Color San Francisco Sampler

24 Places to Visit and Color

Illustrations by Various Artists

1. San Francisco

Often shrouded by dense fog and tucked inside its eponymous bay, San Francisco is packed with diverse cultures, scenic beauties, and fascinating stories. Though it was founded by the Spanish in 1776, it only started shining in the spotlight when gold was discovered in 1848. That ensuing California Gold Rush helped to make the City by the Bay into a burgeoning hub for commerce and culture within the American West. Continuing to grow and thrive throughout its rich history, San Fran has become an epicenter for technological and sociopolitical progress over the past sixty years. Like the city itself, the San Francisco skyline is brimming with unique eccentricities. Its architectural landscape includes the beautiful Beaux-Arts Flood Building, the imposing Neo-Gothic Russ Building, and the beloved modernist Transamerica Pyramid. In short, San Francisco has an unmatched vibrancy that beckons visitors and residents alike to this gilded city on a hill.

2. Golden Gate Bridge

Spanning a remarkable length of 1.7 miles, the Golden Gate Bridge stands at the entrance to San Francisco Bay as a symbol of American innovation and resilience. Originally planned as a hybrid cantilever-suspension bridge, the suspension bridge design eventually won out thanks to the ardent suggestions from Leon Moisseiff. Irving Morrow gave the Golden Gate Bridge its distinctive Art Deco style, iconic International Orange hue, and dramatic lighting. As the Golden Gate Bridge’s Chief Engineer, Joseph Strauss led the charge into making the bridge become a reality from its groundbreaking in 1933 to its completion in 1937. Together these three trailblazing men would create the world's most spectacular bridge. Today, this engineering marvel serves as both a vital transportation link and a major travel destination for millions of visitors from around the world.

3. Palace of Fine Arts

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is a stunning architectural gem nestled within the city's Marina District. Originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, this neoclassical masterpiece features a grand rotunda and a tranquil lagoon surrounded by colonnades and meticulously designed Greco-Roman-style structures. The palace's ethereal beauty is further enhanced by its iconic dome, intricate embellishments, and the picturesque swans that gracefully glide across the water. Today, it serves as a beloved cultural and recreational destination, hosting art exhibitions, performances, and providing a peaceful oasis for visitors to appreciate its timeless elegance and historical significance.

4. Lombard Street

Lombard Street has become one of San Francisco’s most popular landmarks thanks to it being the “Crookedest Street in the World”. Every year, millions of pedestrians and automobiles jaunt down its eight wavy switchback turns. Developed by Carl Henry in 1922 to make the steep street safer for the city’s residents to embark upon, Lombard didn’t truly become a photogenic beauty until the 1960’s. That was when homeowners planted hydrangea bushes, which have the benefits of being absolutely stunning to look at and being able to bloom nearly all year round. Combined with it being surrounded by modernistic mansions and having a road with a distinctive crimson hue, Lombard Street has cemented itself as San Francisco’s most uniquely scenic attraction.

5. Alamo Square

Alamo Square is best known for its large picturesque park, chic Victorian houses, and spectacular views of the city skyline. Dubbed by Mayor James Van Ness in 1856, Alamo Square became heavily landscaped during the 1890’s. This led to a massive building boom in the area that produced many stunning houses. Among these are Matthew Kavanagh’s iconic 'Painted Ladies', which serves as the perfect backdrop for any San Francisco postcard. Though the park went into a deep decline during the mid-20th century, the district was saved from certain destruction thanks to the efforts of the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association as well as sweeping gentrifications that have revitalized the houses. A Historic District since 1984, today the clean and pristine Alamo Square provides visitors and residents alike with plenty of opportunities to take splendid pictures and enjoy its charming ambiance.

