Tourist Orientation Day - Driving Tour/Cable Cars/North Beach
Start off with my two hour driving tour of the city, then ditch the car for the rest of the day.
From Union Square, ride the cable car to Ghiradelli Square. Get a free piece of chocolate just for entering the gift shop.
If it's nice, have lunch/oysters at McCormick & Schmick's which has a great bay view.
If it's crappy, park the kids at Starbucks with some hot cocoa while Mommy & Daddy get an Irish Coffee at its birthplace, the Buena Vista Cafe.
Walk along the waterfront from Ghiradelli down to Pier 39. Fair warning: this is a giant tourist trap and no local goes here. So if you want to skip it, kudos to you. But we won't judge if you feel compelled to visit it at least once. The sea lions are on the far left end of Pier 39. If you didn't eat at Ghiradelli, get some chowder at Boudin.
To get back to Union Square, you're going to walk to the OTHER cable car (at Bay & Taylor) and ride it through North Beach and Chinatown.
If you want, hop off at Washington Square in North Beach, stroll the neighborhood, and get dinner. Depending on the time of day, you may have a tough time getting back on the cable car. Give it a shot, but if the first one that comes by is packed, give it up and hail a cab.
Dining recos for North Beach are here, but at least get some gelato at Gelato Classico.
Saturday/Tuesday/Thursday - Farmers Market & Downtown Art/Shopping:
Start at the Farmers Market at the Ferry Building. Read my advice about it here.
Couple of options from here depending on your interests:
- Catch the F-line up Market to Union Square for shopping.
- Catch the F-line up Market to Kearny/3rd St and hit some museums in SOMA (south of market). The SFMOMA is closed, but there's the Jewish Museum, Yerba Beuna Arts Center, Cartoon Art and more - google SOMA and museums.
Winery Day - - since it's winter and the days are short, you'll want to get an early start:
If you need it, get breakfast at the Lighthouse Cafe in Sausalito (or my Dad likes Mel's Diner on Lombard or Geary)
Drive north to wine country. Lately we've been hanging out in Sonoma at Dutcher's Crossing, Truitt
& Hurst (tri-tip with tasting and adirondack chairs by the river out back), Quivira (walk out back to see the pig), and our new favorite is DaVero with beautiful biodynamic farm, piglets and great wine/olive oil/balsamic vinegar tasting.
Grab sandwiches at a nearby Safeway or the Oakville Grocery in Oakville if you're doing Napa wineries, or Healdsburg if you're doing Sonoma wineries.
Dinner options: Let's assume you're not doing French Laundry. My first pick would be the Buckeye in Sausalito, but if you're going there another night (say after Muir Woods/Point Reyes), then I'd recommend Brix in Napa, or Bouchon or Ad Hoc in Yountville.
Nature Day - since it's winter and the days are short, you'll want to get an early start:
Definitely bring a jacket, and binoculars and a scarf/hat/mittens if you have them.
If you need it, get breakfast at (see above).
Go to Muir Woods first before it's overrun with tourists.
Continue up Route 1 thru Olema to Point Reyes. But before you drive into the park, stop in the town of Point Reyes Station for sandwiches from Cowgirl Creamery. In the park you can drive, then walk, out to the lighthouse, or you can drive, then walk, out to the northern tip of the park to the Elk Preserve to go elk spotting.
Dinner options: Again, my first pick is the Buckeye, but if you're doing that another night, then you might consider driving up Route 1 to Marshall for Hog Island Oysters or Nick's Cove.
The fast (relatively speaking) route home from Point Reyes/Marshall is to take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard east back to 101.
Golden Gate Park Day
I purposefully drive through the park on my way to/from work every day just because it is so pretty during early morning or sunset light - so if you can, take 20 minutes for a lazy drive all the way from one end of the park to the other.
Do the Segway tour of the park. You'll feel like Paul Blart, mall cop for 2 minutes, but then you won't care when you're seeing parts of this amazingly beautiful park that most long-time residents have never seen.
Don't miss the Academy of Sciences. Go to the top of the biosphere for butterflys, take your picture on the living roof, see the jellyfish in the basement, experience a faux quake and more. If your kids are over 21, you might consider going to Thursday night's 21+ to avoid ankle biters - or go first thing in the morning.
DeYoung Museum: I think it's a great museum, but even if you have zero interest in the exhibits, definitely stop in for free admission to observation deck - it's especially pretty at sunset (just check when last admission is and be there before that).
The Conservatory of Flowers has some nice exhibits, and is always warm. It's worth at least a drive-by photo op.
Fun with kids or silly adults: the Koret playground has a carousel and lots of cardboard laying around for you to use on the big slide. Also, the paddle boats.
Eating near the park: Right on 9th within walking distance of the Academy of Sciences, call ahead to Nopalito 415-233-9966 (or put your name in and then window shop on 9th & Irving), or I also like Park Chow 415-665-9912 (Ben's not as big a fan for some reason). Ebisu has good sushi. But there are lots of less fussy, grab and go type places, or cheap and cheerful sit down places all within a block in any direction of the 9th & Irving intersection.
Ocean Beach Day
Let's be clear. No matter what time of year you visit, it's too cold to swim. But you still want to see surfers, don't you? Well, head on out to Ocean Beach then!
First of all, if you didn't already take your leisurely drive through Golden Gate Park, start by doing that.
Park at Lands End lookout at the north end of Ocean Beach, and do the Lands End trail. Bring your camera.
Have lunch at the Bistro at the Cliff House.
Drive down to the beach and watch the surfers.
Drive further down the beach highway toward the zoo.
At Sloat Boulevard, you can either turn left to go to the zoo, or turn right into a beach overlook to watch more surfers to your right - or if it's clear, you might spot some hang-gliders to your left.
FYI, IMHO, the best time to go to the zoo is 1-3pm for feeding times. Or go home and take a nap.
Golden Gate/Presidio/Marina/Fillmore Day - bring a jacket and your camera.
Park on the SF side of the bridge and walk across the bridge and back.
Now drive down below the SF side of the bridge to Fort Point. You can go in and explore it in about 20 minutes.
Drive/walk/bike along Chrissy Field past the Marina to Marina Green, stopping for Dynamo Donut's round shack on the south side of the Yacht Club.
Depending on how your legs are holding up:
- walk/drive six blocks south of the Marina to Chestnut Street. Window shop and get lunch/coffee. So many good places to recommend: the Grove, Blue Barn Gourmet, Susie Cakes Bakery, Dragonwell, Lucca Deli, Amici's pizza, Barney's Burgers, Super Duper Burgers.
- If you want to do more shopping, drive 3 blocks south to Union Street. Less chains, more boutiques here. Four block stretch of Union between Steiner and Laguna, but mostly around Fillmore.
- If you did my driving tour already, then you already saw all the hoity toity mansions up the hill on Broadway. If not, drive south up the hill of Fillmore and turn right on Broadway and go all the way to the end, looking for the giant robot at 2835 Broadway. Sometimes he waves. At then end, before you return back to Fillmore, get out and admire the view from the top of the Lyon Street steps. Hello, rich people!
- Back at Fillmore, keep going south up and over the hill. I vote you park near California Street, and wander around here for the rest of the day/evening. Lots of interesting shops, tasty eats (oh look, another Grove, but also the Elite Cafe (great bar, oysters and cajun), Delfina Pizzeria (gourmet pizza), Florio (french), Woodhouse (east coast seafood), and the Kabuki movie theater at the bottom of the hill.
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