When you think of San Francisco, do you think of fog? Bridges? Hills? Stories?

“There are just three big cities in the United States that are story cities,” according to novelist Frank Norris. “New York, of course, New Orleans, and best of the lot, San Francisco.”

There are as many stories as there are San Franciscans – about 792,000 occupying The City’s approximately 49 square miles, at last count, with somewhere around 6 million more living in the nine–county Bay Area. They share their stories with nearly 16.5 million visitors each year.

A visit here can get you started on your own San Francisco epic, where there’s always something wonderful just over the next hill. Considering that San Francisco is built on more than 40 hills, that’s a lot of surprises to discover.

A trip to this amazingly diverse, geographically compact and endlessly fascinating city can include a ride on a rolling National Historic landmark – a cable car – and a walk across one of the engineering marvels of the world – Golden Gate Bridge; some truly fabulous meals with the world–class local vintages and some of the best shopping in the world on Union Square. and you have a tremendous visit ahead of you.

But that’s not all there is to tell. San Francisco’s constantly evolving saga is enriched with chapters from well over a dozen more neighborhoods, from The Castro to The Tenderloin, from the Mission District to Richmond, and all are accessible by public transportation. Add in the diversity of local cultures, the remarkable climate, the proximity to Silicon Valley and the rugged beauty of the California coast, and no matter where you spend time, you’ll find more tales of The City waiting to be told.