A unique feature of Grant Avenue is the street lamps. These lamps were designed in the shape of pagoda at its tall top. The "roofs" of the pagodas were painted in red and emerald, emphasizing the strong feature of Chinese architecture which is rarely encountered even in China itself. It is almost unbelievable that Grant Avenue was a notorious red light district at the turn of the last century. It was not until the 1906 earthquake that destroyed the brothels and gambling dens that Grant Avenue finally got its grace.

Sacramento Street is the oldest habitat of first generation Chinese in America. In 19th century, many mainland Chinese left for America by the illusion of opportunities to make great fortune there. Instead, they were sold as slaves to the greedy gold mining enterprises. Like other slaves, Chinese did not enjoy proper rights and status then. They were not allowed to even rent a bed anywhere. The only exception under the law is the piece of land at Sacramento Street.

The building at 220 Sacramento Street is today an active religious centre. It got its name, Cameron Building, from the famous sympathic Presbyterian. This great Christian united her fellows to risk their lives to protest against the notorious yellow slavery and child prostitution gangs. Their persistence finally won the support of the white government in 1914. A Red Light District management law was finally passed and the activities of the gangs were finally suppressed. Since then, the building was named after Cameron as a memorial to her great deed.

There is a grand pagoda at the centre of Washington Street, but, wait, don't mistake it as a temple. It is now the Bank of Canton since 1960. It started its life as telephone exchange for Pacific Telephony and Telegraphy Company. The employment policy of the exchange then is worth mentioning. All the operators were Chinese females and vacancies were given to only daughters of existing operators. As an operator, each was required to remember all 2,800 telephone numbers of Chinese entities in the town. As it was a sensitive issue among the Chinese circle to disclose contact numbers to others, confidentiality was of upmost important. These unusual employment criteria were designed to cater to this problem. However, the introduction of a new telephone system in 1949 caused the exchange to close down.

Golden Gate district is another "must-visit" spot in San Francisco. Keep you in suspense until next issue. Enjoy your weekend.