Visiting San Francisco

Conceived as a grand classical ruin, the Palace of Fine Arts was originally designed by architect Bernard Maybeck as a temporary structure for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition.

The romantic lagoon, Romanesque rotunda, and elegant colonnade evoke a sense of joy and timeless beauty.

Even after the other structures were torn down, the public clamored to preserve the Palace.

It was nearly entirely rebuilt in 1966, after crumbling for almost 50 years.

The Exhibition Hall now houses one of the most unusual museums in the world, the hands-on science Exploratorium, conceived by physicist Frank Oppenheimer and is located in the Marina District.

For more information, go to www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com.

Home to the largest concentration of Chinese outside of China, San Francisco's Chinatown crams exotic shops, restaurants, produce markets, herbalists, and temples in its 24 square blocks of teeming activity in the midst of downtown.

Chinatown was founded by the young men who came seeking fortunes from the Gold Rush and transcontinental railroad in the late 1800s, and later brought over their families.

Every year in February, the neighborhood explodes in a riot of color and festivities for the Chinese New Year festivities.

For more information, go to www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com.