The very thought of San Francisco brings up a myriad of images, even for those who have never been fortunate to visit this magical city. There is the image of San Francisco's history, as the final point in the long journey west, a city that began as part of a chain of Spanish missions, in an area that grew separately from the rest of the U.S.A. and thus developed a unique culture and ambience. Also in history are the images of San Francisco as the city of the great goldrush - an event that fuelled phenomenal growth; and of the earthquake and great fire of 1906. A more recent image is that of the San Francisco of the 1960s, the capital of the Hippie Generation, with the focus of this at Haight-Ashbury. Above all though, the visual image of San Francisco has always been that of an incredibly beautiful city. Built on over 40 hills, and set on one of the world's most spectacular bays, the steep and picturesque streets of the city's downtown core seem to plunge almost vertically downwards to the harbor. With characteristic innovation San Francisco adapted, and introduced the city's famous cable cars to overcome the steep gradients. Parks and an abundance of unusual trees and shrubs seem to be everywhere. Flowers blossom year round in a riot of colour.