Travel Journal: Wandering San Francisco’s Chinatown

Whether you are a tourist or a tried and true local, a day in San Francisco’s Chinatown is always an adventure. No matter how many times I’ve explored this neighborhood, I’m always surprised at how many more details I can see.

We spent half a day wandering Chinatown, not nearly enough time but still was able to capture some classic scenes of the area. One might find themselves in Chinatown from any number of streets, but the grand entrance is on Grant Avenue at Bush. As soon as you pass the Dragon’s Gate, you see how different the neighborhood feels, from the ornate street lamps, to the festive red lanterns draped across the street and blowing in the breeze.

I mostly focused on the buildings an architecture of the area on this outing. An ornately styled bank sandwiched between two nondescript buildings screams for our attention! If only every bank were as decorative!

Each window of every building in Chinatown seems to tell another story. The street level bustles with small grocery stores, tea shops, jewelry stores, bazaars, gift shops, restaurants, and so much more. On many blocks it’s so crowded it’s hard to pass through. That’s why I always like to look up. There’s can be some great surprises. A person looking out his window taking in the sunshine after the foggy morning. An elderly woman hanging laundry out her window. There is so much history here, generations of families who have called Chinatown their home and wonderful stories to be captured another day in my sketchbook!