Bigley Michele - Fodors 2013 San Francisco

The quintessential boomtown, San Francisco has been alternately riding high and crashing since the gold rush. Those bearish during the heady days of the dot-com bubble had barely finished dancing on the grave of the Internet economy when biotech rode into town, turning bust to boom once again before the housing market downturn brought the citys previously stratospheric median home price right back down to earth and the nationwide economic downturn saw unemployment rates at 9.5%. So which San Francisco will you find when you come to town? A reversal of fortune is always possible, but heres a snapshot of what the citys likefor now, anyway.

... is just as liberal as youve heard. Baghdad by the Bay, Sodom by the Sea: prudish types have been pegging San Francisco as a bastion of sexy liberalism since the town first rolled out the welcome mat. And we do tend to espouse a pretty live-and-let-live attitude here. Health insurance for city employees has covered gender-reassignment surgery since 2001. We voted in 2005 to ban handguns and city supervisors banned Happy Meals (nutritionally deficient meals with toys) in 2010; we have a female fire chief, Joanne Hayes-White; and our biggest bash of the year is Junes Gay Pride celebration, when roughly a million people descend on the city to party. Revered politician Nancy Pelosi, a favorite target of House Republicans, can still count on a huge popular majority at home.

... embraces its eccentrics. If a 6-foot-tall transvestite in evening wear doesnt merit a second look, just what does it take to stand out in this town? If history serves, it takes quirkiness and staying power. For instance, back in the 19th century a San Francisco businessman declared himself Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. Instead of shipping him off to a nice, quiet place, San Franciscans became his willing subjects, police officers saluted him, and newspapers printed his proclamations (among them that the Democrats and Republicans be abolished for bickering).

Today the Brown Twins, ladies of a certain age who dress alike in eye-catching outfits and are always together, have their own place on the list of San Francisco icons. Theres also Pink Man, who rides a unicycle wearing a hot pink unitard and cape. (He says you can tell someones a local when they dont balk at Pink Man.)

One of the most celebrated eccentrics is Frank Chu, a middle-aged guy in a frumpy suit whos been faithfully carrying a picket sign around the Financial District since the 1990s. He accuses various politicians of being in cahoots and keeping millions of dollars from him and the population of the 12 galaxies. The citys response? Politicians and local businesses buy ad space on the back of his sign, and fans named a (now defunct) bar 12 Galaxies in tribute and created an online Frank Chustyle sign generator ( acme.com/chumaker ).

... may be exploring the limits of its tolerance. The sight of homeless folks camped out in doorways and parks has long been familiar in the city, but voters finally reached the end of their ropes. In 2010 they narrowly passed a law, aimed straight at panhandlers and the kids that line Haight Street, that makes it illegal to sit or lie on city sidewalks between 7 am and 11 pm. Looks like even laid-back San Franciscans have a limit to their tolerance. Even the citys quirky annual Bay to Breakers race, known for nudity and merriment as well as drunkenness and public urination, has had to grow up and clean up its act after neighbors finally tired of chasing inebriated participants off their property. Grown up doesnt have to mean stuffy, thoughparticipants are still free to run naked.

... is reshaping its downtown. Limited by its geography, San Francisco simply has nowhere to go but up. The sprawling area south of Market Street was long an industrial center, but since that industry has dried up, new high-rise developments are underway. Plot the nascent high-rises on a map and you can see a radical shift southward, stretching from Mission Street to Mission Bay (where UCSFs 43-acre medical and biotech campus is rising). More than 20 towers are in the works, several of which will eclipse the citys current tallest building, the 853-foot Transamerica Pyramid.

Got your bearings? Then join the locals as they constantly check the pulse of the city. Although the frenzied adrenaline rush of the dot-com era has died down, a new wave of energy is gathering.

You can visit San Francisco comfortably any time of year. Possibly the best time is September and October, when the citys summerlike weather brings outdoor concerts and festivals. The climate here always feels Mediterranean and moderatewith a foggy, sometimes chilly bite. The temperature rarely drops below 40F, and anything warmer than 80F is considered a heat wave. Be prepared for rain in winter, especially December and January. Winds off the ocean can add to the chill factor. That old joke about summer in SF feeling like winter is true at heart, but once you move inland, it gets warmer. (And some locals swear that the thermostat has inched up in recent years.)