It's called the Sunset District for a Reason

SFWanderlust Team October 9, 2018

Hi there – We are back

In the last post we covered Twin Peaks, the heart of San Francisco. Today we’re wandering around the Sunset District, which sits to the Southwest of the city and neighbors the Pacific Ocean. The Sunset District is known for its calmness and foggy weather. Our interpretation is that being often foggy with less sunlight than other areas resembles the feeling of a sunset, hence the name. I guess?

What I do

Within the Sunset you have four neighborhoods – Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, Sunset District, and Sunset Parkside. All four of them offer amazing scenery, convenient access to public transportation that will take you to other areas of the city. I’d first start in the Inner Sunset by checking out the 16th Ave Tiled Steps, which is a community-built mosaic stairway, 163 steps tall. Climb all the way to the top and you’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous Pacific Ocean view. You might get your heart pumping and feel like you can skip the gym afterwards- be careful.

Next up is the Outer Sunset. None of us come here very often, but when we do, we enjoy walking the entire Irving Street. This street is full of small shops and restaurants, particularly those of Chinese cuisine. We feel that San Francisco offers tourists the closest experience to original Chinese culture in a country outside of China. About 33 percent of San Francisco’s population is of Asian descent, more than half of this population is represented by folks of Chinese ancestry.

Diversity doesn’t stop

As you’re walking on Irving St, Noriega at., or anywhere in Chinatown – you’ll truly appreciate San Francisco’s diversity in terms of people, culture, cuisine, and traditions. These areas are particular to Chinese influence. You also have a lot of other ethnic groups coming from all over the world including French, German, throughout Europe. Asian ethnicities like Vietnamese, Filipino, Japanese, also Africa, and all over Australia, the list is endless. But we digress, let’s go back to food. Yes, it seems like every house is either a restaurant or some sort of a business. Try some Peking duck or treat yourself to some sweet buns. As you walk on Irving towards the east side, you’ll slowly start seeing the transition into more of a Western Europe vibe.

Tips and facts

One fun fact about the Sunset is that the streets are by both alphabetical and numerical orders. So you start from the north side at Anza and end south at Yorba St. On the numerical side, you begin on the east side at 2nd Ave. and land yourself at 48th Ave. bordering the Pacific Ocean. What this means is that it’s impossible to get lost. You merely need to know which intersection you need to arrive at and navigate yourself there (of course, that’s if you don’t mind hiking 3+ hours from one end to the other).

Lastly, if you’ve made it all the way to 48th Ave., be sure to treat yourself to a nice beach walk or swim. Only if you’re lucky enough to arrive when San Francisco is above 80 degrees F (27 C), which happens maybe twice or thrice. There are plenty of activities around here including hanging out over bonfire, flying kites. Or simply having fun over coffee with ocean view.

Thank you and stay tuned because next week we’ll explore the Richmond District.

Flying kite at Ocean Beach

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