Chinatown travel planner

The other Chinatown

Chinatown is approximately bounded by Broadway, and Bush,Kearny, and Powell Streets. There are parking lots under PortsmouthSquare and at the Holiday Inn, but they are pricey; your best betis to use public transportation (buses 30 and 75).

Area code is 415 unless noted.

Attractions

Chinese Culture Center. Gift shop with books on Chinatown,plus two galleries that often feature local artists. From Tuesdaythrough Saturday, the center offers a guided culinary walk andluncheon ($30) as well as a heritage walk ($15). On the third floorof the Holiday Inn, across the footbridge from Portsmouth Square.Closed Mon. 750 Kearny; 986-1822 or www.c-c-c.org.

Chinese Historical Society of America. The new headquartersin the Julia Morgan-designed Chinese YWCA building, scheduled toopen later this year, will feature the group’s 50,000 artifacts onChinese immigration and Chinese Americans. 644 Broadway;391-1188.

Chinese New Year celebration. The exuberant,nothing-else-like-it two-week celebration begins January 20, withlion dances, parades, and music ushering in the Year of the Snake.Contact the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (982-3000) for moreinformation.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. Watch cookies being madeat this tiny shop, where you can purchase bags of standard, sesame,or almond cookies–and choose from regular or racy fortunes. 56Ross Alley; 781-3956.

Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral. Completed by Chinese workers in1854, the brick building was the first cathedral in California.Across the street, St. Mary’s Square is home to Beniamino Bufano’sstatue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a Chinatown resident for a brief period.660 California St.; 288-3800 or www.oldsaintmarys.org.

Portsmouth Square. The spot where Mexican governor JoseFigueroa first established the city of Yerba Buena. It’s now thecommunity’s backyard: Residents practice tai chi, gamble, andsmoke, and enjoy the sunshine here. At Kearny between Washingtonand Clay Streets.

Wok Wiz Chinatown Walking Tours and Cooking Center. Led bylocal personality Shirley Fong-Torres and her staff. Optionsinclude a 21/2-hour walking tour ($39) and the 4-hour “I Can’tBelieve I Ate My Way Through Chinatown” tour ($70). 654 CommercialSt.; 981-8989, (650) 355-9657, or www.wokwiz.com.

Dining and shopping

Eastern Bakery. Good selection of buns and mooncakes. 8-8:30daily. 720 Grant St.; 392-4497.

Far East Café. Old-style wood booths add charm to this1920s restaurant; serves Cantonese standards. 11:30-10 daily. 631Grant; 982-3245.

Four Seas Restaurant. Good Cantonese selections: Try thedumplings and sweet sesame balls. 11-10 Mon-Fri, 9-10 Sat-Sun. 731Grant; 989-8188.

Gold Mountain. Very popular for vast variety of dim sum andnoodles. 10:30-3, 5-9:30 Mon-Fri, 8-3, 5-9:30 Sat-Sun. 644Broadway; 296-7733.

Kowloon Vegetarian Restaurant. Good tofu and veggie dishes.10-10 daily. 909 Grant; 362-9888.

Sam Lok Restaurant. Spicy Szechuan choices, light onambience. 11-10 daily. 655 Jackson St.; 981-8988.

Sam Wo Restaurant. Neighborhood classic, reportedlyfrequented by Jack Kerouac, still draws locals for late-nightnoodles in dining room above the kitchen. 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Mon-Sat,11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sun. 813 Washington; 982-0596.

Ten Ren Tea Co. Nearly 50 different kinds of teas; samplesavailable. 9-9 daily. 949 Grant; 362-0656.

Wok Shop. Woks, tea sets, bamboo steamers. 718 Grant; (888)780-7171.

Y.K. Lau Studio. Chinese brush paintings of landscapes. 10-5Mon-Sat. 30 Wentworth St.; 788-3366.

Lodging

Holiday Inn Financial District. Located across fromPortsmouth Square. From $179. 750 Kearny; (800) 424-829.

SW Hotel. Built in the early 1900s but recently refurbished,the hotel’s Asian-Western decor suits its location between NorthBeach and Chinatown. From $119. 615 Broadway; 362-2999 or (888)595-9188.

For further reading

Chinese Playground: A Memoir. Bill Lee’s account ofChinatown’s gang underground in the 1960s and 1970s, and histransition into the Silicon Valley business world. Rhapsody Press,San Francisco, 1999; $28; www.chineseplayground.com.

Fifth Chinese Daughter. Jade Snow Wong’s memoir of growingup in pre-1950s Chinatown in the back of an overalls factory.University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1989; $13.95; (206)543-8870.

San Francisco Chinatown: A Walking Tour with ShirleyFong-Torres. Fong-Torres’s endless energy comes through in thisdetailed tour of the neighborhood, with an emphasis on food. ChinaBooks & Periodicals, San Francisco, 1991; $10.95; (650)355-9657 or www.wokwiz.com.

Songs of Gold Mountain. Poetry on gold mining, immigration,and assimilation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,collected by San Francisco State Asian American Studies professorMarlon K. Hom. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1992;$16.95; (800) 822-6657.

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