The drama Return the World to You that airs on Beijing Satellite TV and Dragon TV, is about to air its finale. The story is mainly about San Francisco, in which I wonder how many familiar views from the city have you spotted?
On CA985 to San Francisco, Miao Ying’s cries of pain attract Xiao Qing (played by Tang Yan). This chance encounter is also the beginning of a story that continues when both women go to Stanford and a complicated chain of romances begins.
Upon landing, Miao Ying must be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. She entrusts Xiao Qing with her luggage and tells her that her boyfriend Shu Che (played by Luo Jin) is waiting for her. Unexpectedly, Xiao Qing and Shu Che end up falling in love instead.
At first glance, the drama seems to portray the love lives of six young people in the United States. However, there’s a more serious underlying theme in the story which is anti-corruption that involves the alliances and conflicts among the fathers of Miao Ying, Shu Che, and Xiao Qing.
For tourists visiting San Francisco, the city is more than just a backdrop. Here are a number of filming locations associated with the drama and iconic movies that provide a great route to travel around the city.
San Francisco is home to more than 100 films, thanks to its coastal hills, layered history, and vivid urban character which provides the city with an almost cinematic quality. The analysis of every location is an attempt to unlock the narrative at the core of every destination, rather than just reviewing tourist sites. It is no surprise that San Francisco is one of the top ten charming cities in America; because of the city’s open, embraced character and the varied beauty of its artificial and natural environments. Most of the films have been shot using San Francisco as a backdrop. Here are ten places to visit to feel the cinematic inspiration. Golden Gate Bridge | San Andreas The Golden Gate Bridge represents the western gateway to America and has become a popular feature in commercial productions. In the disaster movie San Andreas, featuring Dwayne Johnson, the bridge along with two skyscrapers is devastated by an earthquake, providing amazing scenes of destruction. The Golden Gate Bridge has met with destruction in so many movies. In 1955, It Came from Beneath the Sea filmed here. In 1978 it was saved by Superman in 1978. In 1989 James Cameron’s early sci fi The Abyss nearly destroyed it. In 2003 The Core was melted to two by radiation. In 2004 it was imperiled in NBC’s. Uprooted in X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. Destroyed in Monsters vs Aliens in 2009. Apocalypse Meteors in 2010 struck it by a meteor. Damaged in Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011. Again attacked in Pacific Rim in 2013. And destroyed Godzilla in 2014. In San Andreas, a bridge goes down because of a container ship. In Terminator Genisys, which is set in 2015, the bridge is blown up.
Golden Gate Bridge
This iconic landmark of San Francisco was built with more than 100,000 tons of steel. The orange-red bridge, spanning the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Strait, has its name from the time of the Gold Rush when the strait was seen as a gateway to the gold fields. There are lookout points to the north that offer some of the best complete views. The bridge has appeared in many major films such as Rise of the Planet of the Apes and X-Men. It is also one of San Francisco’s most important attractions to walk or cycle along the pedestrian paths that are on both sides of the bridge.
Redwood Park | Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by Rupert Wyatt, the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trilogy features James Franco, Tom Felton, Freida Pinto, and Brian Cox. The trilogy depicts the evolution of apes to become highly intelligent beings and ultimately challenge humanity, and serves as a warning against the consequences of unbridled human ambition.
The outdoor scenes of the movie were filmed in the redwood region north of the Golden Gate Bridge. California has two main varieties of redwood trees, and the ones used in the movie are coast redwoods, scientifically known as Sequoia sempervirens. They can grow to be about 120 meters tall, have a dark brown-black bark, and can live over 2,000 years. Being among some is one of the most amazing natural experiences around San Francisco.
Red and White Fleet | You Are My Sunshine
You Are My Sunshine is a 2015 mainland Chinese urban romance starring Huang Xiaoming, Yang Mi, Tong Dawei and Angelababy. It was produced in Shanghai starting December 17, 2014, and moved to San Francisco in February the following year. In the 2008 San Francisco film, Zhao Mosheng takes pictures of tourists for $5 on a boat heading to the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz. The boat is a popular Red and White Fleet.
Since 1939, this company’s bay cruises have been a unique way of experiencing San Francisco from the water. The cruise, which is available in 12 languages, passes through major historical sites such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.
