A local’s guide to San Francisco
- By Sarah Feldberg
- Photos by Justin Kaneps
If a city can soul-search, San Francisco is deep in it. It’s grappling with obscenely expensive housing, tech bros enthroned in their fiefdoms and a steady stream of artists and bohemians fleeing across the bay.
But the rumors of its spiritual demise have been greatly exaggerated. The town that birthed the Summer of Love is still fiercely original — a place where you’ll find plaques dedicated to stray dogs, where Día de los Muertos drapes graveyards in marigolds and leather-clad men parade down Folsom Street, where restaurants earn the highest accolades and specialize in cinnamon toast. Even the fog has a name.
Hop a cable car, climb a secret staircase, eat a dim-sum feast or wander with no itinerary and let San Francisco charm you. Just remember to wear layers.
Meet Sarah Feldberg
Sarah has lived in San Francisco since 2015. She’s a Boston native who crossed the river for college and spent seven years in Las Vegas before finally heading west. She loves the sourdough and misses the bagels.
Want to get in touch?
Email bytheway@washpost.comStay
Explore more of San Francisco
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- Microclimates are real. Just because it’s warm and sunny in the Mission doesn’t mean it will be anywhere else, hence the local dress code of puffy jackets and the obsession with layers.
- Get into the history. The city’s past is full of wild characters and wilder tales. Walk the Barbary Coast trail, check out the Tenderloin Museum, hit Haight-Ashbury and snap a selfie with the golden fire hydrant that saved San Francisco after the 1906 quake.
- The fog’s name is Karl. You can follow him on Twitter.
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