Publication: Weekend GetAways
San Francisco's charms are great and small | |
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WEEKEND GETAWAYS - Friday, November 23, 2007
Make The Most Of Your Vacation - From Coast to Coast!
Greetings Getaway Lover,
We're off to the city of Chocolate.....Yes
Snuggled on a 46½-square-mi tip of land between San
Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco is
a relatively small city of about 750,000 residents.
San Franciscans cherish the city, partly for the same
reasons so many visitors do: the proximity of the bay
and its pleasures, rows of Victorian homes clinging
precariously to the hillsides, the sun setting behind
the Golden Gate Bridge. Longtime locals know the city's
attraction goes much deeper, from the diversity of its
neighborhoods and residents (trannies in the seedy
Tenderloin, yuppie MBAs in the Marina, elderly Russians
in the Richmond, working-class Latino families in the
Mission) to the city's progressive free spirit (we voted
to ban handguns, we embrace a photographer's project
that involves naked people frolicking in trees on public
land, our thirtysomething mayor poses for GQ and is seen
out on the town with his soon-to-be-ex-wife, a former
model). Take all these things together and you'll begin
to understand why, despite the dizzying cost of living
here, many San Franciscans can't imagine calling any-
place else home.
Happy Trails,
Jan
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------------------------------------------------------------
--DESTINATION:
San Francisco
San Francisco's charms are great and small. You wouldn't
want to miss Golden Gate Park, the Palace of Fine Arts,
the Golden Gate Bridge, or a cable-car ride over Nob Hill.
But a walk down the Filbert Steps or through Macondray
Lane or an hour gazing at murals in the Mission or the
thundering Pacific from the cliffs of Lincoln Park can be
equally inspiring.
Chocolate Rush
The Maya considered chocolate sacred, and it is believed
that they sometimes buried their dead with pots of the
elixir to nourish them in the afterlife. San Franciscans
are not far behind in their adoration of this complex
confection.
One of San Francisco's first chocolate manufacturers,
Domenico Ghirardelli started making chocolate in
California in the mid-19th century. In the 1890s, he
purchased the Pioneer Woolen Mill building, now part
of San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square, and moved the
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company there. Although pro-
duction of its chocolate has since been moved across
the bay, you can still visit the original factory,
where you can purchase the famed confections, get a
peek at some of the original chocolate-making equipment,
and order an eight-scoop hot fudge sundae at the adja-
cent soda fountain.
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------------------------------------------------------------
--WHAT TO DO AND SEE:
Alcatraz Island
Island, Jail, Fisherman's Wharf
The boat ride to the island is brief (15 minutes) but
affords beautiful views of the city, Marin County, and
the East Bay -- it's a great way to combine a sail on
the bay with a truly worthwhile sight. The audio tour,
highly recommended, includes observations of guards and
prisoners about life in one of America's most notorious
penal colonies. A separate ranger-led tour surveys the
island's ecology. Plan your schedule to allow at least
three hours for the visit and boat rides combined.
Reservations, even in the off-season, are strongly
recommended. www.parksconservancy.org/visit/alcatraz.php.
COST: $11.50; $16 with audio tour; $23.50 evening tour,
including audio. OPEN: Ferry departures every 30-45 mins
Sept.-late May, daily 9:30-2:15, 4:20 for evening tour
Thurs.-Mon. only; late May-Aug., daily 9:30-4:15, 6:30
and 7:30 for evening tour.
Address: Pier 41, San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone: 415/773-1188 boat schedules and information;
415/705-5555; 800/426-8687 credit-card ticket orders;
415/705-1042 park information
Buffalo Paddock
Nature Preserve, Golden Gate Park
The original denizens of the paddock arrived at the
park in 1894 for the Mid-Winter Exposition. The current
herd, from Wyoming, was acquired in 1984.
