Say San Francisco and one image immediately comes to mind – the Golden Gate Bridge. A muse and canvas for artists, writers and filmmakers for more than 75 years, it will be the backdrop to your visit whether it’s your first time to the city or you are a regular visitor. Here are some ideas to make the most of your trip.
Cycle Tour
San Francisco is relatively small, making it irresistible for getting your bearings on two wheels. Bike and Roll offers cycle hire and guided tours throughout the US, and one of its most popular options is a trip over the Golden Gate Bridge to the beautiful seaside town of Sausalito, then back via ferry to Fisherman’s Wharf.
The route is almost entirely flat, as it skirts the edges of the city, starting with a short climb above the now-disused Fort Mason for a brief history lesson, before moving on to the beautiful ruin-like Palace of Fine Arts. You then pass through the Presidio neighbourhood – with its quiet beachfront location, views of the bridge and unique patchwork architecture, it’s no surprise that property prices here can reach the multimillion-dollar bracket.
One gentle climb follows before crossing the bridge, amidst all the busy cycle traffic of impatient commuters. The approach to Sausalito is a nice downhill stretch, bringing you into town just in time for lunch. Dining options nearby are fantastic and range from upmarket seafood restaurant Scoma’s (www.scomas.com) to fully stocked deli Venice (www.venicegourmet.com).
Tour costs US$55 (not including ferry ticket). Self-guided rental from US$29. www.bikethegoldengate.com
Downtown shopping
If working up a sweat is not your idea of a holiday, there is plenty of credit card flexing to be done downtown. Many department stores and high-end shops are located near Union Square, such as Tiffany and Co, Nike Town, Barney’s New York and Macy’s. Most shoppers will gravitate towards Market Street, where the huge white-domed Westfield centre can be found at number 845. Anchored by the US’s second-largest Nordstrom and West Coast flagship Bloomingdale’s stores, the centre has a spa, cinema and more than 200 boutiques, restaurants and cafés. Alternatively, head to the central stretch of Fillmore Street, between Jackson and Geary streets, for a more eclectic mix of retailers.
Opposite Westfield is the Powell Street cable car turn-around, which has been in operation in some form since the late 19th century. This is a great excuse to jump on and travel all the way to Fisherman’s Wharf, if only to say you did it. Queues can be long but it’s fun watching the gripman manually turn the cars around on the old wooden turntable.
Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park
San Francisco’s varied neighbourhoods are an attraction in themselves, and the Haight-Ashbury district has a personality all of its own. Stemming from its history as the centre of the Summer of Love in 1967, it retains a hippie, counter-culture charm, with Victorian architecture, dive bars, rampant graffiti and casual drug culture.
Indulge in a hearty breakfast at local favourite Kate’s Kitchen (see sidebar overleaf) before walking it off down Haight Street, up past Buena Vista Park and on into Golden Gate Park. The walk will take you the best part of an hour but you will pass a quirky selection of independent bars, restaurants, vinyl stores (try Amoeba Music, www.amoeba.com), The Booksmith (www.booksmith.com) and clothes boutiques (no big brands in sight). If you’re short on time, the 71 MUNI bus covers the same route.
The park is vast, with enough things to see and do to take up a whole day, including an incongruous bison paddock in the northeast corner, where you can watch a gang of American buffalo roaming in the open. Kezar Stadium was the home of the San Francisco 49ers between 1946 and 1970/71, and features in the Clint Eastwood movie Dirty Harry, although it may look unfamiliar following its reconstruction in 1989. Flower lovers should visit the botanical gardens, Conservatory of Flowers and Japanese tea garden. Stow Lake, at the top of Strawberry Hill, is a gem. Hidden from the road, the park features a Chinese pagoda, man-made waterfall, boats for hire and a glimpse of the city skyline.
Entry to the botanical gardens, conservatory and tea garden is US$7 each; www.golden-gate-park.com
Alcatraz Island
A visit to “The Rock”, the infamous former federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, is a must. The ferry ride from Alcatraz landing takes 10-15 minutes and, on arrival, the central three-tier cell block’s tiny cells and lack of privacy take some time to sink in. The audio tour provides vivid descriptions of the realities of prison life, as well as the stories of famous escape attempts and inmates, including the Birdman of Alcatraz, Mickey Cohen and Al Capone. You can even spend time in the solitary confinement cell, known by inmates as “the hole”.
The regular programme of organised talks includes those by ex-inmates such as Robert Luke. In his mid-80s and dressed all in beige with large glasses, Luke looks nothing like the self-confessed “violent kid” who arrived on the Rock from Leavenworth in 1954 after breaking a fellow inmate’s jaw in a fight and attempting to escape. He tells the story of his five years on Alcatraz with brutal honesty, delivered in the slow and ponderous drawl of his native Utah.
