City Guide to San Francisco, California: Part 3 | Street Art, A Photo Essay
San Francisco is known for many things, one of them being the culture of street art and murals that will surprise and delight you. As tourists exploring the city, you’re bound to stumble across many great pieces of art, but we also encourage anyone visiting San Francisco, California to put a few places known for street art on their must see attraction list!
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San Francisco, California, US City Guides
We explored San Francisco from top to bottom and couldn’t fit it all in just one article. Be sure to read the rest of our San Francisco, California City Guides!
San Francisco Must See Attractions - Coming Soon!
We’re a digital nomad couple pursuing financial independence, retire early (FI/RE) and in 2016, we sold most of our belongings, planned to be ‘homeless’ and traveled 3 continents, 23 countries, and 60 cities in a year!
After a year traveling full time internationally we decided it was time to come home to the United States. However, our life as digital nomads wasn’t something we wanted to give up. So, in 2017 we continued our house sitting adventures throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“We love exploring neighborhoods, off the beaten path sights, and must see attractions in each city we visit.”
We hope our city guides might inspire your wanderlust. And, since a picture is worth a thousand words, we’re sharing our favorite sightseeing images from the cities we’ve visited in photo essays!
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Street Art and Murals in San Francisco
Street art and murals are not hard to find in San Francisco!
In fact, the diversity of street art, especially as a statement of culture and political change reminds us of the street art we saw in Athens, Greece. In both cities we were inspired and awed by the art we stumbled upon as well as sought out.
We hope you enjoy some of our favorites and take the opportunity on your visit to San Francisco to seek out the works that bring the city to life!
San Francisco Must See Sightseeing Map
To possibly make your research on sightseeing in San Francisco, California (and other destinations) easier, we’ve kept our maps with all of the information we gathered (accurate at the time of our sightseeing). Finding hours, prices, and general information can sometimes be challenging, so we’ve tried to include these details on our maps and provide appropriate links below.
And finally, not every attraction is suitable for every visitor, but the copywriters and marketing departments for the destinations sure make it sound like it. How many times have you read “Great for kids and adults alike” and shown up at the venue to wonder why anyone over 20 years-old without kids would go out of their way to be there? Below we’ve included our full itinerary on the map and when combined with the official attraction information and website, it may help you decide if it’s a destination for your travel adventure or not.
Again, the map includes our full sightseeing itinerary, not just street art and murals. So be sure to check out the entire San Francisco City Guide Series!
NOTE: We used this sightseeing map for our personal sightseeing adventures, because of that, some notes may not make perfect sense, and some information could be outdated. Information on this map was valid at the time of creation. That being said, feel free to save it to your Google account and use it as a starting point (or modify it accordingly) for planning out your personalized itinerary in San Francisco.
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Must See Alleys and Streets with Street Art in San Francisco
There are several alleys and streets in San Francisco, mainly in the Mission District, where the community has come together to create a block or more worth of murals that cover garages, fences, and walls. Be sure to add them to your itinerary!
Tip: Looking for street art on our must see sightseeing map? We’ve marked locations with a purple painter’s palette.
Clarion Alley
Clarion Alley runs parallel to Sycamore Street and 17th Street, between Valencia Street and Mission Street.
Balmy Alley
Balmy Alley is on Balmy Street which runs parallel to Treat Street and Harrison Street, between 24th Street and 25th Street.
Caledonia Street
Caledonia Street runs parallel to Valencia Street and Julian Avenue, between 15th Street and 16th Street.
Horace Street
Horace Street runs parallel to Shotwell Street and Folsom Street, between 25th Street and 26th Street.
Cypress Alley
Cypress Alley is on Cypress Street which runs parallel to Capp Street and South Van Ness Avenue, between 25th Street and 26th Street.
Lilac Alley
Lilac Alley is on Lilac Street which runs parallel to Capp Street and Mission Street, between 25th Street and 26th Street.
Osage Alley
Osage Alley is on Osage Street which runs parallel to Bartlett Street and Mission Street, between 25th Street and 26th Street.
Hearts in San Francisco Project
The Hearts in San Francisco project started in 2004 and is an annual installment of public art inspired by the Tony Bennett song, I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Each year the hearts are auctioned off and the proceeds are donated to the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, but first the inspired works of art are placed around the city for three months for the public to enjoy.
If you can’t make it to San Francisco to see these hearts in person, be sure to check out the digital gallery. However, if you’re able to visit, we highly recommend checking out the official map and adding a few spots to your sightseeing itinerary. Especially, since some of the hearts have been placed near some of San Francisco’s big tourist attractions, like Union Square.
