Be a tourist or be an explorer in San Francisco's historic Chinatown; it's your choice. Just a little imagination will take you off the tourist trail and onto a path of your own design. There is plenty to choose from in the most-visited San Francisco attraction. Start at the Dragon Gate on Chinatown's main artery, Grant Street. It'll be crowded here but you will know you have arrived in this community of 100,000 that has been part of San Fransisco since 1848.
Go to the Moon Festival
You know about the Chinese New Year's Eve celebration but if you make it to Chinatown around the autumn equinox you'll enjoy the Moon Festival. Grant Avenue becomes a harvest fairground with fun food like moon cakes and bubble tea drinks and of course dim sum and endless cups of tea. Arts and crafts booths pop up and music and dance takes place on stages and in the streets. Parades with giant puppets, ribbon dancers and lion dancers materialize and in the tradition of harvest festivals everywhere, the celebrants give thanks for the bounty of the land.
Meditate at the Temple
A good visit to Chinatown must include some quiet beauty. Visit Tien Hau Temple to see the 11 uniquely designed floors of this 1911 Buddhist temple. The top floor is dedicated to the Goddess of Heaven. Sit here, rest and meditate for awhile enjoying the incense and tranquility. Make a donation and respect the quiet. The Gold Mountain Sagely Monastery, also in the heart of Chinatown, offers meditation classes and sutra recitations.
Explore the Historic Alleys
Take yourself on a hike of Chinatown's alleys. These small passageways hold history, art and oddities. Get a good map and visit them all to find something special in each one. Make it a trail of mysteries to be solved. Which alley has a mural of a phoenix and is named for a community activist? Which one was once a red light district but is now fortune cookie central? Which alley has two names and one means "fragrant"? Which alley is named for a beat generation writer? Go, wander and take photos.
Try Fruit You Never Ate Before
Don't pass by the fresh produce markets. Stop and buy some of the fruit you have never tasted and cannot call by name in any language. Point to the fruit you want and hand over the cash. Get a sack full and find a curb or bench. Figure out how to open them and let the taste explosion begin. You might come up with longan fruit, dragonfruit, durian, cherimoya, starfruit, rambutan or something that has no English name. Saturday is the busiest day at the markets so don't tarry.
Do Tai Chi in Portsmouth Square
Spend some time in Portsmouth Square. This central, elevated park is the most open space in the neighborhood so it is a gathering place. Check out the views of downtown San Francisco. Invite yourself to watch a chess game or see what gambling action is going on. But you won't be alone if you decide to take a tai chi break. Many Chinatown residents, especially the elderly, come to the square to practice their postures and you are welcome to practice yours. Enjoy a good limbering tai chi session in the open air before you see more of Chinatown.
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