San Francisco is known for many things. Despite being most famous for the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and unrelenting foggy weather, San Francisco has also earned a reputation for its food and dining culture. While San Francisco’s long standing reputation may be predominantly around trendy breakfast cafes or the exceptional seafood available at Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco’s foodie culture runs a lot deeper than this. One of the underrated gems of the area is Chinatown, which delivers a whole great deal more than just great food. Once you have found parking in Chinatown, here’s three things you can do in addition to enjoying the exquisite food that this area has to offer.
Haggling for a bargain
Living in America is a very fortunate experience indeed. The level of economic development, stability and general order places it amongst the best in the world.
The safety of regular prices and living in a regulated country can be very comforting, although there is fun to be had by experiencing other cultures and experiencing some haggling.
There are many small vendors and market-like stalls in Chinatown and most of the sellers here will not only allow buyers to try and bargain, but expect it.
Take a Tour of the World’s Largest Chinatown
(outside of Asia of course)
With SF’s Chinatown being so expansive, it’s certainly worth taking a look around. Not only does it’s sheer size make it worth exploring, it can also make it difficult to find the hidden sights that are worth exploring.
Taking a tour of Chinatown can be an effective way to capture all the sights which include the Chinatown Alleys, the Fortune Cookie Factory, the Gateway and even Portsmouth Square.
Several of the tours available through Chinatown include visiting many different restaurants for a true culinary experience and they can even be taken at night.
Go for a Wander After Taking a Tour
Chinatown is such a large and interesting place that even when taking an organised tour, there will be many places that may be missed.
By taking note of all the smaller alleys and shops while on a tour, one can get an idea of where to explore afterwards.
It can also be a good idea to take a look at Chinatown’s reviews on Tripadvisor to see what others have found worth visiting and what may be best to avoid. Old Chinatown Lane and Waverley place are mentioned several times as worthy of a visit and the good advice doesn’t stop there. By taking note of reviews, visitors might be able to catch brand new attractions that haven’t yet been mentioned elsewhere.
So there it is. Some of the things to do in Chinatown that don’t only revolve around food. While most of the food in Chinatown is exceptional, it can be well worth it to combine some of the other activities and places to see, to turn San Francisco’s Chinatown into a family friendly day out.
