The great crooner Tony Bennett, in the most famous song about San Francisco, left his heart in this remarkable city. And O. Henry, the famed short-story writer, accurately states: East is East
"and West is San Francisco." More than Los Angeles, San Francisco is the epitome of the West Coast, as the city seems to encourage people to "do their own thing."
San Francisco: A Photographic Tour is a visual tour of San Francisco's fabulous landscapes. The beauty of the natural and architectural sights is a large part of what makes this
metropolis so unique. Its unusual topography of roller-coaster hills allows breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and its numerous lush parks from almost any location. Visited are the city's
most treasured landmarks: the cable cars, the charming Victorian houses, and the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as the Transamerica Corporation building, the pyramidal tower that is a trademark of
its skyline. And there are the famed neighborhoods: the elite Nob Hill; kooky and eccentric Haight-Ashbury—epicenter of the hippie counterculture of the 1960's; Fisherman's Wharf with its
smells of fresh cooked crabs and hot sourdough bread; North Beach with its kitschy theaters, jazz clubs, and Italian restaurants; and of course, the city's famed Chinatown—the world's largest
Chinese community outside Asia—with its narrow alleys, curio shops, and restaurants and dim-sum parlors.
These and many more points of interest await the reader. With its dazzling photos by Carol M. Highsmith and lucid text by Ted Landphair, San Francisco: A Photographic Tour makes an
excellent gift for anyone who has visited or wishes to visit what may well be the world's favorite city.
