I love coming across creative city guides. Having lived in San Francisco, I am still totally smitten with all of it's charm, so this whirwind tour caught my attention in Hemisphere Magazine. I am now inspired to create my own, so stay tuned!
1. Start at the city’s scenic westernmost edge and gawk at the swooping parasailers on Ocean Beach. Then duck into the old-timey Camera Obscura (1096 Point Lobos Ave.; ) for some 15th century optical magic.
2. Flag a cab and cruise through Golden Gate Park, slowing at the bison paddock for a glimpse of the city’s cutest thousand-pound pets. Zip up to the top of the observation tower at the de Young Museum for a dizzying 360-degree view of San Fran’s rippling hills (50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.).
3. Dash to Haight Street, ground zero for the hippie movement in the ’60s and still a grungy, youthful strip. The neighborhood is home to legions of vintage shops, including Amoeba Music (1855 Haight St.; ), one of the country’s best (and last) record shops.
4. Local, seasonal, organic. These buzzwords are on menus all over town, and at the newly renovated Magnolia Pub and Brewery (1398 Haight St.) you can sample all three in the form of locally brewed beer, asparagus and rabbit sausage.
5. After lunch, walk to Alamo Square Park to see the iconic “Painted Ladies,” a row of colorful Victorian houses launched to stardom in the opening credits of Full House.
6. Drop in to the 18th century Mission Dolores Chapel (3321 16th St.), the oldest building in the city, for a speedy history lesson. Sprint through the adobe building, then peek outside into the leafy cemetery where San Francisco’s earliest leaders are buried.
7. Reward your efficiency with some organic ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery (3692 18th St.), known for its exotic flavors and rabid hipster following. Eat a scoop of balsamic strawberry among the palm trees in nearby Mission Dolores Park. Beware of stray Frisbees. 8. Hop the BART subway at the 16th Street Mission Station and head over to the Ferry Building’s indoor marketplace. After scoring tasty souvenirs (artisanal cheeses, locally made chocolate), slurp oysters and champagne at Hog Island Oyster Company (One Ferry Building; ) and congratulate yourself for completing your cross-city sprint.
{via Wide open Spaces}