City by the Bay

On this trip back to San Francisco, I escaped to the Prescott Hotel, a quaint, cozy boutique hotel in the Union Square downtown area. As you enter the hotel lobby, you’ll notice an interesting mix of both traditional and modern décor. The Prescott feels more like an urban B&B, small enough to feel like you’re well taken care of in this city.

The hotel rooms are comfortable, offering the little touches and amenities that make for a romantic visit or getaway in San Francisco. As soon as you get into your room, you can bundle up in complementary white robes, nibble on the Ghiradelli chocolate they leave on your pillow and read from a room copy of Tales of San Francisco, a collection of short stories by authors like Kerouac, Tan, and Wolfe who have made this city famous, each in their own way.

Rooms at Club Level provide nice extras like evening bar drinks from 5-7 p.m. and a continental breakfast held in the Club Level lounge. There’s even someone in the lounge to help you plan your day of fun-filled tourist activities or to make restaurant reservations.

If you are looking to see a musical or a play, the Prescott is centrally located and within walking distance of the A.C.T. and Curran theaters. You are also close to: Chinatown if you’re craving dim sum, downtown department stores and boutiques for shopping, and plenty of great restaurants in the area ranging from breakfast cafes to fine dining. In fact, you don’t have to walk very far to enjoy an inspiring meal at the beautiful Postrio located right next door to the hotel. An adjoining door leads you right from the hotel lobby to the restaurant.

The Prescott is a nice accommodation, whether you’re a tourist looking for an escape from those impersonal chain hotels, or a local San Franciscan just looking for a romantic weekend getaway.

Good Chinese food in San Francisco is not hard to find. You don''t even need to go all the way to Chinatown these days. Hong Kong Flower Lounge in the Richmond District serves good quality dim sum and Cantonese style food. It''s a little more expensive than the average Chinese restaurant, but if you''re looking for better than average Chinese food, attentive service, and a comfortable dim sum setting, you should visit Hong Kong Flower Lounge in San Francisco. They also have two other locations in the South Bay: one in Millbrae and one in Palo Alto.

My dinner at Postrio remains to be one of my most memorable. Postrio comes from the Wolfgang Puck lineage of restaurants, serving up dishes that are influenced and characterized as Californian/Asian/Mediterranean cuisine. It's a bit pricey, but if you're looking for exciting ambiance, a satisfying meal and delicious desserts, you can justify the splurge after the fact. When you walk into the place, you'll see the bar. But as you walk further, the hostess will lead you down the red carpeted steps where you'll be stunned by the panoramic view of the grand space of the main dining room. Pat Kuleto designed the space that aims to impress and inspire with modern, but beautiful decor and light fixtures. The place has a creative and fun side. With very high ceilings and an exposed kitchen, it's a good place to see all the action and still feel like you can have a romantic dinner for two. Their dishes are creative, but not pretentious. You can order one of Puck's famous pizzas or try what California Cuisine has become: a fusion of unique ingredients and tastes borrowed from different cultures that populate the California landscape. Even if you don't have a sweet tooth, you have to try their desserts. Their creme brulee is the best I've ever had. They even have a dessert sampler for those who want a little taste of everything. A special dining experience and food that will leave you craving for another Postrio meal when you feel like you deserve to splurge again.

Okay, for you francofiles out there...crepes and cider here. I found Ti Couz in the Mission District of San Francisco after I got back from a trip to Europe after going through withdrawal. The food is reasonably priced and the atmosphere is rustic and comfortable. The crepes at Ti Couz are inspired by the French region of Brittany, where salty crepes are made with buckweat flour and the sweet crepes are made with wheat flour. There's a large selection of different kinds of crepes and a variety of ciders served in bowls. It's probably a good idea to think ahead and save room for dessert because they look too tempting to pass up.

