1 TTHEHE BBESTEST OOFF SSANAN FFRANCISCORANCISCO COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 004_9781118288665-ch01.indd4_9781118288665-ch01.indd 1 77/9/12/9/12 88:20:20 PPMM 1 an Francisco’s reputation as a rollicking city where almost anything goes dates back to the boom-or-bust days of the California gold rush. It’s always been this way: This city is so beautiful, exciting, diverse, and cosmopolitan that you can always fi nd something new to see and do no matter if it’s Syour 1st or 50th visit. Oh, and bring a warm jacket: Bob Hope once remarked that San Francisco is the city of four seasons—every day. Things to Do Consistently ranked as America’s Favorite City, San Francisco never ceases to entertain. Enjoy the cool blast of salty air as you stroll across the Golden Gate. Stuff yourself with dim sum in Chinatown. Browse the second- hand shops along Haight Street. Recite poetry in a North Beach coffeehouse. Stroll Ocean Beach, skate through Golden Gate Park, ride the cable cars to Fisherman’s Wharf, tour a Victorian mansion, explore Alcatraz Island, go The Best Only-in–San Francisco Experiences The Best Only-in–San Francisco Experiences to a Giants ball game—the list is endless. Shopping Oh baby, start polishing that credit card. Some of our favorites include strolling the hip boutiques in Hayes Valley, gourmet delicacies at the Ferry Building Marketplace, the wow factor of Union Square and West- fi eld San Francisco Centre, real vinyl at Amoeba Records on Haight Street, and the weird-to-wonderful shopping bazaar that is Chinatown. Nightlife & Entertainment It’s true: San Francisco sells more theater tick- ets per capita than any other major city in America. We love to watch our recy- cled Broadway musicals at the A.C.T. and transgender tragedies at Theatre Rhinoceros. The San Francisco Symphony, Opera, and Ballet are three great reasons to dress up. Sundays are a Drag (show) at Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, while anything goes down at the Endup. Maceo Parker’s playing at Yoshi’s, Stanton Moore is at the Boom Boom Room, and Tainted Love is sold THE BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO out at Bimbo’s 365 Club. Let’s end the night with a Golden Gate Martini at Top of the Mark. Restaurants & Dining With more than 3,500 restaurants in San Francisco, you could eat at a different restaurant every night for 10 years and still not visit them all. Try Afghan, Burmese, Cambodian, Cajun, Moroccan, Persian, Ethiopian— or better yet, follow the street food craze at roaminghunger.com/sf in search of Sam’s Chowdermobile, Chairman Bao, and Waffl e Mania food trucks. THE best ONLY-IN–SAN FRANCISCO EXPERIENCES A Powell–Hyde Cable Car Ride: Skip the less-scenic California line and take the Powell–Hyde cable car down to Fisherman’s Wharf—the ride is worth the wait. When you reach the top of Nob Hill, grab the rail with one hand and hold your camera with the other, because you’re about to see a view of the bay that’ll make you all weepy. See p. 172. PREVIOUS PAGE: The Painted Ladies of Alamo Square. 2 004_9781118288665-ch01.indd4_9781118288665-ch01.indd 2 77/9/12/9/12 88:20:20 PPMM 1 THE BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO A world-class bike ride. The Powell–Hyde cable car. An Adventure at Alcatraz: Even if you loathe tourist attractions, you’ll dig The Best Only-in–San Francisco Experiences Alcatraz. Just looking at the Rock from across the bay is enough to give you the heebie-jeebies—and the park rangers have put together an excellent audio tour with narration by former inmates and guards. Heck, even the boat ride across the bay is worth the price. See p. 168. A Walk or Bike Ride Across the Golden Gate Bridge: Don your wind- breaker and walking shoes and prepare for a wind-blasted, exhilarating jour- ney across San Francisco’s most famous landmark. It’s simply one of those things you have to do at least once in your life. See p. 178. A Stroll Through Chinatown: Chinatown is a trip—about as close to experi- encing Asia as you can get without a passport. Skip the ersatz camera and Alcatraz Island. 