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The best guide to San Francisco, updated every year All the attractions -- Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, South of Market, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, the Mission District, the Haight, and Golden Gate Park The latest on museums, theater, music, and nightlife Wine Country spas, tasting rooms, and gourmet dining Marin County, East Bay, and South Bay excursions Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget Fancy hotels and mansions, showbiz-theme inns, Victorian B&Bs, and low-price lodgings with only-in-SF charm California cuisine by superstar chefs, Chinese dishes with exotic ingredients, Italian dinners at cozy trattorias, American standards prepared with a flair Fresh, thorough, practical -- from writers you can trust Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands All reviews based on visits by savvy writer-residents, includingSan Franciscomagazine restaurant critic Sharon Silva 24 pages of maps -- and dozens of unique features Important contacts, smart travel tips Fodor's Choice What's Where Great Itineraries New and Noteworthy Books and Videos Festivals and Seasonal Events

About Our Writers Each year the Gold Guides are written and updated by more than 500 resident writers
Connections Resources for travelers
How to Use This Book Describes organization, icons, and other key information
Don't Forget to Write Tells you how to get in touch with our editors
The Gold Guide: Smart Travel Tips A to Z An easy-to-use section divided alphabetically by topic
Under each listing you'll find tips and information that will help you accomplish what you need to in San Francisco
You'll also find addresses and telephone numbers of organizations and companies that offer destination-related services and detailed information and publications
Destination: San Francisco Helps get you in the mood for your trip
What's Where Gets you oriented
Pleasures and Pastimes Describes the activities and sights that make San Francisco unique
Great Itineraries These help you make the most of your time
New and Noteworthy Cues you in on trends and happenings
Fodor's Choice Showcases our top picks from special restaurants and one-of-a-kind accommodations to out-of-the-ordinary sights and activities...
Let them inspire you! Books and Videos Books and movies on tape that use San Francisco as a backdrop
Festivals and Seasonal Events Alerts you to special events you'll want to seek out
Exploring San Francisco With Union Square, South of Market (SoMa) and the Embarcadero, The Heart of the Barbary Coast, Chinatown, North Beach and Telegraph Hill, Nob Hill and Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, Japantown, Civic Center, The Northern Waterfront, The Marina and the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Lincoln Park and the Western Shoreline, The Mission District and Noe Valley, The Castro, and The Haight
Dining Lodging Nightlife and the Arts Outdoor Activities and Sports Shopping Side Trips from San Francisco With Marin County, the East Bay, the Inland Peninsula, San Mateo County Coast, and On and Around the Bay
The South Bay The Wine Country
Index List of 19 Maps
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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Pleasures and Pastimes

The Bay and Its Bridges

The sight of a suit-clad stockbroker unloading a Windsurfer from his Jeep Cherokee is not uncommon in San Francisco, where the bay perpetually beckons to pleasure seekers of every stripe. On sunny weekends the bay teems with sailboats, and when the surf's up, daredevils in wet suits line the beaches. For those not inclined to get wet, various ferries, tour boats, and dinner cruises give participants a fish's-eye view of all three bridges -- the Golden Gate, the Richmond, and the Bay -- as well as Angel Island, Treasure Island, and the legendary Alcatraz.

The Fog

If you've never seen fog before, you might wonder about the white shroud of mist that rolls down from the Marin Headlands every summer morning, often obliterating all but the tops of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge, and then evaporates by noon. To native San Franciscans, summer fog is a part of life, as dependable as the sunrise. It's part of what makes San Francisco feel like a living, breathing city exposed to the whims of nature.

Hidden Lanes and Stairways

Though it does have its share of major boulevards, San Francisco is a city of small side streets -- many one-way-only hidden lanes and out-of-the-way stairways. Whether you're in Chinatown, Nob Hill, North Beach, Pacific Heights, Potrero Hill, or Russian Hill, there's always a quiet lane or stairway nearby. A few of the most scenic hidden corners are in Nob Hill, Russian Hill, and North Beach -- but if you look carefully, you'll find them where they're least expected.

The Hills

Anyone who's afraid of heights would do well to stay away from San Francisco, where almost everything worth getting to lies at the top of or just beyond a steep hill. Driving the city streets feels like riding a roller coaster, but don't worry: Your stomach catches up to the rest of you at the base of each extreme dip. But for all the challenges they present to drivers and walkers, the hills are what give San Francisco its distinctly European look and its dazzling bay views, as well as its cable cars and landmark hilltop hotels and monuments. It's a city of hills: Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, Potrero Hill, the smaller hills within neighborhoods, and the larger hills across the bay.

Patches of Green

With its hills and fresh air, its myriad parks and waterfront promenades, San Francisco is an outdoors person's dream. Golden Gate Park, with its 1,000 acres of trails and fields, is deservedly popular, but the choices don't end there. The Presidio, a former military base, offers 2,500 acres of hilly, wooded trails interspersed with old army barracks. The Marina, which stretches from the Presidio to the northern waterfront, is the turf of choice for a stylishly outfitted crowd of runners and skaters. Along the western shore there's the 275-acre Lincoln Park; the 6-mi loop around Lake Merced; and the Great Highway, a 3-mi ocean-side stretch with a paved jogging path. Across the bay, Muir Woods and the Marin Headlands attract legions of nature lovers.

Wining and Dining

Europhiles who bemoan the lack of a sophisticated food and wine culture in America will feel at home in San Francisco. As the birthplace of nouvelle cuisine -- cooking that combines fresh, locally grown ingredients in visually stunning ways -- and as the next-door neighbor of Napa Valley, the city has been attracting notable chefs -- Alice Waters, Bradley Ogden, Jeremiah Tower, and Traci des Jardins, to name just a few -- for years.

Excerpted from Fodor's San Francisco '99: The Complete Guide with Great Dining, Wine, Country Getaways and Bay Area Side Trips by Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. Staff
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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Fodor's 1999 San Francisco

Fodor's 1999 San Francisco

0679001433

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