Old St. Mary's Cathedral and Square, San Francisco

A couple blocks past Chinatown Gate is Old Saint Mary's, San Francisco's first Catholic cathedral, which predates nearly everything around it. Owing to the shortage of suitable building materials in California, the bricks for the old church were imported in the 1850s from the East Coast, while the granite foundation stones came by boat from China. The clock tower bears the inscription, "Son, observe the time and fly from evil," said to have been directed at the brothels that stood across the street at the time it was built. As if by some miracle, the 1906 earthquake spared the church's walls and tower but destroyed a bordello, making room for Saint Mary's Square.

The church was rebuilt and began ministering to the local Chinese population, as it still does today. Just inside the main doorway behind the banks of pews, a fine photo display details the 1906 damage to the city and the church, while sculptures and stained glass windows run along the sides of the wall. Out of doors, the square shines a pink-granite-and-steel statue of Dr Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Chinese Republic in 1911, created by noted sculptor Benjamin Bufano. You'll also find a small park to sit for a bit and get your bearings while taking in fine views of the Financial District.