Peak Pre-Covid San Francisco at its Most Vibrant

San Francisco is one of those iconic cities from my childhood, serving as a shining beacon of American progress and innovation. With such landmarks as the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, and Alcatraz, the city stood along its sisters: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc, as symbols of the great American dream. 

In the past decade though, the city has been going through a rut. San Francisco has struggled with high office vacancy rates, extremely expensive property values (some would argue the world's most expensive), and a general feeling of decay, with visible homelessness, open-air drug use, and theft being commonplace.

Time will tell what will happen to the city, but these photographs are of San Francisco during one of its more glorious and glamorous eras.

San Francisco was founded in 1776 by Spanish colonists. The 1849 California gold rush exploded San Francisco’s population from a tiny settlement into one of America’s fastest-growing cities almost overnight!

A note from the writer: this is a pre-pandemic tale. 

At the city's heart is Union Square, the luxury shopping district; home to flagship stores and historic hotels.

Exploring San Francisco on foot is entirely possible due to the city center's compact size. Powell Street is famous for its cable car turnaround, one of the city’s most photographed transit spots.

Geary Boulevard stretches from downtown all the way towards Ocean Beach. The historic Geary Theater on the street remains one of San Francisco’s top live performance venues.

A devastating earthquake and fire in 1906 destroyed around 80% of the city. 

The city is built on over 40 hills, which explains the famously steep streets and dramatic viewpoints. 

San Francisco cable car system is the world’s last manually operated cable car system.

The system was invented in the 1870s after horses struggled on San Francisco’s steep hills.

Cable cars survived multiple attempts at removal thanks to passionate local preservationists.

Westfield San Francisco Centre opened in 2002 as a major upscale shopping destination downtown. In recent years, the center faced major retail departures and declining foot traffic tied to downtown economic struggles; finally closing its doors for good in 2026.

Its striking glass dome was one of the mall’s architectural highlights.

San Francisco was a major center of the 1960s counterculture movement, especially the “Summer of Love” in Haight-Ashbury.

The city was one of the birthplaces of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, particularly in the Castro District.

Some friends of mine who studied here recommended that I try Super Duper Burgers, known for using locally sourced ingredients and freshly baked buns.

Their garlic fries, in particular, have developed a cult following among locals and tourists alike.

The chain started in San Francisco and reflects the city’s blend of gourmet food culture and casual dining.

Blue Bottle Coffee started in Oakland before becoming one of the pioneers of the modern specialty coffee movement.

It is renowned for its strict freshness commitment, originally founded on a vow to serve coffee within 48 hours of roasting to ensure peak flavor.

Nestlé acquired a majority stake in Blue Bottle in 2017.

It's always the right time for a good cup of coffee!

Fisherman's Wharf began as a working fishing harbor founded largely by Italian immigrant fishermen. The area is famous for clam chowder served in sourdough bread bowls and is one of San Francisco’s most visited tourist districts.

Pier 39 is famous for its colony of noisy sea lions that arrived after the 1989 earthquake.

And the amazing public Aquarium of the Bay!

On clear days, visitors can see both Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge from the pier.

The pier also combines restaurants, souvenir shops, arcades, and bay views.

And a good number of shops not found in any other mall!

Nathan's, an American classic!

Paging Forrest and Lt. Dan!

San Francisco is also famous for its proximity to Silicon Valley, home to global tech giants like Apple, Google, and Meta. Despite the name, Silicon Valley isn’t an official city, it’s a broad region south of the city.

This tech boom helped make San Francisco one of the wealthiest (and most expensive) cities in America.

We finally found Carmen Sandiego!