Find Asian treasures, trinkets, and exotic cuisine.

The oldest and second largest Chinatown in North America, San Francisco's vibrant Chinese neighborhood almost feels like you've traveled to a distant country. Rightfully so, this compact district (only eight blocks long and two blocks wide) has attracted throngs of tourists for many years. While many people know about the countless bustling shops selling unique and interesting souvenirs on overloaded shelves, the neighborhood is also home to stores that sell precious jewels, jade, and objets-d'art, as well as hard-to-find cooking and art supplies. Follow the locals to find some of the most memorable Asian cooking outside of China, often an incredible bargain for the quality of the food. (Be really adventurous and order from the Chinese menu--only written in Chinese characters.) Guided tours let visitors in on the history, secrets, and culinary gems of this vibrant area.

Inside Tip: Come for Chinese New Year, which features a massive street fair, followed by the famous and boisterous evening parade and a spectacular Chinese dragon.

Celebrate Pi Day with songs, marches, and Pi- related foods on this international “geek” holiday that celebrates Pi(p), 3.1415926535, the number you get when you divide the circumference of a circle by its diameter. The brass Pi Shrine will be ceremoniously removed in preparation for its reinstallation at the museum’s new location at Pier 15 along San Francisco's Embarcadero. Join us on this special occasion to celebrate some of the Exploratorium’s quirky scientific traditions. Events will be presented with Spanish, Chinese and English text as well as by multilingual Explainers.