San Francisco is situated in the Bay Area, a very populated zone in Northern California. With the Pacific Ocean to the west, the remarcable Golden Gate to the north, and San Francisco Bay to the east, San Francisco is a very popular international tourist destination, also known for its diverse and cosmopolitan population. The city is close to the Silicon Valley, the famous Berkeley and Stanford universities, the Alcatraz Island and other landmarks.

The city of San Francisco is frequently mentioned in “best city” surveys, based on different criteria. All worldwide and regional surveys where San Francisco appears in the rankings presented on this site are listed below. Continue reading »

More than 125,000 people (visitors and residents) voted for the 2008 America’s Favorite Cities survey, organized by Travel+Leisure Magazine and CNN Headline News. They asked their subscribers to rank the top US cities below in several categories, based on food and shopping, people, culture, nightlife, and other criteria. After four weeks, eliminatory rounds declared Boston as overall winner, which trounced San Francisco to win the 2008 title.

Rankings in specific categories, such as People, Type of Trip, Nightlife, Culture, Shopping, Food/Dining, Quality of Life & Overall Visitor Experience, Holiday Travel, will be separately presented. Continue reading »