First off, get out of SFO as quickly as possible. Sure, the architecture is pretty swank, but you’ve got a lifetime of adventures waiting for you in the City By The Bay. Secondly, book yourself into a hotel that is either in the heart of the city or as close as possible. Whats the point coming if it takes you hours to get into the thick of things? Your best bet will be booking a room right off Union Square.

For all intent and purposes, Union Square is the “heart” of San Francisco. Cleared and commissioned in 1850, the square got its name from all the pro-Union rallies held in solidarity with the Union forces of the American Civil War. From a simple square to a major ceremonial center, Union Square is now the de facto shopping flashpoint for the entire Bay Area.

Every year Union Square plays host to the vaunted New Year’s Eve celebrations. Modeled to some extent on New York’s Times Square, Union Square is the closest most people on the west coast can get to that Eastern city extravaganza. There is a reason why San Francisco has been hailed as the “Paris of the West.”

Stupendous shopping, delectable cafes, and endless hours of people watching are yours to be had. In fact, Macy’s flagship store dominates the square, keeping the idea of going on a spending spree constantly on your mind. The Union Square stop on the BART rail brings the entirety of the Bay Area to your disposal. With a hotel room off of the square you can conquer all seven square miles of the City That Knows How.

And don’t forget about catching a good show. Not a movie, but a show. Union Square is the heart of San Francisco’s theater district. There is so much to do and see and so little time. Though some travelers would have you stay closer to the Financial District or perhaps across the Bay in Berkeley, the key to enjoying San Francisco is proximity. With a cozy base of operation off the square you are well on your way to enjoying the shopping, the food and the nightlife of the city.

It should come as no surprise that the Golden State is shot-through with big cities. From San Francisco to Los Angeles to Newport Beach and back up the coast again, there are no shortages of big cities to choose from. To be sure, smaller college towns like Berkeley, Davis, and Irvine also get folded into the Golden State batter. With all of these options, what makes Sacramento the capitol?

Named by the Spaniard, Gabriel Moraga, Sacramento was little more than a trading post when John Sutter arrived in 1839 from Switzerland. Within ten years he and his heirs would guide the transformation of the trading post into a military barracks for the U.S. Army and eventually into an incorporated city. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in the state, having been invested in 1850. This does not mean it is the oldest, however, as that distinction belongs to Monterey.

Following the conclusion of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the capital of California was moved from Monterey. The first city to be designated the new capitol was San Jose. When the state legislature met there in 1850, it was argued the capitol should be moved further inland to avoid retribution either from Mexico or the Spanish Empire.

James Marshall, two years earlier, famously discovered gold in the American River in Coloma, about 50 miles away from Sacramento. In the years that followed, Sacramento became the inheritor of the California Gold Rush. The city flooded with new residents and economic prosperity. As evidence of Sacramentos growing importance, the Transcontinental Railroad terminated in the city, solidifying it stature as the gateway city to California.

The capitol was moved, finally, to Sacramento in 1854. Taking advantage of the citys tremendous infrastructure and rail access, the Constitutional Convention named Sacramento the permanent capitol of California in 1879. Inspired by the nations capitol, the California State Capitol was not actually completed until 1874, where it stands to this day in tribute to the vision and foresight of John Sutter.