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Along with the endearing fog and the omnipresent ‘ding-ding’ soundtrack of passing cable cars, there is a charm that permeates San Francisco. The merciless hills, the enveloping sea, the lights, the sourdough bread, the occasional impromptu transvestite circus in Golden Gate Park—all this and more put a unique stamp on the Bay Area.
Things are different there. It’s a major city, but somehow the pace of life belies that designation. To those who think of California as the forever-summer land of roller skating, bikini-clad starlets, they’re more likely to find a flock of socially-conscious PhD’s selling organic apricots there. It’s a city that draws its own type of people—from Jack Kerouac to Jerry Garcia, Armistead Maupin to Robin Williams. A perfect storm of community, friendliness, landscape, history and state of mind, San Francisco rarely leaves its visitors unaffected. One day navigating San Francisco shows why Tony Bennett got a little careless with his ticker there.
When you visit, remember to dress in layers: most of the time San Francisco hovers between comfortably cool and I-regret-not-wearing-that-jacket. If it’s warm and sunny out, you can wear a t-shirt, but you’d better tie a sweatshirt around your waist—because you can bet that it’ll change sometime during the day. Also, it’s a relatively small town, so you can walk to many notable places in the city.
Oh, and don’t call it “Frisco”—nothing will tag you a tourist (or irritate many locals) more than using this archaic appellation.
If the lines for the Alcatraz tours are too long…
While the Alcatraz tour is great, the boat trip over is the highlight—and there are plenty of other ways to see the Bay. One idea is to take one of the Bay cruises – several options, including the Blue and Gold Fleet, are available to you on the piers by Fisherman’s Wharf. Another option, for the more ambitious and physically fit, is to rent a bike and ride it across the Golden Gate Bridge. A few quick turns after the bridge, and you’ll find yourself in the quaint, artist hamlet of Sausalito. And if you are really looking to work up a sweat, you can bike to Tiburon, where you can stop by Sam’s Anchor Café. Take in a burger and a beer out on the deck (you will have earned it), and look out over the Bay in serene contemplation. At this point, you’ll be exhausted and maybe even drunk, so just hop the ferry back to the city. Make sure you check the ferry schedule to be sure you don’t miss the last boat.
