News and Fun Facts



San Francisco is home to the largest Chinese population in the world outside of China. While in the city, it is well worth a visit to Chinatown, only 9-10 blocks north of the Hotel.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has enough steel wires in its cables to circle the earth at the equator 3.5 times.

Check out the book San Francisco Secrets: Fascinating Facts about the City by the Bay.

The first jukebox was located in San Francisco in 1889. See Nov. 23, 1889: S.F. Gin Joint Hears the World's First Jukebox.

 The University of San Francisco's mascot is the Don, a Spanish nobleman.

The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge is the longest suspension span in the world, measuring over 8-1/4 miles long, with 4 miles directly over water.

When you hear of the SOMA District, it refers to that portion of San Francisco that is SOuth of MArket Street. It is located in a two-mile square bounded by Market, The Embarcadero, China Basin and Division Street and is full of trendy restaurants, night clubs, and art lofts.

It is illegal to pile horse manure more than six feet high on a San Francisco street corner.</li>

In June 1945, The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco played host to the United Nations Conference on International Organization as delegates arrived to draft a charter for the organization.</li>

Wyatt Earp's Grave is located in Colma, CA, south of San Francisco. Colma is known for having more people under the ground than above it.

And speaking of those underground, there are several tours that offer the paranormal touch in San Francisco, too. For example, check out the Vampire Tour of San Francisco, the The Haunted Haight Walking Tour, and the San Francisco Ghost Hunt. For Reviews of these tours, see Ghost Hunt Reviews, Vampire Tour Reviews, and Haunted Haight Reviews.

Quite possibly the world's largest lolcat, a mural of the “Invisible Bike,” is painted on the side of a building at the end of the alley on Quincy Street.

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