San Franc iis adventurers awa Sean O'Byrne Contributing Writer SAN Francisco has perhaps the highest number of cultural icons associated with its name of any American city. Fisherman’s Whart, cable ears, the Golden Gate Bridge, and othe Trans America pyramid: — all these images are graven in our col- lective consciousness as rep- resentative of the City by the Bay. And yet, these comprise only a miniscule part, and not the most interesting part at that, of the essence of San Francisco. {f you have only a day or wo in the. city, by all means eat clam chowder from a sourdough bowl on Fisherman's Wharf. Have your picture taken while hanging from the side of a cable car, But if you have more than wo days to spend, consider looking ‘behind the touristic facade at what is probably the most individual city in America. ‘ Every visitor to San Francisco should visit the Wharf once, if only to get it out of their system. There are two good reasons to visit Fisherman's Wharf: the free, albeit odourous, entertain- ment provided by the sea lions at Pier 39 (note the signs declaring it a_ federal offence to harass the ani- mals); and the San Francisco Tea. and Coffee -Company. Little else about the Wharf is of real interest: overpriced souvenir shops and restau- rants abound. While conversing on the subject of travel with Brian Hemingway, proprictor of the aforementioned coffee bar, he mentioned his’ per- sonal preference for. places ~ off the beaten track, untram- meled by tourists. When | brought up the obvious irony of owning a. business on Fisherman's Wharf he smiled, a litede ‘grimly, and pointed out quite rightly that one still had to make a living. Banter aside, Brian was a wealth of information, often neglecting his customers to tell us about some sight that we really shouldn’t miss. Oh, yes. He also makes good cof- fee. Much politicised. and romanticised by the media of fate, the Mission district is touted as the “happening place” for young travellers. That this is a colourful area of the city brooks no dispute. Nevertheless, it is a district of general poverty from which, if it were in your home city, you would likely steer away. Ethnic (mainly Latino) shops and restaurants are punctuat- ed by beggars’ and_brightly- coloured murals depicting the tragedy of the downtrod- den. With due caution and a dose of common sense, the Mission district is well worth exploring by day. The dis- _trict’s (and city’s) namegiver, “ghe Mission San Francisco de Assisi (a.k.a. Mission Dolores), was founded in 1776 and ts the oldest stand- ing structure in the city. While the Spanish cotonial- stvle adobe Mission has stood, the basilica next door has been rebuilt twice due to destruction by fire and earth- quakes. Self-guided tours of the Missian and basilica are available daity by donation. As colourful as the Mission district, and ostensi- bly safer, the Castro is the pounding heart of gay San Francisco. With such an intense restaurants and nightclubs, it's not surprising that the streets of the Castro are active all night, which serves to keep the homeless pres- ence to a minimum, My wite and [ staved in the Castro for several days, especially the deli that stocked some 57 types of cof- fee. One night we availed ourselves of their huge selec- tion of cheese, olives, bread, and wine to create a picnic dinner for ourselves. The proprietors thought this a great idea, offering sugges~ tions and samples. We found the atmosphere of the whole district more relaxed and fun-loving than other areas of this remarkably exuberant city. In an area founded on laissez-vivre and tolerance, everyone save the intolerant isee concentration of treat is invited io rhe party. The Castro is also well-sit- uated geographically: from the intersection of Market and Castro streets, the Mission, Noe Valley, and Haight-A hbury are alla short dista..c by foot or transit, The historic F-lHne streetcars ply Market beeween the Castro and the Embareadero. This fleet of Art Deco streetcars was brietly taken out of service, but by public demand was refurbished and remains as integral a part of San Francisco’s transit system as the cable cars. MUNU passes are accepted. Sitting northwest of, and way up from, the Castro, Haight-Ashbury has had a love-hate relationship with its celebrity status since the Death of the Hippie was announced in 1968. Fans of the Dead, and the merely Amazing Savings at Club Med *P Cancun Sep? 3- Oct 22, 2000 $4299 ber person in single or double room Catt the North Shores’ top Club Med Experts today: Edgemont Office: 985-2262. BC Reg, #3404-2 Ambleside Office: 926-85 i ation: eae 1467 Bellevue Ave. West Vancouver 922-4131 www. ai ae Email: Soares net - curious, make the trek to the intersection every day to see what all the fuss was about. Today, the fuss is gone, though the streets are still lined with hippies and che See History page a DPENING CEREMONIES with the Surrard Indian Band © painting,’ Henna tattces and much,-much more!” Artisan Crafts photo Sean O'Byrne “PAINTED Ladies” cf Noe Valley: thousands of Victorian homes have survived. repeated earthquakes over the past century.