50 Super Travel Experiences San Francisco and the Bay Area: for Super Bowl 50 and Beyond
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50 Super Travel Experiences San Francisco and the Bay Area: For Super Bowl 50 and Beyond By Lee Foster Visitors coming to Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco may leave their hearts in the city and region. Locals have already left their hearts here. Affection for the area is widespread. This raises the lifetime question: What are the Super 50 Travel Experiences in San Francisco and the Bay Area for the occasional visitor or the lifetime bucketlister? My book/ebook The Photographer’s Guide to San Francisco For me, I have been working on my list now for some time, appropriately 50 years. And I am beginning to form some firm opinions on the subject. In 1965 this Minnesota boy, after graduating from Notre Dame, came out to Stanford to do a graduate program in Literature and Writing. Eventually I launched my career doing books and journalism, both writing and photography. Much of my work has been in travel reporting. I have been looking at the territory. Based on my 50 years of field research, here is my list of 50 Great San Francisco and Bay Area Travel Experiences, for Super Bowl 50 or any time. You might like to sample some of these adventures. You can find more details on these subjects on my website at www.fostertravel.com (using Search) and in my books/ebooks about San Francisco/Bay Area/Northern California. The books/ebooks areThe Photographer’s Guide to San Francisco, Northern California Travel: The Best Options, Back Roads California, and Northern California History Weekends. My list of recommended travel experiences: San Francisco Area -1. Stroll Baker Beach on the west side of the Golden Gate in the two hours before sunset. If the day is sunny and balmy, you will likely see several hundred naked San Franciscans frolicking at the Bridge end of the stroll. An immense container ship may pass before you as it heads through the Golden Gate. -2. See the Golden Gate Bridge from the south end Vista Point or the north end parking lot. Your options include walking out onto the Bridge or bicycling across. You can rent a bike at Fisherman’s Wharf, ride over to Sausalito, and return on the ferry. Tour the Civil War era fort, Fort Point, below the south end. -3. Walk the paved path through Crissy Field from the Marina Green west to the Golden Gate Bridge. Savor one of the most glorious urban outings on the planet. This reclaimed military air base is now the launch point for sailboards. Migrating birds now rest in the restored tidal estuary. -4. Relax at the outdoor café in Union Square to absorb the heart of San Francisco. This is the focus of the City’s upscale shopping district, and many of the art galleries are located a block north of Union Square on Sutter Street. -5. (You’ll have to come back after Super Bowl for this one.) Rejoice at the brand spanking new SFMOMA, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as it re-opens on Third Street on May 14, 2016, after a thorough remodel and rebuild. See the new display space for the celebrated Fisher Collection acquisition, which required the transformation of the institution. -6. Witness the classic beaux-arts architectural beauty of City Hall, at Civic Center Plaza, and then duck into the Asian Art Museum to appreciate the Pacific-leaning perspective that has enriched San Francisco since the time of the Gold Rush in 1849. Asian presence assisted SF to achieve multi-cultural tolerance. -7. Hang out at Fisherman’s Wharf, see the classic fishing boats, be amused by the highly-inventive street artists, and eat Dungeness crab at Alioto’s #9 or a bowl of clam chowder in a hollowed-out sourdough bread loaf at the Bistro Boudin bakery/restaurant. -8. At the Hyde Street Pier, glimpse the past on San Francisco Bay at the National Park Service’s engaging museum, corner of Hyde and Jefferson, with its re-creations of the 19th century San Francisco. Amble out on the pier to see the Alma, a hay scow, and the Balclutha, an 1886 square-rigger trading vessel. -9. At Pier 39, meet the Sea Lions that have been protesting with a peaceful swim-in now on the sailboat slips for the past 26 years. Then get acquainted with all the denizens of the Bay at Aquarium of the Bay, including tiger sharks and a giant red octopus. -10. Get out on the Bay for a luxurious view from the water of the Golden Gate, skyline of San Francisco, and entire Bay scene. Take one of the tour boat options, such as Blue & Gold or Hornblower. Most excursions will take you out beyond the Bridge and back along Alcatraz prison island. -11. Leave from Pier 33 for the National Park Service’s