Chinatown Accommodations

San Francisco Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and also the oldest Chinatown in North America. It is one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco. The reality of Chinatown is that there are two Chinatowns: One belongs to the locals, the other charms the tourists. They overlap and draw in more visitors annually than the Golden Gate Bridge.  Why is Chinatown so popular? Because visitors expect to transported to another world. They expect to be stunned and enchanted and stuffed with great food.  Now all you need is a great place to stay, and San Francisco has lots of vacation rental homes to choose from.

Sights & Culture

Grant Avenue is one of the oldest streets in Chinatown. Originally, it was named Calle de la Fundacion (street of the founding) in 1845 in the pueblo of Yerba Buena. After the 1906 earthquake, Dupont Street was upgraded and its image changed. It was changed to Grant Avenue to honor President Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States. Some older members of the Chinese community still call it "Du Pon Gai". Gai means "street" in Chinese.

Today, Grant Avenue at Bush Street houses the southern gateway to Chinatown. Stepping through the gateway is like walking into a whole new world. The street is lined with dragon-entwined lamp posts and calligraphy street signs. Shops filled with food, herbs, porcelains, furniture, fabrics, and trinkets from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The architecture along Grant Avenue varies widely from Old St. Mary's to the Sing Chong Building. Chinatown officially ends at Broadway Street.

Chinatown Gate: A gloriously decorated gate marks the entry to Grant Avenue's Chinatown. It was unveiled in 1970, and helped secure the street's status as the neighborhood's center. Once you're past the gate, you'll see elaborate 1920s streetlights sculpted to resemble golden dragons lighting the way.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory: Here, tucked inside a storefront on tiny Ross Alley, some 20,000 fortune cookies a day are handmade by two women, each manning a conveyor belt of what look like miniature waffle irons. The factory opened in August 1962, and though there are other fortune cookie bakeries in the city, this is the only one where the cookies are still made by hand, the old-fashioned way. Anyone is welcome to stroll in and watch the cookies being made, sample a cookie, and pick up a bag of 40 for $3. The factory is open seven days a week, 7 a. m. to 8:30 p.m.. Admission is free. But if you want to take a photograph - and how could you resist? - a sign by the front asks for 50 cents. 56 Ross Alley, (415) 781-3956.

Waverly Place: A picturesque street full of sights and smells to overwhelm you. It is also the nexus of temples in Chinatown, including Tien Hau. Parallel to Grant Avenue and Stockton Street, between Washington and Sacramento streets.  After this why not head off to the Inner Sunset and say at our Inner Sunset house.  This neighborhood had many great restaurants and put you blocks away from Golden Gate Park.

When to visit

For deep immersion into Chinatown, be sure to examine the many produce and live markets that line Stockton Street (between Columbus and Broadway) on a Saturday afternoon. That is where the locals do their shopping, and Saturday is the busiest day. Untrained Western eyes may find the sight of live turtles, chickens and other animals peculiar, but the markets are definitely interesting. Coupled with the clogged streets and the shouting matches over bok choy, they make for an all-day attraction.

Events

Autumn Moon Festival: Also called the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Moon Festival takes place in September, around the same time as the autumn equinox. Highlights typically include live entertainment such as martial arts, acrobats, Chinese opera, karaoke, music, dance and a youth talent contest, with plenty of activities for children like Chinese calligraphy, mini-car races and more.  Autumn is often the warmest time in San Francisco and brings some of the best beach weather.  So why not stay at our beautiful Ocean Beach house where you are blocks away from the sand, sunshine and waves.

Chinese New Year: The neighborhood gets decked out in red banners for one of San Francisco's largest festivals. The Lunar New Year is celebrated with food, flowers, firecrackers and envelopes of "lucky money." The two-week celebration includes music events, street fairs and the Miss Chinatown USA pageant and culminates with a spectacular parade featuring a 160-foot-long dragon. San Francisco also puts on a great fireworks show that you can see from the spacious roof top deck at our Potrero Hill House.  This would be a great place to bring in the New Year with a family or friends.