Address: John F. Kennedy Dr. west of Spreckels Lake,
San Francisco, CA, USA
Cable Car Museum
Museum/Gallery, Nob Hill
San Francisco once had more than a dozen cable-car barns
and powerhouses. The only survivor, this 1907 redbrick
structure, is an engaging stopover between Russian Hill
and Nob Hill and an absolute must for kids. Photographs,
old cable cars (including one to sit in), signposts,
ticketing machines, and other memorabilia dating from
1873 document the history of these moving landmarks. The
massive powerhouse wheels that move the entire cable-car
system steal the show; the design is so simple it seems
almost unreal. You can also go downstairs to the sheave
room and check out the innards of the system. A 15-minute
video describes how it all works -- cables must be re-
placed every three to six months -- or you can opt to
read the detailed placards. The gift shop sells cable-car
paraphernalia. www.cablecarmuseum.com. COST: Free. OPEN:
Oct.-Mar., daily 10-5; Apr.-Sept., daily 10-6.
Address: 1201 Mason St., at Washington St., San Francisco,
CA, USA Phone: 415/474-1887
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Other Places of Interest:
Cartoon Art Museum
Museum/Gallery, SoMa
Krazy Kat, Zippy the Pinhead, Batman, and other colorful
cartoon icons greet you at the Cartoon Art Museum,
established with an endowment from cartoonist-icon Charles
M. Schulz. The museum's strength is its changing exhibits,
which explore such topics as America from the perspective
of international political cartoons, and the output of
women and African-American cartoonists. Serious fans of
cartoons -- especially those on the quirky underground
side -- will likely enjoy the exhibits; those with a
casual interest may be disappointed. The museum store
carries lots of cool books and a small but tempting selec
tion of toys and gifts. www.cartoonart.org. COST: $6, pay
what you wish 1st Tues. of month. OPEN: Tues.-Sun. 11-5.
Address: 655 Mission St., San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone: 415/227-8666
Children's Playground
Carousel, Park, Golden Gate Park
Kids have been coming here to cut loose since the 1880s.
The equipment has changed over the years (not very often,
by the looks of it), but the squeals and howls remain the
same. A menagerie of handcrafted horses and other animals
-- among them cats, frogs, roosters, and a tiger -- twirl
on the 1912 Herschell-Spillman Carousel, inside a many-
windowed circular structure. The Romanesque-style Sharon
Building looms over the playground; the 1887 structure
has been rebuilt twice, after the earthquake of 1906 and
a 1980 fire. There are better playgrounds in the city,
among them Julius Kahn Park in the Presidio and Mountain
Lake Park in the Richmond, but the carousel makes this
one worth seeking out if you're in the park with kids.
COST: Playground free, carousel $1.50. OPEN: Playground
daily dawn-midnight; carousel Memorial Day-Labor Day,
daily 10-4:30, Labor Day-Memorial Day, Fri.-Sun. 10-4:30.
Address: Bowling Green Dr., off Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr., San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone: 415/753-5210, 415/812-2725, or 415/831-2700
------------------------------------------------------------
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------------------------------------------------------------
--WHERE TO SLEEP:
Adelaide Hotel
Under $90, Union Sq.
You can rent a private single or double room for $55-$70
at this funky, folksy place, or share one of the dorm
rooms -- some same-sex only, some coed -- for $22-$24 per
bed a night. Each room has a sink, and some have private
baths. The hostel, formerly a small hotel, is at the end
of a nondescript alley in the theater district. Many of
the guests are likely to be from Europe, making for
lively chats over the free morning coffee and pastries
in the small dining room or a lounge with a fireplace.
Smoking is allowed in the private rooms.
www.adelaidehostel.com. 9 four-bed rooms, 2 six-bed rooms,
6 private rooms (3 people max). In-room: no phone. In-
hotel: restaurant, laundry facilities, public Internet,
parking (fee), no-smoking rooms. AE, MC, V. Continental
breakfast.
