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San Francisco, California MUST DO's Author: Barbara Hayo www.TrustedTours.com |
Ride the Cable Car, the quintessential San Francisco experience. The views are
phenomenal, and the ride up, over and down San Francisco's hills, thrilling. 
Three lines cover just over 10.5 miles, all in the northeast corner of the city, so be prepared to wait to get on this popular form of transportation. On a cool day, end your ride with a delicious Irish coffee at Buena Vista Cafe at the turnaround near Fisherman's Wharf, at the corner of Hyde and Beach.
Curious about how the cable car works? San Francisco has the only surviving cable car system run by a moving steel cable in slots in streets. A gripman on the cable car pulls a lever that engages a steel grip which clamps onto the moving cable, pulling the car along at a max speed of 91/2 mph. You can see it in action in the Cable Car Museum.
Wander through Chinatown. A dragon-studded entry gate, bustling, noisy alleys carved through the grid of city blocks in the 1870s to create more space to accommodate an ever-growing population, brightly painted chinoiserie buildings, goods of every kind, some ordinary, some exotic, spilling out of small shops, restaurants serving flavorful, exotic dishes, the sound of Chinese language, paper lanterns hanging from balconies, signs with Chinese characters, sidewalk vendors selling things from crates - this is San Francisco's Chinatown, a truly sensory experience. Some of it is real, some of it touristy, all of it irresistibly intriguing.
If this sounds a somewhat intimidating, check out the several guided walking tours of Chinatown offered through Trusted Tours & Attractions, some of which include tasting Chinese specialties along the way. If you go it alone, walk along Grant Street, the center of town, and duck into alleyways along the way. The painted facades of Waverly Place are a must see, and a visit to Tin How Temple, honoring the goddess of sailors and sojourners, is well worth the four story climb. Be sure to try some dim sum at one of the many restaurants along the way.
Spend time in Golden Gate Park. There is so much to see in this Victorian Disneyland, created in the late 1800s out of a barren, sandy 1000-acre swath of land, a truly a remarkable feat as the high winds and salt spray buffeting the coastal park only added to the challenges of making things grow in sandy soil.
The park was, and still is, very Victorian- ostentatious, with grand buildings and an incongruous collection of gardens, museums, lakes, and even windmills. People loved it then, and love it now. Today, many of the original buildings are still in place, beautifully maintained, including the fabulous glass-walled, glass-domed, Conservatory of Flowers, housing incredibly mature plants and flowers, and the Japanese Tea Garden, with cherry trees, bonsai plants and huge bronze Buddhas. The Strybring Arboretum has 7500 varieties of plants from all over the world, including a stand of California redwoods! There is even a Buffalo Paddock, whose herd dates back to the original one on display in 1892, and a band shell called the Temple of Music.
While keeping elements of its heritage intact, the park has kept up with the times. Paths used for leisurely strolls in the Victorian era are used for jogging and in-line skating. Tennis courts, soccer fields, fly-casting pools and a golf course cater to the 21st century activities. Row out to Strawberry Hill in Stow Lake for great city and bay views, have lunch overlooking the ocean at Beach Chalet, pause to reflect in the National AIDS Memorial Grove.
The museums in the park, favorites since its inception, have been undergoing major updating. The de Young Memorial Museum, housing one of the largest collections of American painting in the country, was recently rebuilt into a spectacular copper-clad state-of-the-art structure. The exhibits in the California Academy of Sciences, made up of a series of buildings, including the Steinhart Aquarium, Natural History Museum, and Morrison Planetarium, were always favorites. When the decision was made to build a new building, they decided to go green! When it re-opens in October 2008, the new "green" building will add a 21st century dimension to the venerable park.
Have a martini at the Top of the Mark in the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill. The 360 degree view is spectacular, the martini menu long. Walk down the Lombard Street stairway, the most famous of San Francisco's steep streets, past communal manicured gardens along the way. It's a great way to exercise and to see fabulous views on the way down Russian Hill. Munch on fresh Dungeness crab fresh off a cart on Fisherman's Wharf.