6. Alcatraz Island

Welcome to the rock! Located over a mile offshore from San Francisco, this Island of the Pelicans was initially home to a military fort that contained the West Coast’s first lighthouse. This fort would mainly be used to house prisoners of war. That experience would come in handy, as in 1934, the Federal Bureau of Prisons would designate the building as a supermax prison. Over the next three decades, Alcatraz would become the United States’ most famous prison, as this sanctuary of sin housed notable notorious criminals like Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert Stroud, aka the “Birdman of Alcatraz.” Though Attorney General Robert Kennedy closed down Alcatraz in 1963, the island itself would have a moment of glory. From 1969 to 1971, the Indian “Red River Movement” and Occupation held the island to protest their civil rights and their terrible treatment by the U.S. government. A National Historical Landmark since 1972, Alcatraz now invites visitors to explore its labyrinthine jails and hails, bask in its luscious gardens, and gaze at the gorgeous San Francisco skyline.

7. Coit Tower

Jutting out over 200 feet above the craggy rocks of Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower serves as a quintessential emblem of San Francisco’s skyline and a gleaming beacon for visitors and residents alike. Designed by Henry Howard and Arthur Brown, Jr and completed in 1933, this slender white concrete column unites classicism and Art Deco into one simple and sleek package while also offering magnificent views of the Bay Area. Though it was never intended to resemble a fire hose nozzle, that misconception is somewhat justified as the structure took its namesake from Lillie Coit, a patron of the city’s firefighters. The murals inside the tower’s base showcases the trials and tribulations that workers in California faced during the Depression as well as their triumphs that they achieved along the way. Thus, this perfect fusion of art and architecture helps to make Coit Tower one of San Francisco's most beloved landmarks and an astounding testament to the city's rich history and culture.

8. Ghirardelli Square

Considered the nation’s first successful adaptive reuse project, Ghirardelli Square combines the latest in chic retailing and scrumptious cuisine with the flavor and pizazz of old San Francisco. Established as a Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Factory by Ghirardelli founder Domenico Ghirardelli in 1895, the site added its iconic Ghirardelli marquee for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. After the company moved to San Leandro in the 1960s some San Franciscans then bought the property to save Ghirardelli Square from possible demolition. Opened in 1964 as a specialty retail and dining complex, today the Square enamors visitors with its lively shops and lovely restaurants. Registered as a National Historic place since 1982, Ghirardelli Square has since become a pioneering blueprint for restoration complexes throughout the nation like Boston’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Baltimore’s Harborplace.

9. Fisherman's Wharf

Every major city has a tourist hub that visitors absolutely adore, and in San Francisco, it’s Fisherman’s Wharf. With attractive waterfront views, historic ships, delicious seafood, and the lively presence of sea lions, it’s easy to see why this place is such an enamoring draw for curious travelers. Established as a fishing village during the mid1800s California Gold Rush, the Wharf evolved into a thriving maritime center by the late 19th century. Rebuilt after the great quake of 1906, it became a major tourist destination during the mid-20th century, renowned for its colorful atmosphere, fresh seafood, and stunning views of the bay. However, Fisherman's Wharf is best known for being the home to PIER 39. Refurbished in 1978 to resemble a quaint wooden fishing village, PIER 39 features an array of quirky shops, classy restaurants, and a lively sea lion population. Even if you’re only in town for a day, this beloved district that perfectly encapsulates San Francisco’s beautiful maritime heritage is a must-see attraction.

10. San Francisco Cable Car

Once a prominent form of public transportation for cities across the nation, cable cars have almost become extinct within the United States. Thankfully, this unique form of cross-city traversal is still rock and rolling up and down the streets of San Francisco. The cable car was developed by Andrew Hallidie in 1873 in order to reduce the burden and suffering by horses climbing up the steep cobblestones of San Francisco. Almost annihilated by the Great Earthquake of 1906, cable cars were nearly scraped by Mayor Roger Lapham in 1947. Thankfully Friedel Klussmann came to the rescue, as her organized protests helped to save the cable car from certain destruction. A traveling National Historic Landmark since 1964, cable cars have become a key touchstone into the heart and soul of the City by the Bay.

Through its 24 beautiful black-and-white line drawings and detailed descriptions, “Color San Francisco” masterfully highlights what makes the City by the Bay so special to its residents and visitors.

Color San Francisco is filled to the brim with the city's most iconic settings, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square, and Fisherman's Wharf, among many others.