At just 49 square miles, San Francisco packs as much into its tiny waterbound area as most cities three times its size. From a history rich with moneygrubbing, gun slinging and prostitution, to a present abundant with culture, food, and, um, moneygrubbing, San Francisco’s is a tall tale – only it’s all true and it’s still being told.

The city was established in the mid 1700s by Spanish explorers, who sailed through the Golden Gate, eventually displacing the Ohlone Indian...
[San Francisco guide]