favorite prison Island, Alcatraz. Access is from Pier 33 only by the allowed vessel out and back. Walk the sobering scene with a park service guide or on your own. And be happy Ancestry.com does not list that your relatives spent quality time on the island. -12. Expand your science horizon at The Exploratorium on Pier 15. Nowhere on the planet will you find the wonders of science more adroitly presented for all ages. The Exploratorium aims at revolutionizing learning about science, art, and perception. A Thursday “After Dark” Party is for adults only. -13. If the day is clear, get your Uber driver to take you to the elevated Twin Peaks lookout in the central part of the City to gaze back at Downtown and the whole shebang. The panoramic view sweeps from the west at Golden Gate Park to north and the downtown skyline, then east to the Bay Bridge. -14. Attend one of the major San Francisco celebration parades each year. (You’ll want to return to San Francisco for these.) Consider the exotic Chinese New Year event in February, the zany Bay to Breakers running/walking extravaganza or the sensual Carnaval celebration in May, and the rambunctious Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender happening in June. -15. Walk exotic Chinatown. Hike north the length of Grant Avenue, from the gate at Bush Street to the end at Broadway. Then walk a block west, and turn south on Stockton, strolling back to Bush. Stop at Yee’s Restaurant, 1131 Grant, for a quick meal of roast duck. -16. Meditate over North Beach’s Italian legacy. Pause on a bench in Washington Square. Have a cuppa java at Caffe Roma, 526 Columbus. Take home a loaf of bread at the Italian French Baking Company, 1501 Grant. Browse Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus. -17. Enrich yourself in San Francisco’s Financial District by walking past the Bank of America Building, 555 California, and the Transamerica Pyramid, 600 Montgomery. Insist that these building names should never change. Then lunch at Tadich’s Grill, 240 California, one of the City’s first restaurants, from 1849. -18. Indulge in cameo icons that make San Francisco special. In North Beach, take the elevator to the top of Lillie Coit’s Tower, celebrating Christopher Columbus and a phallic appreciation of firemen. Gaze west to theCrookedest Street, Hyde and Lombard. Make that twisty street your next stop. -19. Admire the 1930s Works Progress Administration murals that gave employment to artists during the Depression and left San Francisco with visual treasures. Besides murals at the indoor base of Coit Tower, see WPA art at the Rincon Annex (a former post office) and at the Beach Chalet, Golden Gate Park. -20. Meander the innards of the beloved Ferry Building, foot of Market. Glance up at its clock tower as you enter. Food purveyors will seduce you with California wine, cheese, and olive oil. Browse the lively independent bookstore, Book Passage, and savor a local-oysters lunch at Hog Island Restaurant. My book/ebook Northern California Travel: The Best Options -21. Transport yourself around the heart of San Francisco on the historicF Line Trolley Cars (F Line runs from the Embarcadero to the Castro) and the Cable Cars, which you can board anywhere along the lines, not just at Powell and Market. Take in museums to each system at 77 Steuart and 1201 Mason. -22. Appreciate the great Victorian architecture that remains in San Francisco. About 14,000 buildings survived the Fire and Quake of 1906. More than 28,000 structures perished. Start at Alamo Square, see Victorians and the skyline, then visit the Haas Lilienthal House. For a self-guide tour, Search “Haas” on my website. -23. Immerse yourself in Golden Gate Park, John McLaren’s brilliant American urban design, paralleled only by Central Park in New York. Start a visit at the Conservatory of Flowers, where the exterior floral displays, managed by McLaren’s spiritual descendants, show an evolving seasonal joy in flowers. -24. Savor culture at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. The De Young is the City’s main repository for classical art. The American Art and the Oceanic Art collections are among the prize holdings. See the view of Golden Gate Park from the Observation Floor at the top of the Harmon Tower. -25. Marvel at the progressive thinking embodied in theCalifornia Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, an all-ages science-presentation facility that satisfies visitors. The sod roof catches the rainwater, rather than waste it in the sewer. Delight in the tropical rain forest and the white alligator. -26. Sip tea and steep yourself in the Land of the Rising Sun at theJapanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.