Chinatown
As you pass through the dragon-adorned Pagoda Gates on Grant Avenue at Bush Street, your senses will be tempted by the aroma of ethnic cuisine, bright neon and the sound of foreign languages.

The heart of Chinatown is Portsmouth Square where San Francisco's first Chinese immigrants settled in the 1850s. Today, Chinatown is home to more than 10,000 of San Francisco's Chinese residents.

Most local Chinese commerce remains along Stockton Street where visitors will find traditional herb pharmacies, temples, fortune cookie factories, garment factories, fresh produce markets, seafood and poultry shops, and many fine restaurants.

Visit the first Roman Catholic cathedral built on the West Coast, Old St. Mary's Church (660 California/Kearny) built in 1854 by Chinese laborers.

NOTE: Streets are narrow and crowded making parking difficult. Access Chinatown by cable car or leave your car in the Portsmouth Square Garage at 733 Kearny St. and explore the area on foot.