– adventuring with ash –

Chinatown’s are always so cool to see in my opinion. San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest in the United States. It was the first port of entry for Chinese Immigrants, way back in 1849. After gold was discovered in California in 1849, thousands of people traveled land and sea to work in the mines there. Many of these were Chinese, who settled in San Francisco. They worked in the mines during the gold rush and built the transcontinental railroad.

According to historians, the Gold Rush is arguably one of the most significant events to shape American history, that occurred during the first half of the 19th century. A total of $2 Billion worth of golds and metals was extracted from the area. This massive migration of Chinese people to the U.S allowed them to expand and grow here in the U.S.

Many Chinatowns lost their abundance of Chinese-Americans as time went on, but San Francisco remains #3 on the list of cities who house the most Chinese-Americans.

I planned my sister and I’s itinerary so that we would be seeing Chinatown at night, since I figured that would be ideal. We walked around Union Square, then to the downtown area and explored. Then we made our way down to the ferry building and bay bridge area at the water. As the sun set, we made our way over to Chinatown. Immediately when we came up on Chinatown my sister and I were both in awe. The food, smells, sounds. The buildings and signs. Everything about it was intriguing.

Going at night was the way to go. The way the red and yellow lights reflected and filled the air was beautiful. The illuminated, colorful signs. There were lanterns streaming from the rooftops. It was truly the sight to see. Part of this Chinatown is the famous Grant Ave, a street with famous red lanterns that dangle over the entire street, as far as the eye can see. The street has a total of 180 red lanterns strung above.

In the Winter of 2022, a bad storm destroyed this iconic street. But after a fundraising campaign in 2023, they are back for everyone to enjoy.

While I was enjoying the lights and taking photos, a man who thought he was hilarious set off a LOUD firecracker next to me. Like, RIGHT next to me lol. He thought it was hilarious. Definitely thought I was going to die for a sec but within seconds was laughing. I guess just beware of getting a firecracker set off right next to you if you go, lol!

My sister and I didn’t try any food in Chinatown unfortunately, we weren’t very hungry. I do regret it now. But hey, just another reason to go back. They had such cool hole-in-the-wall spots, that seem small but then you go down a staircase to a cool sit-down spot. Menu’s plastered on the walls and food showcased in the windows. It’s definitely a food-orientated place, so be sure to try some out if you go. There’s also a spot called “Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory”, where if you go at the right time of day, you can watch these women sitting there making the fortune cookies. Definitely would be an unforgettable experience.

The place was beautiful. Walking around it wasn’t too busy, it was like we hit every spot we went to at the exact perfect time. Or maybe the last week of February is just a good time to visit, lol. The weather was a bit chilly but nothing crazy. They had such cool shops and adorable little trinkets everywhere you looked, I could’ve spent hundreds. Some walls had such cool wall art. Seriously so fun to walk around at night.

But all of this to say, if you ever find yourself in San Francisco I definitely recommend you checking out the United States’ oldest Chinatown! You will not be disappointed!