Destination of the Week

San Francisco

From Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden) bouncing down the hills in the ‘70’s to Adrian Monk (Tony Shaloub) sleuthing through the city today, San Francisco always has been at once exciting, mysterious, enlightening, happy, and warm.

Writing about San Francisco is almost impossible without unlimited space – there’s so much to see and do.  Pick a topic:  Professional sports?  Art?  Music?  Dance?  Museums and history?  Personal development?  Food? Drink?  It’s all here, and more than you could ever have time to do.

It’s easy to get to – 3 airports, train routes and interstates all lead there, and once there, you can drive, walk, boat Segway or bike your way around – or hire a limo, ride a bus or (and it’s a must) take a cable car. 

Hungry yet?  There are so many diverse styles and cuisines.  Seafood is king but there’s Italian, French, and great American style cooking … and the wines of California go right along with it all.  A yellow pages search on San Francisco restaurants will give you around 4,000 different restaurants.  Of course, you’ll hit Fisherman’s Wharf first for delectable fish and shellfish, but believe us, you’ll love the Chinese and Italian cuisine, too. 

Ask the locals about what wine to marry with your selection.  Chances are they know some great wines that have never made it out of California.

San Francisco really is the gateway to wine country – in just about every direction.  South, there.s Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara.  Go east and you’ll be in Contra Costa County – the least known of California’s wine region.  Of course, to the north are Napa and Sonoma and their surrounding regions, all the way up to Mendocino.   So, you won’t go wrong, regardless of where you head!

Before you go, though, take in a game – 49ers, Giants, Golden State Warriors, Oakland Raiders, Oakland A’s, San Jose Sharks, San Jose Earthquakes and the Infineon Raceway.  Doesn’t matter what time of year, there’s always somebody playing.

Want to go museum hopping?  First stop probably should be SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  Now 10 years old, Designer Mario Botta’s edifice is home to one of the most extensive collections of twentieth- and twentyfirst-century art.

Also don’t miss the M H deYoung Memorial Museum and the Asian Art museum.  Benefactors John D. Rockefeller III and Avery Brundage have helped the two organizations (respectively) grow tremendously.  Others to include:

• California Academy of Sciences, including the Planetarium and the penguin exhibit.
• San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum
• San Francisco African American Historical/Cultural Society
• Museo Italo Americano
• Mexican Museum
• The Cable Car Museum
• Chinese Cultural Center
• San Francisco Jewish Museum
• Musèe Mècanique
• San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum
• San Francisco Fire Department Museum

There are more, but those should hold you!

Now, about the performing arts … First, note that Michael Tilson Thomas is at the helm of the San Francisco Symphony as conductor and its music director.  If you have a remote chance of attending a performance under his direction, don’t pass it up.  Add to the list:

• San Francisco Opera
• San Francisco Ballet
• Oakland Ballet
• San Jose Symphony
• San Jose Opera

 If you want to head out of town for reasons besides wine – yes, there are a few folks that may want to do that – you can always start by going to jail.  Alcatraz – closed in 1963 as the penitentiary housing such infamous names as Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz.  Today, as a museum, it displays artwork of former prisoners and, at the same time, offers works of native Americans and information on the occupation of the island by Indians in 1969.

Inland, you can head to Yosemite.  You can drive it or take a tour.  It’s rustic, to be sure, but that means it’s really nature at her best.  Like to hike or climb?  This is the place for it.  Skiing, too, and you can camp in the park.  Once there, you can explore the giant sequoias or visit Bridalveil  or Yosemite Falls, then see El Capitan and Half Dome.  Take the guided tour … there’s so much to understand.

Now, about wine country.  As we said above, doesn’t matter what direction you head.  Sonoma and Napa are the most famous and are certainly worthy of a top listing.  Also make sure Monterey is on the list and, if possible San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.  Check ‘em out.  The links go to The Wine Experience travel pages. You won’t go wrong with any of these great destinations.

San Francisco is the focal point for all of this.  So – what are you waiting for.  Book the trip and just enjoy.

Got a destination in mind? Start planning your trip here.