5 Fun Facts about San Francisco:
• Golden Gate Park, established on April 4, 1870, is a man-made park that was built upon sand dunes and is 1,031 acres in size.
• The infamous cable cars began running in 1873, originally with over eight different lines. San Francisco was the first city to ever use the cable car, but the Great Earthquake of 1906 damaged many of the lines. Today, some of the original lines are still in use.
• Mark Twain once said, “The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco.”
• Alcatraz Island has a rich history; it was originally occupied by the military as a fort, then it was an army prison camp. Most notably, Alcatraz became the famous prison where the nation’s worst criminals were sent, after which it became the site of the Native American peace community. Now it is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, open with tours daily.
• The historic streetcars, which run along Market Street and the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf, began service in 1912. San Francisco has actual streetcars running that came from seven different countries and ten different cities across the U.S.
Famous People from San Francisco:
Benjamin Bratt, Paul Desmond, Joe DiMaggio, Clint Eastwood, Robert Frost, Jerry Garcia, Danny Glover, Merv Griffin, Josh Hartnett, James Hetfield, Jack London, Kevin Pollack, Rob Schneider, OJ Simpson, Jeffrey Tambor, and Robin Williams
Local Slang:
Hella – Extremely cool.
Bridge and Tunnel People – Commuters into San Francisco from around the Bay Area.
SoMa – South of Market Street; a popular area on the weekend where bars and clubs seemingly pop up overnight.
MUNI – San Francisco Municipal Railway, a.k.a. the bus.
Tenderloin – Section of downtown notorious for being dangerous and unpleasant at night, but has great restaurants and sites to see.