One of the great mysteries of life is the tourist allure of Chinatown in San Francisco. It is mildly interesting at best. The food is absolutely terrible, the foot traffic almost forces you off the sidewalk into the street, and with a city full of great architecture, it is visually one of the less interesting parts of the city. Even though it is very close to downtown and the shortest walk to North Beach is right through it, it really isn't much of a destination.

Don't get me wrong, it is not bad, dangerous, or weird. It just amazes me that it often at the top of the "must see" lists for tourists. Go have decent Chinese food in another part of the city.

Having said that, get out and explore our unique neighborhoods! For a city of only 750,000, one would be amazed at how unique and special these little enclaves are: http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/

My recommendations: a walking loop from Castro through Noe Valley and the Mission, down Valencia Street and back to Castro. Another great neighborhood walk would be the Haight through Cole Valley to Golden Gate Park and the inner Sunset (Irving/9th Avenue) and back...