The Rock | Palace of Fine Arts
In The Rock, there is a scene where Sean Connery’s character Mason meets his daughter in a moving garden. That garden is the Palace of Fine Arts. It was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco as a result of the great earthquake as a mark of the city’s reconstruction. The city boasts several sites with “atmospheric settings,” as the description states, though many people find the conveniences planted there quite helpful. With “fountains and weeping willows” and “Roman-inspired domes and colonnades,” it's easy to see why this place would be so desired. The \*\Palace of the Fine Arts\\ has also been featured in movies, most notably, \\The Princess Diaries\\ and \\Mrs. Doubtfire\\.\\ Palace of Fine Arts\\ was built at the same time as the Panama Canal and opened in 1915. It won the praise of countless onlookers, bringing in 18 million visitors. After the \\Panama- Pacific International Exposition\\ ended, the \\Palace of the Fine Arts\\ became a site to be re-designed, leading people to be once again drawn to the location. It was re-designed by a German born architect in 1962 named Bernard Maybeck. Maybeck is known for his finely detailed work, which explains the richness of the sculptures to many first time visitors. The \\Palace of the Fine Arts\\ is still a place to be visited even today. People visit the location to see the swans and ducks which glide across the lagoon as well as visiting the \\Palace of the Fine Arts Theatre\\, making it an even more popular local retreat. The \\Alcatraz\\ island has also been made famous by the film \\Birdman of Alcatraz\\ and \\Escape from Alcatraz\\. Also, it is of note that The Rock brought an audience to the film as the island is the battle point of the two main characters as well as the island's antagonists. \\Alcatraz\\ was featured in the TV series \\Alcatraz\\ and the film \\X-Men: The Last Stand\\ which starred Hugh Jackman and this created even more public interest in \\Alcatraz\\. \\Escape from Alcatraz\\ and \\Birdman of Alcatraz\\* also made The Alcatraz Island a tourism location when Reservations are recommended due to limited visitor capacity. Alcatraz Island Alcatraz is a rocky island that is 22 acres long and used to house some of the most disreputable federal criminals in the United States. Alcatraz was home to Chicago gangster Al Capone, the ill-tempered “Birdman” Robert Stroud, and “Machine Gun” Kelly. From their cells, inmates could see the bustling city of San Francisco, which made their punishment even more severe. A lot of the original settings of the prison have been preserved as well as the bird habitats, museum, and even a bookstore. The shop even sells books written by inmates, but many considered their time there as an unforgettable experience. Despite the grim history of Alcatraz, it is a wildlife refuge and many birds find it suitable to build their nests, which provides a contrasting peaceful side to the former prison island. Chinatown | Rumble in the Bronx Rumble in the Bronx is features Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Bill Tung and Françoise Yip and tells the story of Hong Kong police officer Ma Hanqiang who is fighting gangsters in the USA. The words “Bronx” and “rumble” suggest violence and bloodshed. The filming had physical ramifications for Jackie Chan, producer of the movie, as he injured himself during the filming of a fight scene when he did a flying kick and struck his left leg on the corner of a refrigerator, resulting in a torn calf muscle and a considerable amount of bleeding.
San Francisco's Chinatown
Chinatown in San Francisco is the only Chinese enclave in the western United States and is often referred to as the western counterpart to New York’s Chinatown. It is located at the intersection of Grant Avenue and California Street, and contains a population of over 80,000 Chinese. Although it is in close proximity to Union Square and the Western Financial District, Chinatown provides a completely different experience. The streets are filled with Chinese signage, and the people speak Chinese. For visiting foreigners, the area provides an immediate sense of home.
Transamerica Pyramid | The Pursuit of Happyness
The 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith, filmed most of its scenes in San Francisco. The movie is based on a true story and depicts the life of a medical sales person who became homeless and struggled to care for his son, whom he later on became a millionaire. The Transamerica Pyramid is one of the most notable landmarks in the city and has 48 floors. It is the tallest building in San Francisco and the tallest building in the United States west of Chicago until the Salesforce Tower was completed. The daycare center set in the movie where Will Smith’s character takes his child is located in San Francisco’s Chinatown. He sees the word “Happyness” on the wall and notes the misspelled word. The word is usually spelled “Happiness.” The title to the movie keeps the altered spelling, indicating that perhaps the writers wanted it to mean something.
Transamerica Pyramid
Transamerica Pyramid is a 48-story office building shaped like a pyramid. At completion, many of the locals were unable to come to terms with its design and referred to it as “a sword piercing hell” and “an Indian tent.” It became the symbolic headquarters for the Transamerica Corporation, and the lobby houses various company artworks. The outside half-acre urban open space is used for events like concerts. The building its self is an office building and not generally open to the public except for the 27th floor public observation deck where visitors can see the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz Island.
