San Francisco's Favorite Quiet Spots, According to the People Who Live Here
Hunter Pence asked SF locals for their favorite quiet spots. The answers were a love letter to the city....
Why I love Mission Bay
A place where a Michelin-star chef works next to a hot dog stand, and where you drop $20 on juice before heading to a free circus show....
My favorite way to bike in Golden Gate Park
Let’s go for a ride along car-free JFK to the salty Ocean Beach....
What I love about Chinatown, San Francisco
Come for dim sum, get lost in an alley, or sip tea for hours. In a city that moves fast, SF’s Chinatown invites you to take your time....
Why I love vintage shopping on Haight Street
From classic bohemian pieces to mid-century gems, the Haight is a paradise for secondhand shopping in San Francisco....
In the face of another Trump era, I’ll continue to seek joy in San Francisco
San Francisco remains resilient, irreverent and the most progressive city in our country — not to mention beautiful. Now is the time to remember that....
Why the L train’s return makes San Francisco whole for me
After five years of construction, the L train is finally back in service. Its return reminds why I fell in love with Outer Sunset....
Why I love Bay to Breakers now and always
It’s not my conventional running style, but then again the Bay to Breakers is not your conventional running race....
Why I love San Francisco
From San Francisco came the blue jeans and the rainbow flag. From here came this idea of health care as a right, not a privilege....
SF I love you. Unrequitedly.
Your subterranean nightlife is beautiful, as any road to ruin can be. Still I love you. You’re an affliction....
Why I love Russian Hill
If the Mission is hipsters, the Marina is yuppies, SOMA is techies, and the Haight is hippies, Russian Hill is just a bunch of great people coming together....
Why I love the Richmond District
The Richmond has both infinite depth and surprising intimacy. M. T. Eley walks us through this San Francisco neighborhood you probably skip unless you live there....
Why San Francisco serves the best food in the country
San Francisco has drawn forward-thinking talent since its birth. Chefs and cooks here are passionate the roots of their foods and culture....
Why now is the best time to live in San Francisco
Does anyone in mainstream media have anything nice to say about San Francisco?...
In defense of the Tenderloin
I lived here during the crack-and-crime infested 1990s. How bad could it be in 2023?...
Why I love Nob Hill
“Snob Hill” or “one of the world’s great addresses”? Probably both....
What I love about living in one of San Francisco’s worst neighborhoods
Christopher J. Beale lives in Civic Center, one of San Francisco’s most notorious and challenging neighborhoods. But he says there’s still a lot to love....
Why I love raising my daughter in San Francisco
San Francisco is among the most diverse cities in the world, and our daughter has felt at home among her classmates, friends, and teachers....
Why I’m not giving up on San Francisco
We have amazing food, bars and restaurants. We have colorful and unique neighborhoods, architecture, celebrations, life....
Why I love my life in the Outer Sunset
T Von D. describes why she prefers a quiet suburban pace next to bustling parts of San Francisco....
Why I’m not leaving San Francisco
People often talk about why they’ve decided to depart our City by the Bay. But I’m staying right here, and this is why....
San Francisco is not a hellscape at all
I had my first real visit in SF recently, and don’t worry: I had a nice time!...
Why I miss San Francisco
Tara Vega moved away from San Francisco in the pandemic — here’s what she misses most....
We love you, San Francisco.
This is a love letter from GrowSF co-founders Sachin Agarwal and Steven Bacio. They owned The Bold Italic from late 2022 to August 2025....
My Favorite Corner of San Francisco Has a Beach
The Presidio is already the best — and hiking to the gay nude beach makes it even better....
San Francisco on Grant Avenue and Green Street
Where dancing feet meet a San Francisco beat at American Bites....
My Favorite Corner of San Francisco Sits in Balboa Village
Where residents uplift the neighborhood to keep it thriving....
My Favorite Corner of San Francisco: The Lincoln Park Steps
The mosaic staircase at 32nd and California always gives me renewed appreciation for our neighborhood....
BART Is Gross. Why Do I Miss it So Much?
An ebb and flow between disgust and adoration....
My Favorite Corner of SF: Carl and Cole
Cole Valley is a charming village in the heart of the city....
My Favorite Corner of SF: The Music Concourse at Golden Gate Park
A place for music, culture, and reflection....