Heart Titled America's Greatest City by the Bay
The 2004 heart titled America's Greatest City by the Bay by Tony Bennett showcases the entire San Francisco Heart project and is located in Union Square on the corner of Post Street and Powell Street.
Heart Titled Migrant Heart
The 2004 heart titled Migrant Heart by Hung Liu is located at the Lyon Street Steps in San Francisco, California.
Heart titled Heartfelt Wisdom
The 2017 heart titled Heartfelt Wisdom by Jeremy Fish shows the struggle between the balance of love and hate. On our visit, Fish’s Heartfelt Wisdom was located in Union Square but has since been moved. The heart that’s currently at the corner of Stockton Street and Post Street at Union Square is I Heart Annie by Team Annie.
Heart titled Bae Area
The 2018 heart titled Bae Area by Piero Spadara was sponsored by Blue Shield of California and was on display in Union Square on the corner of Powell and Geary during our visit. It seems like this heart may have been moved and in its place is the heart titled Wild by Ari Takata-Vasquez.
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Street Art in Chinatown, San Francisco
We didn’t visit Chinatown expecting to find a lot of street art, but boy were we surprised!
Bruce Lee by Luke Dragon
Find this mural by Luke Dragon featuring Bruce Lee on the side of the Eastern Bakery on the corner of Grant Avenue and Commercial Street.
Tiger- Dragon by Luke Dragon
Find the Tiger - Dragon mural by Luke Dragon at the corner of Grant Avenue and Commercial Street.
Notorious PIG by Luke Dragon
Notorious PIG by Luke Dragon is inspired by a well known Chinese fable called ‘Journey to the West’. Find this mural at the corner of Grant Avenue and Sacramento Street.
Unknown Artist, Chinatown Mural of a Dragon
Unfortunately this mural was painted over on the bottom portion, so the artist’s name was no longer visible.
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Murals Around San Francisco
Joshua Coffy
Bird Song 3 by Joshua Coffy, 2015, presented by Artspan and Artspan artists.
Find this mural on Oak Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street.
Amandalynn
This mural was painted by Amandalynn.
Satronimus
Mural of San Francisco’s iconic cable cars by Satronimus.
Nychos
Weird Lords Mural by Nychos.
Find this mural near the corner of Haight Street and Ashbury Street.
Caratoes, Lauren YS, Tati Suarez
This mural was created by Caratoes, Lauren YS, and Tati Suarez in 2015.
Find this mural on Oak Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street.
Amos Goldbaum
Content Creation Myth by Amos Goldbaum, 2015.
Find this mural at the corner of Valencia Street and Clinton Park, and if you’re looking for more of Amos Goldbaum’s work, check out this Google map.
Sam Flores
Girl With Flowers by Sam Flores.
Unknown Artist
Mural in Haight-Ashbury district.
Unique Art Around San Francisco
If you get a chance to visit San Francisco and take the opportunity to walk around the city and explore some of the residential neighborhoods, you’re likely to find art that goes beyond murals.
Mission District Sidewalk Tree Grates
As part of the Valencia Streetscape Improvement project, DPW architects John Dennis and Martha Ketterer designed these unique sidewalk tree gates. These dancing skeletons are in the style of Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) and protect the trees on Valencia Street in the Mission District.
Dragon Gate and the Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets Serpent Door
After visiting Fisherman’s Wharf we made our way to Lombard Street, via a walk on Levenworth Street. Like other passerby’s, we were compelled to stop and admire the ironwork on the home of Steve Pinetti.
Designed and created by Steve Pinetti, the Dragon Gate is nine feet tall and an incredible 450 pounds! On the door, Harry Potter fans might recognize the serpent sculpture that represents the seven horcruxes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
When visiting the house, be sure to look up for a few more sculptures on the roof! You’ll see a gorilla sculpture and a Cat in the Hat sculpture.
Painted Tree Stump
During a house sitting job in the Sunset District we went for a walk around the neighborhood and stumbled upon a tree stump that was artistically painted with the face of a man. If you’re looking for it, head towards Abraham Lincoln Highschool and you’ll spot it on Santiago Street, between 22nd Avenue and 24th Avenue.
Final Thoughts
Having been both tourists and residents, we’ve seen many sides of this city and we’re so glad we get to share it with you. From all the view points to admire the Golden Gate Bridge from, or an itinerary full of must see attractions, to inspiring street art, San Francisco has a scene for everyone!
