Local questions in San Francisco

When San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts was demolished in 1963, it was rebuilt with modern construction materials over the next decade, to the same design. The only parts reused were in the exhibition hall which was rebuilt on its 1915 steel frame, and retains some of the original fireplaces and doors. The Palace of Fine Arts was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. Designed by architect Bernard Maybeck to resemble faux ruins inspired by Roman and Greek architecture, the Palace of Fine Arts was one of eleven exhibition palaces constructed for the event. None of the structures were intended to be retained after the exposition, but such was the appeal of the Palace of Fine Art’s magnificent structures, it was saved from demolition. But the lack of durability in its construction materials, for the most part plaster-covered timber, saw a progressive decline in its condition until it could no longer be economically maintained and demolition was the only option.

The Presidio of San Francisco is a 1,491-acre former US Army installation in the northwest corner of the city, at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge, transferred to the National Park Service when it was vacated by the military in 1994. Today, the Presidio is a thriving urban park with a unique mix of residential communities, businesses, historic sites, recreation areas, forests, grasslands, beaches and bluffs, connected by a network of hiking and biking trails. In 1996, after considering a sale of the Presidio, it was effectively privatized by transfer of its management to the Presidio Trust, a federal government corporation tasked with making the Presidio self-sufficient and independent of direct taxpayer support. The Presidio Trust now manages most of the park, with the National Park Service managing the coastal areas, both working in partnership with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

The area of San Francisco now known as Cow Hollow was so named because it was an area of the the city where settlers in the mid-1800s established dairy farms, attracted by the natural fresh water sources and good grazing land for cows. The area, then known as Spring Valley, was a verdant area of meadows, natural springs, and sand hills which, by the 1880s sustained over 30 dairies supplying milk to San Francisco’s burgeoning population, by which time the name Cow Hollow was in widespread use. San Francisco’s continued growth and changing demographics eventually drove the dairies, and their cows, out of the city, and the area was substantially redeveloped for residential use. Today, the Cow Hollow neighborhood is bounded by Lombard Street, Van Ness Avenue, Green Street, and The Presidio, and some of the original dairy farmhouses still stand among the area’s houses, shops and restaurants.

Notorious American gangster Al Capone spent 4½ years in the prison on Alcatraz Island after being transferred there in August 1934 from the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. Capone was serving an 11-year sentence for tax evasion, during which time his mental health seriously declined due to syphilis contracted prior to his incarceration. He spent his final year at Alcatraz on the prison’s hospital wing before being transferred in January 1939, aged 39, to the prison at Terminal Island, Los Angeles.

Th San Francisco Symphony doesn’t have a formal dress code and for most concerts it is a matter of personal choice. The dress of most concertgoers ranges from smart casual to business or cocktail attire. The only exception would be for events such as the SF Symphony Opening Gala where more formal attire such as tuxedos and evening gowns would be expected.

Tatiana, a four-year-old Siberian tiger escaped her open-air enclosure by scaling a 12-foot-4-inch (or 3.8 meter) high wall at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day, 2007, and mauled three men visiting the zoo, killing one of them. 17-year-old Carlos Souza of San Jose died after suffering blunt-force trauma from tiger bites to his head and neck. His friends, brothers Amritpal “Paul” Dhaliwal and Kulbir Dhaliwal sustained claw and bite injuries and were taken to hospital after the tiger was shot dead by police. A year earlier, the same tiger attacked her keeper, Lori Komejan, at the San Francisco Zoo during feeding time, causing lacerations to the keeper’s arms. After the tiger escape, the zoo added glass panels to increase the height of the barrier around the big cat enclosure to exceed the nationally-accepted minimum standard of 16 feet 4 inches high.

At its center, the height of the Golden Gate Bridge from the water to the underside of the bridge deck averages 220 feet (or 67 meters) at high tide, increasing to 225 feet (or 68.5 meters) at low tide. The bridge towers stand 746 feet (or 227 meters) above the water and 500 feet (152 meters) above the road deck.

Cars are allowed on Lombard Street in San Francisco although the iconic ‘crooked’ section is one-way only, downhill between Hyde and Leavenworth streets. To drive down the famous zigzag section you will need to approach from the west on Lombard Street, or alternatively head north on Hyde Street and turn right at Lombard Street to access the top of the hill. Note that vehicles traveling south on Hyde Street are not allowed to turn left onto Lombard Street. Bear in mind that it is a popular tourist attraction and in summer months, particularly at weekends, there can be long lines of cars backed up on Lombard Street waiting their turn to drive down. Mornings are generally the least busy time.