Ride a ferry on San Franciso Bay. With water all around, getting out on the big bay is exhilarating, and the way to do it is on one of the many modern, fast, comfortable ferries. San Francisco has a long tradition of ferry service, and the tradition continues. Long before the great bridges, ferries regularly crisscrossed the bay, carrying people and goods. Today, options include touring ferries and commuter ferries, each offering a great perspective from which to see the dramatic beauty of San Francisco. Just remember, dress warmly!
Alcatraz Ferry Tour. The forbidding allure of Alcatraz makes it a most popular ferry destination. The Alcatraz Tour, offered by the Blue and Gold Fleet, leaves from Pier 41 at Fisherman's Wharf, for a short ride out to the island, where visitors disembark for an audio-tour. Purchase tickets well in advance.
Bay Cruises. A short, but interesting bay cruise is great way to fit a wonderful bay excursion into a busy schedule. The Red and White Fleet, the Blue and Gold Fleet, and Hornblower Cruises all depart from Fisherman's Wharf to cruise along San Francisco's famous waterfront, under the awesome Golden Gate Bridge, and around Alcatraz and Angel Islands. Some offer sunset cruises with a light buffet; others, cruises with gourmet lunches. Check out the ones listed on Trusted Tours & Attractions. For a great day trip, ferry over to quaint Sausalito, just across the Golden Gate, on the Golden Gate Ferry, departing from the Ferry Building, or on the Blue and Gold Ferry, departing Pier 41. Commuter ferries travel to and from the Ferry Building to communities across the bay. Get on one of these in mid-day rather than commuting times to get to the East Bay and North Bay. There is even a ferry to AT&T Park to catch a Giant's game!
Visit the Asian Art Museum . Exhibiting a diverse, rotating collection of Asian sculpture, paintings, ceramics, jade objects, and textiles covering 6000 years of history, it is the finest collection of Asian art outside of Asia. Located in a wonderful Beaux Arts building, formerly the Old Main Library, it is but one of an architecturally grand cluster of governmental and cultural buildings in the Civic Center complex, centered by its crown jewel, magnificent City Hall, impressive inside and out.
Walk through the Presidio, an extraordinary and dramatic swath of nature, with historic forts and military structures, scenic paths, and Golden Gate Bridge looming overhead. Remarkably, the Presidio remained a military post from 1776, when the area was claimed by Spain, until the U.S. Army turned it over to the National Park System in 1994, thereby protecting this dramatically beautiful, priceless area from development.
Have coffee at the Warming Hut before heading out to Fort Point, a huge brick and granite fortress, part of the coastal defense system built in 1853. From here, the view of the immense, yet graceful, Golden Gate Bridge is awesome, as is the power of the current flowing through the Golden Gate below. See historic batteries, beautiful woodlands of 100 year old trees planted by the Army, picturesque rows of historic military housing, the Officers' Club, and a military cemetery, all reminders of times past. In sharp contrast, George Lucas' Letterman Digital Arts Center, with a Yoda fountain at its entrance, has been built on the site of former Letterman Army Hospital.
Visit Mission Dolores. Although the simple, diminutive 1791 adobe mission, the oldest building in San Francisco, is overshadowed by lovely Mission Dolores Basilica beside it, walking through it on a self-guided tour provides a glimpse into life under Spanish and Mexican control. The hand-carved altar and surrounding figures, a ceiling painted with Indian designs, original roof timbers and whitewashed adobe walls, are reminders of those times. The relics in the small museum behind the nave and the headstones in the oldest cemetery within city limits fill in more pieces of the compelling story. After the tour, have a bite to eat at a sidewalk table in the Dolores Park Cafe.
See fabulous panoramic views - from the white fluted Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill, or from the Twin Peaks, the geographic center of San Francisco, both with incomparable views.
Visit the Northern California Wine Country. Bucolic and lovely, world-class
wineries and notable restaurants are but an hour drive across the bay. There are two famous wine regions to visit, Napa and Sanoma. Napa Valley is larger, with bigger wineries, more restaurants, more hotels, shops and balloon rides. Sanoma is smaller, more intimate and pastoral. Information is readily available on-line, in books, and in wine magazines to help in making the choice. Drive over to explore on your own, or take one of several wine country tours available. Trusted Tours & Attractions offers both a day-long train tour of Napa Valley and a Napa Valley tasting and winery tour. Be sure to include lunch or dinner in one of the many wonderful restaurants.
Trust us, we've been there!
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