Ebisu is one of those small, inconsipicuous restaurants whose business thrives based on word of mouth and consistently fresh sushi. And it's also about the art and fun of the sushi experience that makes Ebisu popular. As you walk into the place, be prepared to sign your name up on a list and wait for a bit. Reservations are not taken. But the wait is well worth it. I've been to Ebisu many times, and I've never been disappointed. The row of sushi chefs are humorous and friendly, greeting you loudly as you walk in. The restaurant has a sushi bar, tables, and a room for traditional floor seating. But if you get the chance, go for the bar, where your Ebisu experience will be the most enjoyable and entertaining. You'll get the best treatment and they give you an endless bowl of Japanese soybeans on the house. You tell the sushi maker what you want and they make it for you on the spot. My favorites are the spider roll (deep fried soft shell crab) and the caterpillar roll (spicy tuna wrapped in dried and fresh seaweed made to look like a caterpillar). And of course the yellow tail, tuna, salmon, and eel nigiri is all delicious and fresh. Ebisu also has special kinds of sushi, like their 49er roll (of course), that's not on the menu. So just ask. What really makes this restaurant great is that you feel like family after one visit. The service is quick but they don't rush you, and the staff is friendly. Everyone who frequents the place knows the proprietor and sushi maker, Steve Fujii, and the sushi makers will gladly drink a round of Asahi with you if you make them the offer. Gum bei! One more fact: Ebisu even has a membership card that you can purchase for $25 that allows you a 10 percent discount on every meal. If you are an SF local, you'll get your money's worth.

The new Sony Metreon made its debut last summer. It's like a big playland and hi-tech mall, where you can browse their stores, eat at an upscale food court area, catch a movie, or take a walk through the large grassy area right outside the Metreon. At the Yerba Buena Gardens people can enjoy a picnic lunch and bask in the sun. The amazing view of the cityscape and the new MOMA is also something to take notice. There's also the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, an art gallery with roaming exhibitions, and the new Zeum, a hi-tech arts center for kids 8-18. Kids can participate in a variety of multimedia, performance, and arts workshops and activities.

The Legion of Honor is one of my favorite museums in San Francisco. As you head away from crowded Downtown and want to get a more peaceful sense of the city near the beach and Golden Gate Park, make sure to go to the Legion of Honor. Located on the hilltop of a golf course park, the museum's entrance is a grand, multi-columned courtyard in French neo-classical style. Rodin's sculpture, "The Thinker", sits right in the middle of the courtyard to greet you. The museum was modeled after the original Legion of Honor in Paris and the museum houses a good-sized collection of Rodin's work. The sculptures are lit by natural light coming from the ceiling's skylight. Other rooms house a variety of artwork from ancient mediterranean to 17th, 18th and 19th European to more modern graphic design work. And if you look closely, there is a pipe organ located above the interior entryway. On Saturdays and Sundays, organ concerts are held and organ sounds can be heard throughout the museum and the courtyard. When you need a little break, go to the museum's newly remodeled cafe, where you can also admire the ocean view from the wall of cafe windows. Walk around the courtyard and grounds that surround the museum. You'll get a great view of the city on one side and of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The location and the space for the Legion of Honor is what makes this museum so impressive. Sometimes you'll get a chance to see couples taking wedding pictures at this scenic spot.

I grew up in the rolling fog near San Francisco''s Ocean Beach. Maybe we grow to love what we''re used to, and so it is that I have a fondness for this part of the city. Away from the downtown area, the Richmond and Sunset Districts are the two residential areas divided by Golden Gate Park. To this day, even as I am now temporarily living in Manhattan, I still possess a certain nostalgia for the smells and the feeling of the cold ocean air...running along the beach that stretches along Great Highway, watching the surfers ride the waves even in frigid waters, exploring the stone ruins of the old Sutro Baths that was destroyed in a fire after the 1906 earthquake, and waiting patiently for another sunset lucky enough to defy the foggy nature of San Francisco''s shores. This is my favorite part of the city, because it feels like home.