Take a stroll in the recreation yard and sit on the bleachers overlooking the baseball diamond. The stunning view of the city and Golden Gate Bridge just beyond the perimeter wall and over the vast swathe of sparkling blue sea must have provided the most acute punishment for inmates.
Day ticket is US$30, pre-booking recommended. Boats depart every 30 minutes from Alcatraz landing between 9.10am and 3.50pm for day tours; night tours depart at 5.55pm, arriving back at 8.40pm; www.alcatrazcruises.com
Sonoma County
If you can drag yourself away from the Bay Area’s many pleasures, the hour’s drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to the vineyards of Sonoma County is well worth making. Incredible Adventures offers a group tour of a selection of Sonoma County wineries combined with a stop at Muir Woods National Monument. This peaceful grove of giant redwoods is named after the 19th century Scottish-born botanist John Muir and was made a national park by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908.
Our guide took us to his favourite deli for lunch before visiting the Mayo family winery (www.mayofamilywinery.com), where we were treated to a six-wine tasting. Typically for the region, the vintages were mostly reds – Merlot and Pinot Noir – but there was also a crisp Chardonnay and a delicious dessert wine. A favourite was the 2008 Pinot Noir from the La Cruz Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap, West Sonoma County – known as a “Dijon clone”, the grape is small and concentrated, with flavours of strawberry, cherry and cola. We sat at some picnic tables in the blazing sunshine while the family dog scampered around looking for scraps.
Next up was the family-run Robledo winery (www.robledofamilywinery.com), where symmetrical rows of vines grow against a backdrop of rolling hills. Wines we tried included the 2009 “Seven Brothers” Lake County Sauvignon Blanc – a citrusy white, perfect for a summer’s day.
Full-day tour is US$99 when booked online; www.incadventures.com
Bourbon and Branch
Start with an Italian dinner in North Beach – the neighbourhood where the Beat generation resided in the 1950s – then take a cab to the corner of Jones and O’Farrell. Look for the anti-prohibition league sign above an unmarked door, and knock. You are at Bourbon and Branch, a speakeasy with some of the best cocktails on the West Coast. Reserve a slot online first and note down your password, which you mutter through a slot in the door to enter. The intimate room is manned by snappily dressed waiters, with the low tap of jazz playing in the background.
The house speciality, the Pinkerton, consists of Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, Laird’s 100 Proof Apple Brandy, Zucca amaro, Cardamaro amaro and cinnamon-infused orange bitters. I went for the Celtic Smash – Glenrothes Alba Reserve Whiskey, honey syrup, orange, lemon juice and Benedictine – which set me up perfectly for a night under the streetlights of old San Francisco.
Bourbon and Branch; 501 Jones Street; www.bourbonandbranch.com; www.sanfrancisco.travel; www.visitcalifornia.co.uk
WHERE TO EAT
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
It can be hard to pick a restaurant from the many Italians of North Beach, but if you ask the locals for a recommendation you will almost certainly be pointed towards Tony’s. This no-reservation pizzeria serves up classic Neapolitan pizza from a wood-burning oven, as well as Romana, New York, Detroit and St Louis-style pizzas. Tony only makes 73 of his famous Napoletana Margheritas (US$19) a day, so you may want to get in early.
Open Wed-Sun 12pm-11pm; 1570 Stockton Street; tel +1 415 835 9888; www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com
Bistro Boudin
Located on the upper level of the historic Boudin bakery building at Fisherman’s Wharf, this has a gorgeous dining room with views out on to the wharf and Alcatraz across the bay. The cuisine is upmarket seafood – think fresh fish, oysters and Crab Louis – but the signature dish is creamy clam chowder served in an edible sourdough bowl, which you will see hordes of tourists tucking into at the front of the building.
Open daily 11.30am-9.30pm (10pm Fri-Sun); 160 Jefferson Street; tel +1 415 351 5561; www.bistroboudin.com
Kate’s Kitchen
If it’s a hearty breakfast you’re after then Kate’s Kitchen in the Haight-Ashbury district is a fantastic find. It’s small and gets extremely busy throughout the day but it’s worth the wait. Service is curt and swift and portions are huge. I went for the so-called “short” stack of two plate-sized fluffy buttermilk pancakes topped with maple syrup, banana and walnuts, and had to walk it off for the next three hours.
Open daily, breakfast served all day; lunch (sandwiches, soups, salads) until 3pm; 471 Haight Street at Fillmore; tel +1 415 626 3984; www.kates-kitchensf.com