My Favorite Corner of SF: Larkin and Geary, the Outsider’s Kingdom
The offbeat scene taught me it’s okay to be alone in a crowd....
My Favorite Corner of SF: Irving and 19th Avenue in the Sunset
A slice of everyday Asian American life that is also uniquely San Francisco....
My Favorite Corner of San Francisco: Geary and Polk
The street that was once the grimy epicenter of my social life....
My Favorite Corner of San Francisco: Hyde and Union (Swensen’s Ice Cream)
Giving Main Street USA a run for its money....
My Favorite Corner of SF: Lenox Way and Ulloa Street in West Portal
Home to a library that has witnessed a lifetime....
My Favorite Corner of San Francisco: Souvla on Divisadero
Make it nice and be nice....
My Favorite Corner of San Francisco: Hyde and Beach, Home of the Buena Vista Café
A portal to the city’s weird, wild, and literary past....
My Favorite Corner of SF: Anza and Fourth Avenue in the Inner Richmond
Home to one hella tall cactus....
My Favorite Corner of SF: 23rd and Folsom in the Mission
Home to Red Poppy Art House....
My Favorite Corner of SF: A Retro Slice of the City at Market and Octavia
So iconic that Bob Dylan painted it....
My Favorite Corner of SF: 6th and Clement in the Inner Richmond
Home to the beloved Green Apple Books....
My Favorite Corner of SF: Java Beach Café on La Playa Street
Where the city meets the sea....
Why I Love Living in Ingleside
A San Francisco neighborhood with everything you’ll ever need....
Why I Love Living in North Beach (Redux for 2017)
And it’s not just because of the pizza....
Why I Love the Outer Mission
For most, the Outer Mission ends at the Revolution Cafe on 22nd and Valencia, about a block from the ghost town formerly known as Thrift Town....
Why I Love Living in Potrero Hill
2017 edition....
Why I Love West Portal
For many San Franciscans, West Portal is merely a spot on a map, the last major Muni station before the K, L, and M lines branch off in different directions....
Why I Love Living in Ingleside
Over the five years I’ve lived here, I’ve found a great community that lacks pretension in a hipster-free zone that I am proud to call my hood....
Why I Love Living in Potrero Hill
Living in Potrero Hill feels like keeping a secret. There are no undiscovered neighborhoods in San Francisco, but residents of the Hill have something special....
What It’s Like to Live in the Presidio
The Presidio of San Francisco is 1,491 acres with 21 distinct neighborhoods, all converted buildings left over from its days as a military post. Each of these areas has its own unique look....
Why I Love Living in the Financial District
When I first moved to San Francisco, I chose to live in the Financial District purely because of convenience, as it was only a 10-minute walk to my school....
Why I Love Living in Cole Valley
When I moved back to San Francisco in 2006 after 12 years on the East Coast, I was desperate for an apartment....
Why I Love Living In Russian Hill
Russian Hill is a neighborhood with that rare advantage of being tucked away, yet central to almost everything....
Why I Love Living in Bernal Heights
I first visited Bernal Heights when I knew nothing about San Francisco except for its tourist spots, when I came to stay with a childhood friend....
Why I Love Living in Chinatown
Chinatown has a reputation for being part of the tourist circuit, a place few people you know actually reside....
Why I Love Living in North Beach
Sure, parking is hard, no one wants to visit you, tour buses jam the streets, and on Saturday night you can hear bros belting out “We Are the Champions” as you try to sleep. But living in North Beach guarantees you a perfect little enclave....
Why I Love Living in Noe Valley
When I first moved to San Francisco from Brooklyn, Noe Valley felt like home. It wasn’t the babies, although they were certainly an initial indicator of likeness....
Why I Loved and Left the Commune
I first heard about the Convent, an artists’ collective and living space in the Lower Haight, at a “global peace party” called Earthdance....
Who Gets to Love San Francisco?
That’s right, people who grew up here who believe that because of that fact I’m an assimilated foreign witch....
Why I Love Living in the Western Addition
I moved to the Western Addition eight years ago. I’ve seen upscale restaurants move into abandoned buildings, parklets built, and trees planted....
Why I Love Living in the Inner Sunset
During my first couple months of living in San Francisco, I didn’t even know where the Inner Sunset was....
Exploring the Inner Richmond
This article is part of I Love San Francisco, a feature series of essays that highlight what makes San Francisco iconic and irreplaceable....