what's the difference between los angeles and san francisco? best place to visiti?

Answer 1

Comparing only within the city limits and not the surrounding areas:

San Francisco:
bigger chinatown
fisherman's wharf
pier 39
embarcadero
union square
nob hill
castro district
golden gate park
palace of fine arts
legion of honor
soma
metreon
moma
asian art museum
steinhart aquarium
at&t park
cliff house
bath house
baker beach
presidio
twin peaks
coit tower
SF Bay
Cable Car
BART/Muni

Los Angeles
smaller chinatown
LA county museum
?

Answer 2

Wow - you probably noticed but asking this question of people in California is like throwing a can of gasoline on a fire. People in these two cities (well, Northern Cal and SoCal in general) have a long history of disliking one other.
I've lived in both places - the answer to your question depends on what you want to see - and the kind of 'mood' or atmosphere you like. San Francisco is more romantic, picturesque and historical but the weather is cooler and can be downright cold, depending on when you visit (and whether the fog is in or out). I notice that one of the prior 'answerer's gave you a long list of cool SF places to visit so I won't duplicate that.
L.A. is more spread out (which is why the list of what's 'inside the city limits' is so sparse. There are great art museums (e.g. the Getty), a lot of pop culture (e.g. Hollywood) and great beaches. Also the ever mentioned 'kid' stuff (where you will find a lot of adult kids) like Disneyland and Universal Studios. LA also has more dependable (warm) weather, particularly this year - they are having a drought. Both places have great places to stay and wonderful restaurants. In SF, the best way to get around is by public transit; in LA, you have to have a car. So it depends on the kind of vacation you want .... if you want to hang out at the beach, maybe do some recreational activities (boating, surfing, parasailing, golf etc.), people watch and do a little sightseeing, go to LA; if you want to visit more planned historical and art sites primarily but also eat great food and people watch, go to SF.

But whichever one you choose, while you're there, don't mention the other!

Answer 3

San Francisco is scenic, and it's a good walking town. The hills and cable cars are fun. There's lots of city life and cultural attractions there. If you go, take a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. And Napa and Sonoma are not far away.

Los Angeles is big and very tiring to drive around in. It takes a long time to get anywhere. But it is usually sunny, if you are looking to sun bathe. There's the Norton Simon museum in Pasadena, the Getty, and the new, old Getty Villa if you are into museums. Mostly, LA is about eating, shopping, movie- going and clubbing. Most of the landmarks you might be looking for are gone.

Answer 4

OK, I will try not to bash LA, even though I just really do not care for it, but here goes:

if you are looking for a nice sunny beachy type vacation that is similar to Miami Beach, LA is your spot. It is very casual, laid back, lots of surfing and outdoor sports like volleyball and golf. It can also be very very grey and foggy, just as bad as SF. They don't call it June gloom for nothing. LA is far worse in terms of sheer volume of traffic. I don't know that i have ever been there at any time of day where it is not wall to wall cars. I don't feel nearly as safe in LA when I am alone. LA is also very Hollywood. The place to be seen. It is a town about having fun.

San Francisco is similar to me like Boston & New York. Very urban, smallish town in comparison to our friends in LA. great public transportation. You can live in the city and never need a car unless you want to leave town. It is fairly mild and cool most of the year. Foggy in the Summer nice and sparkling sun in the fall and spring. It is an intellectual city. I got to SF if I want to take in a play, go to a museum, or cool off in the summer heat when Napa Valley is 100.

they are just two entirely different places It just depends on what you are looking for.

Answer 5

You really shouldn't ask this type of question under just the SF category b/c people in that city have the biggest "I Hate LA" mentality and will not give you an objective and unbiased answer, which you can tell from many of the answers. SF tends to have a serious inferiority complex when it comes to LA and southern CA in general and people there always feel the need to put down southern CA.

Both cities are great and offer different things and it all depends on what you like to do and are looking to get out of a vacation. I would just go look at a city profile and maybe some pictures on Wikipedia or another website and see which one appeals to you the most. Both places are great to visit and you could easily to both of them in a week if you spent 3 days in each, which is probably enough to get a sense of the city.
SF is much smaller, older, and more urban type city. Tons of attractions, tourist traps, and things to do and see. LA is much bigger and more spread out than SF and also has great attractions to check out. If you are into cultural type activities both places, contrary to what some people in SF claim, have great cultural institutions like museums, theatres, ect.. Both are great places to visit so I can't really say one over the other but just don't believe all the negative stereotypes you hear about LA, especially from people in SF. It's like asking a Yankees fan which team is better the Red Sox or Yankees.

Answer 6

The city of San Francisco is only 49 square miles. Los Angeles is more of a concept than a city, as it sprawls out over 450 square miles.

If you're looking for a sunny, warm summer vacation spot, go to LA. Summers in SF tend to be chilly.

If you're looking for an easily-accessible, beautiful, culturally diverse and exciting place to visit, come to SF.

Answer 7

Like night and day.

San Francisco is a wonderful city, while Los Angeles is a cultural wasteland (this from a native Angelino). Lets put it this way, for the 4th of July weekend I'm leaving LA to go to SF.

Answer 8

San Francisco is nicer if you want to spend time actually walking around and touring and stuff. If you want the 'California Experience', though, go to LA. It's not very warm here, you can't swim in the beaches without a wetsuit either. Go to LA if you want Disneyland, Hollywood, and what most people think of as "California", go to San Francisco if you want to see more things, and go to a nicer, cleaner city.

Answer 9

San Francisco is the great city better than Los Angeles! Summer is beautiful cool and warm in San Francisco better than Los Angeles is too hot summer. San Francisco does not has any ghetto. Los Angeles has very dumb ugly mental retard ghettos. You will be excited to see many moviestars in Los Angeles than San Francisco. Los Angeles and San Francisco are the best both seafood places. Los Angeles is the best culture than San Francisco. Los Angeles has worse smog in the summer. San Francisco does not has smog. I like great food in Chinatown in Los Angeles better than San Francisco. Foods are expensive in San Francisco than Los Angeles. San Francisco is excited to see on the nob hill. Castro and West Hollywood are same gay area both in San Francisco and Los Angeles. San Francisco has more beautiful parks than Los Angeles. Arts, Aquariums, and Museum are best in Los Angeles and San Francisco! Bathhouses are the best in Los Angeles than San Francisco. Buses are the best rides in San Francisco in the country! LA and SF are worse traffic. Beaches and Bike Paths in LA are better than SF. LA is the best sex than SF. SF has big lesbian population than LA!

Answer 10

San Francisco is a much better place to visit.