Chinatown
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The gateway to Chinatown at Grant Avenue and Bush Street and is called the "Dragon's Gate." This landmark is splendidly festooned befitting its status as the demarcation of this spot as the entry point to this uniquely Asian neighborhood.
Inside this gate along Grant Avenue, you will see intricate streetlights from the era of the |
1920s fashioned to depict golden dragons that light your way into this exciting neighborhood. These very special lampposts were created from cast iron with depictions of carved bamboo entwined by a pair of coiled dragons.
Once you walk inside you will be in a neighborhood that consists of twenty-four blocks that hums with the activity of the most densely populated district in San Francisco. Chinatown’s main thoroughfare is the oldest street in the city, Grant Avenue. Here the aromas of ethnic cuisine will arouse your hunger.
While the two main streets in Chinatown are Grant Avenue, the tourist
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Mecca marked by the ornate Dragons Gate at the intersection with Bush Street. The authentic Chinatown lies along Stockton Street. Here you will
get a real look at life in this district and be able to see the not
tourist oriented fresh produce stands, fish markets, poultry shops,
herbal pharmacies, traditional temples, local stores and lots of excellent
neighborhood restaurants.
The crowded streets accommodate both tourist and inhabitants as they go about their activities visiting unusual shops, well known restaurants, specialty food markets, Asian temples and small museums that fill the teeming Chinatown district. Because of the narrow and crowded streets this city within a city is most easily traversed on foot. You can purchase ancient remedies from herbal shops or relax and enjoy a meal with Asian flavors in some of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in the country. If you travel off the main drag you will see many small stores and eateries less traveled by your normal tourist.
The Chinatown district has a population density of one hundred and sixty people per acre. Seventy-five percent of the residents are foreign born in contrast to the City of San Francisco as a whole having only twenty-eight percent foreign-born residents. |
