A Day in San Francisco

When leaving the airport, follow signs for 101 North. Look for CandleStick(Monster) Park along the bay – home of the NFC’s near-worst 49ers.
As you come up the hill past Candlestick, with your first glimpse of the city, take the 280 North exit.

King St becomes “The Embarcadero.” Continue until just past the ballpark and 2nd St. Park anywhere you see a meter and continue walking the way you were facing(with the Bay on your right). There are a couple of coffee shops along the way – my favorite is Red’s Java House. You will walk under the Bay Bridge that leads to Oakland. Make sure you go into the Ferry building. It has amazing architecture and certain days there is a great Farmer’s Market.

Continuing on Kearney, you will cross over Broadway and take your next left onto Columbus. Columbus will take you right into the heart of “Little Italy.” Washington Park will be on your right, with Saints Peter and Paul Church – the most beautiful church in the city.

Head back down from Telegraph Hill, take a right on Stockton Street, then a right on Bay Street and a left on The Embarcadero (at the water). Head north with the water on your right. You will hit the Pier 39/Fisherman’s wharf area – touristy but fun!

From the wharf area, head West on North Point or Bay St until you hit Van Ness. Take a left, heading South on Van Ness. Head all the way down Van Ness until it ends at Market – take a right on Market and a really quick right on Haight St. Haight will take you past Buena Vista park into the Haight-Ashbury (which now, unceremoniously enough, has a Gap on the famous corner).

From here, continue on along the water on Point Lobos Ave in front of the Cliff house – it becomes Geary Blvd. Take a left on 25th Ave, veer right on Lincoln Ave – this will take you all the way through the Presidio, winding you through – follow signs to the Golden Gate Bridge/Doyle Drive North/1 North/101 North towards Sausalito/Marin County.

The very first exit after the bridge is a Vista Point that has a great view of the city (it’s often really crowded, and sometimes there is a line of cars out onto the freeway, so might not be worth it).

Instead, take your second exit – Alexander Ave towards Sausalito. Stay along the water (it will force you onto 2nd St and then Bridgeway). All along Bridgeway are shops/restaurants/galleries and great views of the city. You can follow Bridgeway all the way through Sausalito (a few miles) until it hits 101 North again.

From here, you can follow your directions north to Sonoma. Be sure to note the In N Out Burger along 101 North 2 exits north of when you get back on the freeway. Best burger you will ever eat!

Stay to the left on 280 North until it ends and becomes King Street. Pac Bell Park (home of the Giants) will appear on your immediate right. It’s an amazing park in the spirit of Camden Yard or Coors Field – there is nothing like seeing a home run fall into McCovey cove and watching the canoe scramble for another Bonds homer ball.

Head back to the car and make a U turn on the Embarcadero. When the ballpark is on your immediate left, take a left onto 3rd Avenue and head over the iron bridge. Take the first left you can and head along Terry a Francois St with the water on your left. Right where Terry a Francois St meets Illinois St, you will see a driveway to the left for The Ramp (855 Terry a Francois St). If it’s gorgeous and sunny, stop in, sit right on the water and have a drink and lunch. There Bloody Mary’s and Mimosa’s are fabulous in the morning or have a bucket of Coronas in the afternoon and watch the ships go by.

Head back down Terry a Francois St with the water on your right, turn right on 3rd Avenue and head back over the bridge. Continue on 3rd Ave, when you cross Market St 3rd becomes Kearny St. as you head through the Chinatown area.

Take a left on Chestnut Street (or Francisco Street if you miss it). Take a left on Hyde St and an immediate left on Lombard St, the crookedest street in the world. Continue on Lombard St. until it becomes Telegraph Hill Blvd and wind all the way to the top to Coit Tower – great view of the Bay and the whole city. The monument was built with a gift from Lillie Hitchcock Coit.

Haight will dead end at Stanyan – take a right on Stanyan and then a left on John F Kennedy Drive into Golden Gate park. JFK will wind all the way through the park until you hit the ocean.
Take a right on the Great Highway with the water on your left. As you climb the hill, the Cliff House is on your left – great place to stop for a drink and take in the view pf the Pacific and the ships heading through the “Golden Gate”. (Do you see a theme here?)