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Bookmark & shareLeave your heart in San Francisco
Say you've got a day to spend in San Fran. Start our express tour with the ultimate breakfast at Campton Place Restaurant, then pick a museum at Yerba Buena Gardens. Catch a cab to the corner of Haight and Ashbury Sts, have lunch at the Pork Store Cafe then walk west to Golden Gate Park. Stroll or snooze, depending on your energy levels, then take a cab to the Golden Gate Bridge. Walk across and back, trying to time your return to San Francisco for sunset. Now you need another cab to head to the restaurant of your choice. Otherwise, hop on the Powell St cable car to Broadway, where North Beach beckons to your left and Chinatown winks at you on your right. Just follow your nose to something good to eat.
Say you've got three days in this city by the bay. That should be long enough to get into the swing of it. Spend your first day covering the essential sights, as outlined in the touristy day above. Chill out a bit on your second day. Have a late breakfast on Haight St then walk up to Golden Gate Park. Hire a bike from Avenue Cyclery and ride right to the end of the park where it hits the Pacific Ocean. Drop the bike back (or hang on to it if you can tackle the hills) and head for lunch to the Magnolia Pub Brewery. Hit the shops on Haight or wander over to Buena Vista Park, where there are great views on a clear day. Cross the park and head to Castro St, where any southbound bus will take you into the Castro. Catch a movie at the Castro Theatre or head to Harvey's for happy hour. Have dinner in the neighbourhood or take MUNI along Market St and hop off when you spy a restaurant you like.
Your third day could be well spent in the East Bay. You'll never regret an afternoon in the Oakland Hills and dinner at Chez Panisse.
A Top Day in San Francisco
Whenever friends visit, I build a walking-tour itinerary for them around four elements: hills, neighbourhoods, views and food - the four things that most define San Francisco. Wear comfy non-slip shoes and carry a day pack and water. Meet in the Financial District at the Ferry Building for coffee overlooking the glittering blue bay. Wander the food stalls and pick up Acme bread, Cowgirl Creamery cheese and farm-fresh local fruit to munch along the way. Ride the California Street cable car, the line few tourists take because they don't know where it goes. Look back as you ascend Nob Hill for super-cool Bay Bridge views. At the terminus, walk one block north up Van Ness Ave to Sacramento St and turn left (west). Amble past lovely Lafayette Park, where you can ascend the hill and see the cityscape. Turn right (north) on Fillmore St, the shopping street for Pacific Height's skirt-and-sweater matrons. At Broadway, ooh and ahh over the mesmerising bay vistas and the mansions clinging to the hillsides, then descend the super-steep 18% grade, through Cow Hollow, into the Marina. At the bay, turn right (east) and walk along the water, in full view of Alcatraz, the kite-flyers at Marina Green, and the bobbing sailboat masts of the small-craft harbour. Follow the footpath to Fort Mason and Aquatic Park, then amble out onto the pier. Bypass Fisherman's Wharf for Columbus Ave and North Beach, the 'hood made famous by the Beats. Stop for meatball sandwiches at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store, followed by espresso at Caffe Trieste. If you've still got energy, climb Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower, check out the WPA murals, then descend 28 stories down the rickety wooden Filbert St steps to the Embarcadero waterfront and back to the Ferry Building. After a nap, meet for cocktails at Cafe Flore, then a movie at the fabulous 1920s-vintage Castro Theatre, followed by dinner at Chow on Church St, the best cheap eats in the 'hood. Then off to the Mission to see bands and shoot pool at the Elbo Room, or to swill cocktails on Valencia St.
Author: John A VlahidesRelated Travel Stories
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