Address: 5 Isadora Duncan Ct., San Francisco, CA 94102,
USA Phone: 415/359-1915 or 877/359-1915
Fax: 415/359-1940
The Archbishop's Mansion
$90 to Over $250, Western Addition
Everything in this stately 1904 French-chateau-style
mansion is extravagantly romantic, starting with the
cavernous common areas, where a chandelier used in the
movie Gone with the Wind hangs above a Bechstein grand
piano once owned by Noël Coward. Guest rooms here are
grand, too; they're individually decorated with ornately
carved antiques, and many have whirlpool tubs or fire-
places. Have complimentary continental breakfast served
to you in your canopied bed if you wish; then stroll
past the famous Victorian "Painted Ladies" homes that
share your Alamo Square location. The hotel will even
arrange a free tour of the area with a local volunteer.
www.thearchbishopsmansion.com. 10 rooms, 5 suites. In-
room: no a/c, VCR, Wi-Fi. In-hotel: restaurant, concierge,
laundry service, parking (no fee), no-smoking rooms. AE,
D, MC, V. Continental breakfast.
Address: 1000 Fulton St., San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
Phone: 415/563-7872 or 800/543-5820
Fax: 415/885-3193
Argonaut Hotel
$150 to Over $250, Fisherman's Wharf
When this four-story brick building was a fruit and
vegetable canning complex in 1907, boats docked right
up against the building. Today it's a tribute to nau-
tical chic -- anchors, ropes, compasses, and a row of
cruise-ship deck chairs find their way into the lively
lobby decor. Spacious rooms, many of which have a
sitting area with a sofa bed, have exposed-brick walls,
wood-beamed ceilings, and whitewashed wooden furniture
that evokes a beach mood. Windows are open to the sea
air and the sounds of the waterfront, and many have
unimpeded views of the bay. Suites come with extradeep
whirlpool tubs and telescopes for close-up views of
passing ships. www.argonauthotel.com. 239 rooms, 13
suites. In-room: safe, refrigerator, VCR, dial-up,
Wi-Fi. In-hotel: restaurant, room service, bar, gym,
concierge, laundry service, public Internet, parking
(fee), no-smoking rooms, some pets allowed, minibar.
AE, D, DC, MC, V.
Address: 495 Jefferson St., at Hyde St., San Francisco,
CA 94109, USA Phone: 415/563-0800 Fax: 415/563-2800
--WHERE TO DINE:
A-16
Italian, $10 to $22, Marina
Marina residents -- and, judging from the crowds, every-
body else -- gravitate to this lively trattoria, named
for the autostrada that winds through Italy's sunny
south. The kitchen serves the food of Naples and sur-
rounding Campania, including house-cured meats (wild
boar salami, fennel salami) and crisp-crusted pizzas,
including a classic Neapolitan Margherita (mozzarella,
tomato, and basil). Among the regularly changing mains
are pork loin with pine nuts and golden raisins and a
combo of lamb riblets and lamb sausage. A big wine list
of southern Italian and Californian wines suits the fare
perfectly. The long space includes an animated bar scene
near the door; try for a table in the quieter alcove at
the far end. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. No lunch
Sat.-Tues.
Address: 2355 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone: 415/771-2216
Acme Chophouse
Steak, $15 to Over $30, SoMa
Dine here and you'll agree that cows don't need to eat
corn. Grass-fed beef, served up as a filet mignon and
tartare, is the specialty at this old-style chophouse
next door to the Giants baseball park. The kitchen
stocks only naturally raised local meats and poultry,
including a 22-ounce rib eye and a double-cut pork chop
(both grass fed but grain finished) sized to satisfy a
sumo wrestler. All the familiar chophouse sides --
creamed spinach, onion rings, scalloped potatoes -- will
keep traditionalists smiling. The setting is suitably
casual, with lots of wood; TV monitors in the bar area
mean no inning is missed. Lunch is more casual, with a
burger, crab salad, and pastrami on rye in addition to
steak. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Mon. No lunch weekends.
Address: 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone: 415/644-0242
********************
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