Crissy Field | Hereafter, Vertigo
Clint Eastwood's 2010 film Hereafter delves into the unknown of where life may lead post death. The film follows the intertwining lives of three people across three different countries. Matt Damon plays a role as a resident of San Francisco who possesses psychic abilities. One scene where he is conversing with a friend was filmed at Crissy Field. The site has been a magnet for productions, including Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 classic film Vertigo.
Crissy Field features a large expanse of waterfront, a calm beach, and the San Francisco Bay, wetlands on one side, a rocky shore on the other, and the supports of the Golden Gate Bridge. This is one of the most popular places for couples to visit, as well as being one of the best spots to watch the Blue Angels every year. It was even the backdrop to the 1998 film The Presidio staring Sean Connery. Crissy Field Union Square | Zodiac In the 2007 film Zodiac, which is based on a true story, actor Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle who tries to track down an elusive serial killer who has never been caught for over 40 years. The Chronicle’s three-story building shown in the movie is located on Mission Street Downtown, two blocks from Union Square. Union Square is one of the main commercial and social hubs in San Francisco. The Union Square Hotel which features a red and white color scheme and has classical floral railings is located on one side of the square. It has a film themed lobby and all of the rooms and furnishings are decorated in that style. Woody Allen’s films have also used the Union Square region for filming, as have other earlier productions. Union Square was a well-known filming spot in San Francisco. The Rock, which was filmed in 1996 and starred Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage featured an action packed car chase. A Ferrari and a Hummer raced through Union Square and then destroyed one of the iconic San Francisco cable cars. Union Square Union Square is located in Downtown San Francisco. The square is surrounded by four streets and features a tall memorial honoring the U.S. Navy’s victory at the Battle of Manila Bay against the Spanish fleet. The streets leading up to the square are lined with a mixture of boutique and luxury brand stores. A number of high-end designer boutiques and department stores like I. Magnin and Macy’s can be found at Union Square. The theater district of San Francisco is located just southwest of the square. It's a peaceful area to take a stroll, and you can enjoy it bypassing the shops. Nob Hill | Just Like Heaven Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon star in the romantic fantasy film Just Like Heaven. The movie tells the story of a San Francisco architect who falls for a woman in a coma. The elegant vintage apartment building where the story takes place is located on Mason Street in Nob Hill. The \"Top of the Hill\" is a fitting nickname for Nob Hill. Many movie shoots have taken place here, and the neighborhood features stunning historic houses. It was once the home of Marilyn Monroe. This elevated area offers beautiful views of the bay. Nob Hill Nob Hill is one of the top neighborhoods in San Francisco as well as one of the highest elevations. The name "Nob" comes from Anglo-Indian slang describing someone wealthy or influential. When the first cable trolley reached the hill in 1878, mansions were erected here by two Gold Rush millionaires and four Pacific railroad tycoons. The area became an enclave of extreme wealth and was named appropriately. Most grand houses were lost to the 1906 earthquake. In their place came luxury hotels and beautiful churches, clustered around Huntington Park and preserving the hill’s sense of former grandeur. Nob Hill is still an upscale area of residences, and the sleek residents, stylish hotels, and the tranquil park setting create a marked difference from the rest of San Francisco.
For those who want to stray from the usual Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and Lombard Street trifecta, allow film to guide you to a more expansive San Francisco. Culinary enthusiasts will be happy to know that there are 54 Michelin-starred restaurants, including 6 with the highest rating of three stars. If you're more of a coffee person, you have the option of hand-crafted specialty brews at Philz and Blue Bottle, and Peet's Coffee is another well-known San Francisco coffee spot. To experience a more vibrant San Francisco, the Haight with its hippie vibe, the Castro district, and the nude beach with views of the Golden Gate Bridge are good choices. If you're looking for good spots for night views, Twin Peaks and Treasure Island are both great, just be sure to bring an extra layer because San Francisco is known for its notorious chill.
With some travel companies like Dinosaur Travel, some people witness breathtaking landscapes. Others make new friends. Some gain a better understanding of themselves. Traveling at its best is about gaining new insights about yourself, and not just a checklist of places you have visited.
Dinosaur Travel Never Stop Exploring
Dinosaur Travel: never stopping the exploration of places around the world.
Recommended Articles from Previous Issues
