Tourist attractions Berkeley

So close, and yet so far. Prisoners at Alcatraz, the federal maximum-security penitentiary known as the Rock, had a tantalizing view of San Francisco, but the mile-and-a-half span between the two landmasses was virtually unbridgeable. Escapees drowne..

Towering 180ft above a 32ft rectangular base, this fluted, con-crete column (1934, Arthur Brown, Jr.)-which, despite persistent local lore, was not designed to resemble a firehose nozzle-ranks today among the city's best-known landmarks both for its ..

Among San Francisco's most photographed tourist attractions, the 1000 block of Lombard Street boasts eight switchbacks in its one-block descent from Hyde to Leavenworth. The block's natural 27 percent grade was gentled to 16 percent in 1922, when cob..

Housed since 2003 in the old Main Library-which was significantly revamped for its new tenant-the Asian Art Museum owns what is today considered to be the finest collection of Asian art in the nation. With particular strengths in Chinese art, includi..

Stretching across the narrow strait of the Golden Gate above the swirling union of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, this elegant Art Deco suspension bridge remains one of San Francisco's most beloved symbols. Yet it elicited passionate emotio..

The first and most prestigious campus of the acclaimed University of California system, UC Berkeley is noteworthy for its varied architecture and profuse landscaping, its outstanding museums and research collections, its notoriety in the 1960s and 70..

Bernard Maybeck's masterwork (1910) harmonized a wealth of styles, yet copied none, in a unique, Arts and Crafts structure of surpassing beauty and serenity. The church fuses multiple roof-lines-typical of a Japanese temple-with Spanish tiles and rec..

This monumental movie palace (1931, Timothy Pflueger) is one of the nation's finest examples of Moderne design. The building's resplendent Art Deco detailing describes flowers, foliage, birds and people in addition to the more abstract designs typica..

Commissioned in November 1943, this Essex-class aircraft carrier has played a role in several important chapters of US history. During World War II it destroyed 1,420 aircraft, 42 cargo ships, 10 destroyers, a carrier, a cruiser and a battle ship. La..

A hugely successful renovation, completed in 2003, has brought this long-neglected landmark back into the spotlight as an airy gourmet retail and restaurant complex. Designed by A. Page Brown of Colusa sandstone, the building was hailed at its dedica..

San Francisco's vibrant and colorful maritime legacy survives in this bustling and extremely popular district on the northeastern tip of the peninsula. A carnival atmosphere prevails on the rowdier east end of the wharf, especially at the Pier 39 Fes..

Two angular towers linked by a glass-enclosed "sky bridge" cap this futuristic skyscraper (1987, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). The building incorporated the facades of earlier historic structures, including the J. Harold Dollar Building (192..

Now the Union Bank of California, this exquisite, classically proportioned bank (1907, Bliss & Faville) displays the energy and resources put into rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 fire. A regal, coffered ceiling tops the magnificent banking ha..

In the years since its 1972 completion, this bold pyramid has come to symbolize San Francisco, a role similar to New York City's Empire State Building or Chicago's Sears Tower. Designed by William Pereira to house the headquarters of the Transamerica..

A World War II, Balao-class submarine built in the Portsmouth naval shipyard in 1943, this deep-diving, 311ft vessel made a half-dozen patrols during her two years of service in the Pacific, sinking six Japanese ships and damaging four others. The ha..

The city's largest building, this 52-story, dark-red behemoth (1971, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill) competes with the Transamerica Pyramid for dominance of the skyline. The building contains 2 million square feet of office space. Its distinctive color c..

One of San Francisco's most noteworthy works of architecture, the seven-story office block was designed by Willis Polk (1917) and named for Andrew Hallidie, inventor of the cable car. Because the facade is formed by a modular grid of glass panes hang..

Many baseball insiders consider San Francisco's major-league stadium to be the finest in the world. Opened in April 2000, it couples the mood of an early-20C urban ballpark, such as Boston's Fenway Park or Chicago's Wrigley Field, with modern ameniti..

San Francisco's premier showcase for modern art is housed in a delightful building (1995, Mario Botta) that seems to gaze benignly out over Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Together these insitutions form the creative heart of the district. Botta's d..

Exploring such issues as race, class, gender, history, technology and art itself, the changing exhibitions in this low-slung, modern-istic building (1993, Fumihiko Maki) reflect the cultural diversity and experimental élan of the Bay Area. Designed t..