ABC Broadcast Center is located on Front and Vallejo Streets in North Beach, San Francisco, where the studios of KGO-TV, ABC’s owned and operated local television station, branded as ABC 7, is based. San Francisco channel KRON 4 also leases working and studio space in the same building, but as a competing TV station, their facilities are completely separate from those of KGO TV. KGO-TV’s former sister radio station, KGO-AM, vacated its space in the building in 2011, moving into the broadcast facilities of its new owner Cumulus Media on Battery Street, San Francisco.

San Francisco experiences foggy weather, particularly in the summer months, as the hot air in California’s Central Valley rises upwards, creating a low pressure region that causes the cooler moist air sitting over the surface of the Pacific Ocean to be sucked inland. The air over the Pacific Ocean is laden with moisture which condenses into water droplets as it moves over cooler areas of sea along the northern California coastline, essentially forming very low cloud or fog. The fog, known as advection fog, tends to peak in July and August when the inland valley temperature is at its highest, and movement of sea currents along the California coast cause cold water from the depths of the ocean to rise to the surface leading to further cooling of the air layer above the sea. San Francisco is particularly prone to fog because of its location by the ocean at the entrance to the Golden Gate Strait. This opening in the coastline provides an ideal route for the cool air flowing in off the ocean which drags the sea fog in with it.

Embarcadero Station is the busiest BART stop as measured by the average number of weekday passengers exiting the station. During February 2020, BART reported that an average of 47,941 people exited the station daily on weekdays, followed closely by 45,090 at nearby Montgomery Street Station. Embarcadero Station is a combined BART and Muni Metro rapid transit underground station on Market Street between Drumm Street and Beale Street near The Embarcadero in San Francisco’s Financial District.

The Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco has bars near the lobby entrance and on the second floor. To avoid the lines, you may pre-order drinks and snacks at the bar before a show and they will be ready for pick-up with your name during the intermission. Other than bottled water, drinks may be only taken into the auditorium if you pay extra for one of the theater’s reusable lidded cups.

Dogs are permitted at Baker Beach in San Francisco, and are allowed off-leash in some areas provided they are under voice control at all times. Off-leash dogs are allowed on the beach north of Lobos Creek but only if they will respond immediately to commands to return to a leash when called. Dogs must be on a leash at all times south of Lobos Creek, on beach access trails, picnic areas, parking lots, the Coastal Trail and the Sand Ladder.

The depth of water under the Golden Gate Bridge is approximately 377 feet (or 115 meters) at its deepest point. The US Geological Survey, with other research partners, have mapped central San Francisco Bay and its entrance under the Golden Gate Bridge using multibeam echosounders. In 2006, they published a topographical image with indicative depths of the sea floor around Alcatraz and Angel Islands, and the Golden Gate Strait underneath the bridge. The imaging shows the area below the Golden Gate Bridge as being the deepest part of San Francisco Bay.

Baker Beach in San Francisco has a clothing-optional area at the very north end of the beach. It is a public beach that attracts mostly clothed visitors, but nude beachgoers frequent the northernmost part nearest the Golden Gate Bridge, so be warned if visiting with children.

The original 7 hills of San Francisco, in order of descending height are: Mount Davidson Twin Peaks Mount Sutro (or Lone Mountain on some lists) Nob Hill Russian Hill Telegraph Hill Rincon Hill San Francisco has many more than seven hills but the list is thought to have been created as an attempt to emulate Rome, the original City of Seven Hills.

