San Francisco's ChinaTown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia.  Only a few blocks from our hotel, I walked there while Dennis was attending his conference in the Fairmont.  The gate to ChinaTown, on Grant Street, is the Southern entrance. 

Built in 1970, the gate is inscribed with the saying "All under heaven is for the good of the people," by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. He is considered by many to be the George Washington of China. The pagoda-like gate leads into what is known as the "Heart of Chinatown" — Portsmouth Square —called the Heart of Chinatown because Chinatown started along one side of the square and now extends around and beyond it. An interesting thoroughfare is Commercial Street (looking south from Grant Avenue.) It is one of the last remaining brick-paved streets in San Francisco. In the past, horse-drawn carriages were used to haul cargo up from Yerba Buena (the Spanish name of the original settlement)  Cove to Grant Avenue and other parts of San Francisco.  The modern high-rises in the distance contrast sharply with the 95-year old buildings on this street. 

The Old St. Mary's Church has a Bible verse underneath its clock that made a strong impression on me.    "Son, observe the time and fly from evil."   Built in 1854, to teach the Chinese community about the Catholic Faith,  the original structure was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and rebuilt in 1909.  The granite for the foundation and trim of the building was imported from China. 
 

After Dennis finished his first day at the American Waterways Operators Fall 2002 Conference, we could not wait to visit some of the famous places we'd read about — Lombard Street, Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, City Hall, even the architecture and decorative style of the various residential neighborhoods — ALL we found fascinating. 

We paid a short visit to the Presidio - a former army base now converted to a beautiful park.  The Presidio bounds the Southern (San Francisco) end of the Golden Gate Bridge and connects the  Marina District of Marin County to the Richmond District of San Francisco. It features beautiful bayshore, sandy beaches, and great walks and bike paths.   Little did we know we would visit the Presidio again, Soon!  This time to charge our camera's battery in the Wardroom of the Officers' Club (one of the oldest remaining structures in San Francisco County). We spent another hour there waiting for the battery to charge — fortunately The Blue Angels were warming up for the next day's performance and we could admire them (it was "Fleet Week" in the Bay City.) 
Our next stop was Golden Gate Bridge,  surely San Francisco's defining landmark.   The gateway where the Bay meets the Pacific Ocean, the Straits of the Golden Gate (from which the bridge takes its name) established the boundary to riches for people throughout history.  What a thrill to be there and to experience this beauty!  We had the perfect weather and a cloudless sky to take spectacular photographs.