3 004_9781118288665-ch01.indd4_9781118288665-ch01.indd 3 77/9/12/9/12 88:20:20 PPMM 1 luggage stores and head straight for the food markets, where a cornucopia of critters that you’ll never see at Safeway sit in boxes waiting for the wok. (Is that an armadillo?) Better yet, take one of Shirley Fong-Torres’s Wok Wiz tours of Chinatown (p. 194). A San Francisco Giants Game at AT&T Park: If it’s baseball season, then you must spend an afternoon or evening watching the National League’s Giants at one of the fi nest ballparks in America. For only $10, you can buy a bleacher seat on the day of a game. Even if the season’s over, you can still take a guided tour of the stadium. See p. 222. The Best Splurge Hotels The Best Splurge THE best SPLURGE HOTELS The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, 600 Stockton St., Nob Hill ( 800/241- 3333 or 415/296-7465; www.ritzcarlton.com), is the sine qua non of luxury hotels, offering near-perfect ser- vice and every possible amenity. Even if you can’t afford a guest room, come for the mind-blowing Sunday brunch. See p. 77. Four Seasons Hotel San Fran- cisco, 757 Market St., south of Market Street (SoMa; 800/ 819-5053 or 415/633-3000; www. fourseasons.com), is the perfect THE BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO combination of opulence, hipness, and class. We can’t afford it either, but we sure love to hang out at the bar and pretend. See p. 80. The Mandarin Oriental, 222 Sansome St., Financial District ( 800/622-0404 or 415/276- 9888; www.mandarinoriental.com/ The Ritz-Carlton lobby. sanfrancisco), is perched so high above the city that the fog rolls in below you. Take in the view from your glass- wall bathtub. Maybe we really did die and go to heaven? See p. 85. The St. Regis Hotel, 125 Third St., SoMa ( 877/787-3447 or 415/284- 4000; www.stregis.com/sanfrancisco), has these touch-screen remote con- trols that let you operate everything in your room—without leaving your bed. Add a destination restaurant and a fabulous two-fl oor spa, and why would you ever want to leave? See p. 82. THE best MODERATELY PRICED HOTELS The Golden Gate Hotel, 775 Bush St., Union Square ( 800/835-1118 or 415/392-3702; www.goldengatehotel.com), receives nothing but kudos from satisfi ed returning guests. Just 2 blocks from Union Square, this 1913 Edwardian hotel is a charmer and a fantastic value. See p. 74. 4 004_9781118288665-ch01.indd4_9781118288665-ch01.indd 4 77/9/12/9/12 88:20:20 PPMM 1 THE BEST OF SAN FRANCISCO A room at the Hotel Union Square. Hotel Adagio, 550 Geary St., Union Square ( 800/228-8830 or 415/775- The Best Dining Experiences 5000; www.thehoteladagio.com), is far more chic and hip than its category counterparts. The 1929 Spanish Revival building has sexy streamlined rooms swathed in rich spice and earth tones. See p. 65. The Hotel Bohème, 444 Columbus Ave., Nob Hill ( 415/433-9111; www.hotelboheme.com), is the perfect mixture of art, style, class, romance, and location—just steps from the sidewalk cafes of North Beach. If Bette Davis were alive today, this is where she’d stay. See p. 89. Hotel Union Square, 114 Powell St., Union Square ( 415/397-3000; www.hotelunionsquare.com), is an updated classic in an ideal location. A $5-million renovation in 2008 melded contemporary elements with historical San Francisco features dating back to 1915. See p. 70. Laurel Inn, 444 Presidio Ave., Pacifi c Heights ( 800/552-8735 or 415/567-8467; www.thelaurelinn.com), may be off the beaten track, but it’s one of the best affordable, fashionable hotels in the city. Just outside of the southern entrance to the Presidio in the midst of residential Presidio Heights, it’s a chic motel with soothing, contemporary decor and equally calming prices. See p. 91. THE best DINING EXPERIENCES The Best of the City’s Fine Dining: La Folie, 2316 Polk St., Russian Hill ( 415/776-5577), has been the place to go for cuisine at its fi nest since 1988. Celebrity chef Roland Passot never fails to offer his guests a delightfully long, lavish meal. And then there’s Restaurant Gary Danko, 800 North Point St., Fisherman’s Wharf ( 415/749-2060; p. 136), always a sure bet for a perfect contemporary French meal complete with polished service and fl ambéed fi nales. Best Classic San Francisco Dining Experience: The lovable loudmouths working behind the narrow counter of Swan Oyster Depot, 1517 Polk St. ( 415/673-1101), have been satisfying patrons with fresh crab, shrimp, oysters, and clam chowder since 1912. The father of this guide’s author, 5 004_9781118288665-ch01.indd4_9781118288665-ch01.indd 5 77/9/12/9/12 88:20:20 PPMM 1 The Best Dining Experiences A vendor at Fisherman’s Wharf. Matthew Poole, doesn’t care much for visiting San Francisco (“Too crowded!”), but he loves having lunch at this beloved seafood institution. See p. 127. Best Dining on Dungeness Crab: Eating fresh Dungeness crabmeat straight from Fisherman’s Wharf seafood vendors’ boiling pots at the corner of Jeffer- son and Taylor streets may be touristy, but it’s the quintessential San Fran- cisco experience.