Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
some ways, it's a clubby insiders' city that requires you to meet and talk to
strangers in order to fully know. This guide endeavors to uncover some of its
lesser-explored aspects.
San Francisco is an exploration waiting to happen. There are very few
American cities in which you can simply wander streets, no cash necessary, and
still soak up a full complement of the city's unique culture and vibe. Anyone who
is curious and stimulated will find it a playland of food, art, and evocative archi-
tecture. The various cultures, the unique clang of the cable cars, the sensational
vistas—they're all part of the place that, all these years later, continues to call peo-
ple out West.
SIGHTS YOU'VE GOTTA SEE,
THINGS YOU'VE GOTTA DO
Your visit to this city would be woefully incomplete if you didn't see or do at least
a few requisite things. For example, what would you tell your friends if you went
all the way to San Francisco without riding one of the famous
cable cars
at least
once? Fortunately, a ride also affords you some excellent views of the city's most
historic areas. Take the car's Powell-Hyde line to
Fisherman's Wharf
(p. 100), not
to indulge in that touristy area's sights, but to walk to the water and glimpse the
magisterial
Golden Gate Bridge
(p. 93) off in the distance. Then catch your ferry
to
Alcatraz Island
(p. 89), a scrupulously preserved maximum-security prison
that is now one of the great museums in America. If you have a little time, take a
taxi ride down the zigzagging block-long portion of
Lombard Street
(p. 99), a
classic tourist pleasure and one of the city's most distinctive sights.
UNCOMMON LODGINGS
San Francisco's affection for its past, its soft spot for eccentricity, and its reluctance
to destroy antiques translate into a higher-than-normal number of irregular old
buildings. Hotels can, at times, be as distinctive as something in old Europe.
Think of an old-world guesthouse—narrow stairways, pull-chain toilets—and
you've imagined North Beach's homey
San Remo Hotel
(p. 39), where rooms go
for just $65 in a friendly, no-frills environment. Its secluded rooftop suite has
views of everything around, and it's one of the most delightful rooms in the city.
For a cozy, family-run experience near Union Square and the cable cars, the
Golden Gate Hotel
(p. 36) is the kind of place where the rooms are full of
antiques and there's a happy dog wandering the premises. The
Hotel des Arts
(p. 32) has rooms that have been individually decorated by local artists, yet the
price is right ($89).
Also affordable and clean are some of the little-known inner-city motels, where
parking is usually free: The
Phoenix Hotel
(p. 45) or the
Hotel del Sol
(p. 44) are
popular properties that promise more style than at the average motel.
For a splurge, San Francisco happens to be home to several top-notch bou-
tique hotel chains, Joie de Vivre and Kimpton; check into Kimpton's
Hotel Triton
(p. 37) or
Hotel Monaco
(p. 37), or one of Joie de Vivre's funky motels or its
Galleria Park Hotel
(p. 38), where daily city walking tours are offered to guests
for free.
