Visiting San Francisco

During the first summers in the Bay Area, there was a steady stream of visitors from Europe stopping by, traveling through the golden state. The couch. The floor. The empty second bedroom. One weekend, we must have had four couples sleeping over. Mandatory of course was a visit and tour of San Francisco. I got pretty good at knowing the city and build out a little tour. (Time permitting, I will plot this on a Google Map. In the meantime, I'll start adding directions and tidbits in this post.


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My little tour of San Francisco - driving directions
(still work in progress - visit back)

1. We enter San Francisco using highway 280. Keep going straight onto Junpero Serra Blvd (as opposed to crossing over the city to the bay side of San Francisco).
   
2. Follow Brotherhood Way towards the coast. (You'll make a hairpin turn at the point Hwy 280 ends)
3. Make left on Lake Merced Blvd and a right on John Muir Drv. You'll drive around Lake Merced, driving along the Olympic Club golf course.
4. Join Skyline Blvd shortly to make a left onto the Great Hwy (aka Ocean Beach).
   
1. You'll pass the San Francisco zoo on your right.
   
2. You'll pass 'doggy' as you look into Sloat.
   
3. Stop at the Beach Chalet for a sampler of their beer and read the story of Golden Gate Park downstairs in the Beach Chalet.
4. You'll see naked surfer butts getting into their wet suits on Ocean Beach. (Watch out for the Ocean Beach rip curl.)
5. Dutch heritage with the windmills at the entrance of Golden Gate Park
6. Stop at the Cliff house. You can overlook the first Spanish defenses of San Francisco
5. Coming through the turn onto Point Lobos Avenue, make a left onto El Camino Del Mar to get a great view of the Golden Gate bridge. (Better ones still coming up)
6. Turn back onto Point Lobos Avenue (= Geary)
7. Turn Left onto 34th Avenue to enter the Ledion of Honor Dr. You're among the San Francisco public golf course.
   
1. On top of the hill is the Palace of the Legion of Honor.
   
2. As you pass it Palace, you'll come across one of the better place to take a picture of the Golden Gate bridge. Watch out for angry golfers, if you decide to capture both the greens and the bridge. Since recent, there is at the end of the golf course and little vista point for tourists.
   
8. Continuing, you enter Sea Cliff, a very affluent neighborhood. Robin Williams calls/called this home.
   
9. Get onto Lincoln. Visit Baker Beach by making a left on Bowley st. Note that the far end of Baker Beach is a nude beach.
   
10. Continue on Lincoln, pass under highway 101 and make a left either to the Golden Gate Vista Point and/or onto Marine Drive to Fort Point. On the return from Fort Point, stop for a picnic at Crissy Fields, formerly the San Francisco airport and now restored to marsh land and a nice beach. This is also a great place to windsurf (for seriously experienced windsurfers as the water is quiet choppy near the bridge. Worse is the current in case you rip your sail.)
11. Continue back on Mason St. Near the merge with the Marina Blvd, you can visit the Palace of Fine Arts, as well as the Exploratorium The Lagoon near the Palace of Fine Arts is a great place for pictures. Also the San Francisco yacht club is nice to walk around. This area of town is called, the Marina.
    
12. At the end of Marina Blvd, when it turns into Laguna street, vist Fort Mason. You can climb the hill and end up on Van Ness Ave, or just drive around Fort Mason, via Bay Street, to end up Van Ness.
    
1. Visit the Acquatic Park
2. Visit the Cannery on Beach St
3. Observe the Hyde Street cable car turn around in old manual style.
   
13. [To be continued]
    

Technorati: San Francisco, California