Golden
Gate Guardians: San Francisco ResourcesGolden
Gate Guardians: San Francisco Resources
This description comes from San Francisco Access, a tour guide
by Richard Saul Wurman and published by HarperPerennial, which I strongly
recommend. Check at the bottom of the page for links to relevant SF
links.
"San Francisco covers only 47 square miles; it is situated on a peninsula,
with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Golden Gate Straight to the north,
and the San Francisco Bay stretching north to east. Its 724, 959 inhabitants
make it the second-largest city in the nine-county Bay Area, aced out by
the more than one million residents of sprawling San Jose, 50 miles to
the south. All in all, the Bay Area is home to more than 6.2 million people
and is the fourth-largest metropolitan center in the nation...
"San Francisco has cultivated its original freewheeling reputaion
and made news on different fronts, from the kitchens of its famous restaurants
to the violent scenes of labor unrest on the docks and the assassination
of the mayor and a member of the board of supervisors in the 1970s. The
city has been in the forefront of social movements since the arrival of
the flower childern and the "summer of love" in the late 1960s;
and today the large gay and lesbian community presses for change as it
continues to lobby hard for homosexual rights. San Francisco ranks in the
front lines of culture, with a world-class opera house, symphony, and ballet
company, as well as one of the best Asian art museums in the country. Europeans
love San Francisco because, in many respects, it is the most European of
Anerican cities. Hispanics gravitate to the Spanish-speaking community
that exists here, and Asians also feel at home since the city has become
one of the largest Chinese populations in the country, [also containing]
a substantial Japanese community, and increasing numbers of Vietnamese,
Cambodian, Loatian, and Filipino immigrants. Even New Yorkers are comfortable
in San Francisco, frequently comparing it to the Big Apple. Locals have
been accused of being smug about their city, and the charge is probably
valid. San Franciscans know and love the Bay Area, and enjoy sharing its
attractions..."
More General Information about San Francisco, care of the tour guide:
Newspapers:
"The city's morning newspaper is the San
Francisco Chronicle, and while its news coverage has been criticized
for being shallow, its columnists are among the best. The afternoon paper,
the San Francisco Examiner,
tends to offer more in-depth investigative reports than its competitor,
but lags behind in circulation. San Francisco Focus, a monthly magazine
published by public television station KQED, covers everything from politics
and personalities to fashion and food. S.F. Weekly and the Bay Guardian
are both liberal, free, alternative newspapers that provide good listings
of entertainment events. BAM (Bay Area Music), a free tabloid published
twice a month, covers the local music scene. The San Francisco Independent
is a community newspaper published three days a week, and the Nob Hill
Gazette is a monthly that covers the society scene. The weekly Sun Reporter
serves the black community, Hokubei Mainichi is the Japanese-English publication
that comes out every day, and the daily Chinese Times is the largest of
several Chinese newspapers. The Jewish Bulletin is published every Friday.
Gay and lesbian newspapers include the weekly Bay Area Reporter, the San
Francisco Sentinel, and Bay Times. The weekly San Francisco Business Times
is the region's largest business-oriented publication."
Smoking regulations (like there are a lot of superhero smokers, but you
never know): "San Francisco has stiff antismoking regualtions. It's
illegal to light up in offices, public buildings, banks, lobbies, stores,
sports arenas, stadiums, and theaters, in all of the city's restaurants
that don't have bars, and on public transportation."
Transportation Information:
SFO: San Francisco International Airport is 14 miles south of San Francisco.
It's the fifth busiest in the nation and the seventh busiest in the world.
There are also international airports located in Oakland and San Jose.
BART: Bay
Area Rapid Transit is a "clean, reliable, easy-to-use underground
transportation system." You have to save your ticket to exit the station,
though! BART serves the following areas.
MUNI: Municipal Railway. The guide explains, "Drivers working for this citywide transportation syustem can be gloriously courteous or sadistically unpleasant. The nicest drivers seem to find their way onto the cable-car lines, where they often delight in entertaining the tourists. The MUNI system consists of all the cable cars, trains, conventional buses, and electric buses that run within the San Francisco city limits; all operate daily until 1 a.m....From 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., Night Owl lines operate.
Organizations:
The PRIMUS base is located
on the Presidio, the tip of the peninsula that San Francisco is located on.
Once there was an army base located here, but it has since closed, and the topic
of what to do with the land is a hot one. Most has been integrated into the
park. It's beautiful, and overlooks Fort Point and is very close to the Golden
Gate Bridge. This PRIMUS base was first led by D.J.
Johnson, the current Golden Avenger, beginning in 1984. The second Golden
Avenger to hold this post was Maria Chow.
Last summer, an announcement was made live on CNN that the San Francisco
VIPER base had been found soon after its commander had ordered it to be
destroyed. The base, which had been located under the docks south of the
Bay Bridge, had been infiltrated by CNN reporter Marjorie Dellinger, who
disclosed to authorities many of the San Francisco Nest's important personnel.
VIPER in San Francisco has been very quiet since then, but they've been
slowly regrouping...
Across the United States, DEMON has been rearing its ugly head(s), after
a long quiet period. Record numbers of victims have been found, leading
the world's few mages to hypothesize that something really big is planned
for the future....
The paranormal group Raven has also been making a comeback, and high and
ultra-tech companies have been hit in increasing numers.
Unaffiliated paranormals:
Paranormal teams in the Bay Area have come and gone, and currently only
a few paranormals patrol the streets. A sampler:
Paranormal Pastische: A team of young, artsy men and women, this team is
very low powered and is considered to be more of a college prank than a
serious crime-fighting organization. All members dress in blackbody stockings.
Mongoose: Yes, that lovable "villain" from Classic Enemies is
back, and prowls the streets of San Francisco, raising money for his marital
arts studios and terrorizing members of Coil.
Psyenergie: named by the media, this mysterious telekinetic woman has appeared
only in dire circumstances, acting only when there is no alternative. The
media has attempted to link her with everyone from Ariana Huffington to
Madonna, but her identity -- hero and secret -- is completely unknown.
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