Iconic San Francisco Sights

Copyright May Rogers 2011.
All rights reserved.
Photos shot using Sony DSLR

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The overwhelming San Francisco is bigger than the biggest I imagined it to be. My first time to cross the Golden Gate Bridge, I couldn't take a good photo- my excitement prevented me to- and left me wishing we were driving a convertible instead. San Francisco is located on the West Coast of USA, the fourth most populous city in California. Cultures thrive, people and taxes grow and it remains one of the best tourist destinations in the world.

With so many photos to shoot and share, I selected the 8 most photographed iconic San Francisco sights.

1. Golden Gate Bridge (view from Fort Point). To get the best feel of the bridge, people cross it by bicycle or even on foot. It's a long walk but you get to photograph the sights down below and marvel on how red-orange the bridge is. The best view of Golden Gate is from Marin Highlands.

2. Ferry Building Marketplace (view from Bay Bridge). It is the center of a transit hub that connects all of San Francisco's neighborhoods and the surrounding bay communities (read more here)

3. The Painted Ladies (Postcard Row). One of the most crowded tourist attractions in SF. The place is called Postcard Row with 7 pastel-colored Victorian houses located on Alamo Square. Photography tip: use a wide angle lens. I used my telephoto and I had to position myself to the side just to fit all of the 7 houses. But with this lens, I was able to answer my question "who lives there?" and took a shot of a cat sitting inside the living room in one of the houses.

"Girl and the City"

4. San Francisco Bay is of course one of the most photographed and well-loved scene in SF. The weather is often foggy and chilly which is very refreshing when you are in a crowd. The bay is for barges, tour boats, sailors and kite surfers. The best view is right by Fort Point (under the bridge).

5. Powell-Hyde Cable Cars. These electric-powered cars run from Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf. The fee is $6.00, tickets are sold when you hop in.  

6. Union Square is the hottest shopping destination in San Francisco. With big malls such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Macys. This is where the cable cars go up and down, where the open-top tourists buses stop, where all the biggest designers are.

7. Transamerica Pyramid. This iconic building will follow you everywhere you go in the city. With its towering height of 853 feet high with 48 floors that make up the Pyramid Center, it remains the tallest building in Northern California and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Read more here.

8. Palace of Fine Arts Rotunda is one of the most widely recognized masterpieces that Bernard Maybeck produced and originally constructed in 1915. This Roman-Greek inspired architecture now serves as tourist attraction and events rental (weddings, photo shoots etc).

Next: Allerton Garden