All vehicles crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in the direction of San Francisco are required to pay a toll charge. Toll payments cannot be made on the bridge, so rental car drivers have the option of paying the toll through their rental company, but this is likely to be more expensive and subject to convenience fees. Alternatively, one-time toll payments can be made before, or up to 2 days after, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Note your rental car’s license plate number and pay by one of the following methods: Online using a credit card at bayareafastrak.org. By phone using a credit card on the toll free number 1-877-BAY-TOLL (or 1-877-229-8655). In person using cash at a Cash Payment Location. Go to bayareafastrak.org/cashlocations for a complete listing. In person using credit card or cash, check or money order at the Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center at 375 Beale Street (between Folsom and Harrison Streets in San Francisco. Hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Most of the city of San Francisco should be able to receive the following free over-the-air TV channels with an antenna. Some areas may not receive all stations due to signals being weakened or blocked by nearby buildings, trees or hills. Name Channel Callsign Transmitter KTVU FOX 2 2.1 KTVU-DT Sutro LATV 2.2 KTVU-DT2 Sutro Movies! 2.3 KTVU-DT3 Sutro Buzzr 2.4 KTVU-DT4 Sutro KRON4 4.1 KRON-DT Sutro Sky Link TV 4.2 KRON-DT2 Sutro getTV 4.3 KRON-DT3 Sutro Court TV 4.4 KRON-DT4 Sutro Antenna TV 4.5 KRON-DT5 Sutro KPIX 5 CBS 5.1 KPIX-DT Sutro Start TV 5.2 KPIX-DT2 Sutro Dabl 5.3 KPIX-DT3 Sutro ABC 7 7.1 KGO-DT Sutro Localish 7.2 KGO-DT2 Sutro Laff 7.3 KGO-DT3 Sutro KQED 9 9.1 KQED-DT Sutro KQED Plus 9.2 KQED-DT2 Sutro KQED World 9.3 KQED-DT3 Sutro PBS Kids 9.4 KQED-DT4 Sutro NBC Bay Area 11.1 KNTV-HD San Bruno Mountain Cozi TV 11.2 COZI-TV San Bruno Mountain NBC LX 11.5 NBCLX San Bruno Mountain KOFY TV20 20.1 KOFY-TV San Bruno Mountain This TV20.2 This-TV San Bruno Mountain Positiv 20.3 Positiv San Bruno Mountain LATV 20.4 LATV San Bruno Mountain Charge! 20.5 Charge San Bruno Mountain Fun Roads 20.8 Fun Roads San Bruno Mountain KRCB 22.1 KRCB-DT Sutro KRCB Create 22.2 KRCB-C Sutro NHK World 22.3 NHKWORL Sutro ShopHQ 28.1 KCNZ-CD San Bruno Mountain HSN 28.2 KCNZ-CD San Bruno Mountain Quest 28.3 KCNZ-CD San Bruno Mountain Shop LC 28.6 KCNZ-CD San Bruno Mountain KMTP 32.1 KMTP San Bruno Mountain KCNS RNN 38.1 KCNS Sutro Sino TV38.2 38-2 Sutro Estrella TV 38.4 Estrell Sutro NTD TV38.5 NTDTVSutro The CW 44.1 KBCW-DT Sutro Comet TV 44.2 COMET Sutro MeTV 44.3 MeTV Sutro TBD 44.4 TBD Sutro Circle 44.5 CIRCLE Sutro Azteca América 50.1 KEMO-TV Sutro beIN Sports Xtra 50.2 KEMO-TV Sutro Infomercials 50.3 KEMO-TV Sutro KPJK 60.1 KPJKHD Sutro France 24 60.2 PJKFRA Sutro NHK World 60.3 PJKNHK Sutro Deutsche Welle 60.4 PJKMHZ Sutro First Nations Experience 60.5 PJKFNX Sutro Jazz TV 60.6 PJKJAZZ Sutro ION TV KKPX 65.1 ION San Bruno Mountain Qubo 65.2 qubo San Bruno Mountain ION Plus 65.3 IONPlus San Bruno Mountain ION Shop 65.4 Shop San Bruno Mountain QVC 65.5 QVC San Bruno Mountain HSN 65.6 HSN San Bruno Mountain UniMás 66.1 KFSF-HD Sutro Univision 66.2 KDTV-HD Sutro Bounce TV 66.3 Bounce Sutro Grit 66.4 Grit Sutro Justice Network 66.5 Justice Sutro

An application for a San Francisco Public Library card may be made online or by completing a paper Library Card Application form. Presentation of valid photo ID and proof of residential address is required in-person at any SFPL location in order to process the application and issue a library card. Residents of California are entitled to a free San Francisco Public Library card. Visitors from outside of California with valid photo ID and a temporary San Francisco address may apply for a three-month Visitor Card for a fee of $10. If you have lost a San Francisco Public Library card you can get a free replacement at any SFPL location with your valid photo ID.

The name Alcatraz Island originates from a name given to one of the islands in San Francisco Bay during Spanish rule of California, La Isla de los Alcatraces. That translates to ‘The Island of the Gannets’ but it is widely suggested that the original meaning was ‘The Island of the Pelicans’, based on an archaic Spanish word for pelican, alcatraz. It is documented that there were populations of brown pelicans inhabiting the Bay’s islands. The name is credited to Spanish naval officer Juan Manuel de Ayala who charted San Francisco Bay in 1775. Although it is suggested that Ayala’s original charts ascribed the name to what is now Yerba Buena Island and at some point in history it instead became attached to the present day Alcatraz Island.