If You’re Going to San Francisco…

San Francisco’s rolling hills and Victorian manors were home to the Summer of Love. The City by the Bay produced such bands as the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother and Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, and Country Joe and The Fish. It was also the frequent haunt of Otis Redding, The Mamas and the Pappas, Buffalo Springfield, and the roof that housed them all…the Fillmore West. In short, San Francisco’s underground culture gave birth to American psychedelia and the hippy. Though no longer in its revolutionary hey-day, the city still boasts a thriving arts and music community, and is one of America’s most socially conscious cities.

Over a century before it was thrust into the national spotlight as home of the Haight-Ashbury Hippy, it was an oasis of the old west. San Francisco was home to a small group of Spanish colonists until the Gold Rush of 1849, when a diverse crowd of fortune-seekers arrived in droves. This new flourishing city became inhabited with rowdy gold miners, cowboys, whores, and Asian immigrants, who quickly developed infamous saloons and red-light districts along the piers. San Francisco became the New York of the West.

Two-hundred and fifty years later, I had my first taste of ‘Cisco. On a 5-day spring vacation, I hung out with friends, sampled the vegetarian cuisine, hit the bars, and experienced the grandeur of the area’s outdoors.

Quick Tips:

Even though you’ll find a pair of Birkenstocks on many a San Franciscan, don’t go California dreamin’ when packing for your trip. This city has a consistently cool climate, where the average high temperature is 62.6˚ F and the average low is 56˚F. Although it may never get too hot or too cold, you’ll want to bring a diverse selection of clothing, including a light jacket and long sleeve shirts.

Bums are about as common as tye-dye in SF. Unfortunately, with 15,000 homeless, you can’t feed them all, but hey, you’re on vacation, so show some brotherly love. Carry some extra change in your pocket to make you and that poor bastard feel better.

Best Way To Get Around:

San Francisco has the largest fleet of trolley buses in the U.S. and Canada. The trolleys run on electricity and are much more quiet and far less polluting than gasoline-powered buses. The bus system is the most efficient and inexpensive way to get around. The buses run frequently and the lines are easy to figure out. A ticket for adults is a mere .25, and this allows you a free transfer. Keep track of your transfer ticket, as this is considered proof of purchase.

Taxi fares seemed slightly more expensive than in NYC, but waiting for 20 minutes at the bus stop at 2am isn’t always fun, so if you’re out late or don’t feel up to walking to the closest bus stop, it’s a good idea to take a cab.

Website: www.herbivore-restaurant.com

Herbivore is located in the Western Edition neighborhood. The interior is sleek and modern, yet maintains a retro feel. A little bit too "straight off the IKEA showroom," but it’s pretty comfortable overall. If the weather is sunny, get a table on the small but nice patio. The moderately priced menu is entirely vegan, and organic produce is used when available. Although the menu is vegan, even carnivores can find a creative dish to suit their tastes. The shawarma wrap with grilled seitan, seasoned onions, tomatoes, hummus, hot sauce, pickles, and tahini, was a tasty treat. It comes with a green salad, and can be made with potatoes and eggplant for an extra $.75.

Other menu favorites include the Spinach Salad with mushrooms, red onions, walnuts, and roasted red peppers that is served with…hemp dressing. That’s right, very SF. The herbivore has a large selection of appetizers, soup, salads, and pasta and noodle dishes, such as wasabi soba noodles that come loaded with vegetables and seasonings. They also serve fresh fruit juice, vegetable juices, natural herb root beer, and organic coffees and teas. The breakfast menu, though smaller, is delicious as well. I had the corncakes with black beans, salsa, guacamole, and vegan sour cream. They also make nice sausage biscuits, with veggie sausage and mushroom gravy, and have savory desert crepes.

Website: www.millenniumrestaurant.com

Millennium is an upscale vegetarian restaurant, and while they offer a formal dining space, the environment is relaxed and comfortable. They offer exceptional gourmet vegetarian cuisine, and the menu changes in regard to what produce is in season. Millennium is also dedicated to sustainable agriculture, use organic produce whenever possible, and never use genetically modified foods.

The small plates were $4.50 to $8.95. I began my meal with the baby artichokes, which were braised in a savory lemon sauce with capers. Next up was the plantain torte, which is made with a wheat tortilla, sweet plantains, creamy cilantro-tofu, tropical fruit and tomato salsa fresca, and ancho chili and lime aioli. Both were incredible.

Entrees were $17.75 to $20.95. I ordered the Seitan au Vin, a seitan brisket in a rich zinfandel-mushroom sauce. It was a great main course and incredibly flavorful. It’s served surrounded by garlic mashed potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes with a walnut-olive tapenade. I also sampled the delectable porcini purse — a filo dough purse with porcini—Portobello mushroom ragout, barley-farro pilaf, Italian greens with currants and capers, celery root veloute, Himalayan black truffle-mushroom syrup, and smoked paprika oil inside.

Save room for dessert — Millennium’s dessert menu boasts bold innovative treats such as the Molé Brownie Sundae, comprised of a chili-spiced chocolate brownie, coconut-mint sorbet, roasted pineapple, and a caramel sauce.

The wine list is extensive at Millennium. All of their selections are made with organically grown grapes, and many are made using biodynamic production techniques. The wait staff is knowledgeable about which wine to choose for your dinner; our waiter recommended a sangiovese, Luna, Napa Valley 2001 that complimented my entrée beautifully.

Website: www.amoebamusic.com

Walking into this Haight Street indie record store is more like going to a record convention — it is the largest indie record store in the country, and you could easily spend several hours perusing the thousands of new and used vinyl, CDs, and DVDs of any genre.

If you’re lucky, you might catch a free in-store performance. Amoeba has a history of great musicians playing free shows in store. Shows in the last few years include Devendra Banhart, Polyphonic Spree, The Thrills, and the White Stripes (just to name a few).

The staff’s knowledge of music at Amoeba is virtually unparalleled outside of New York, and it shows in their diverse selection — I walked out with a handful of obscure folk and country records that I had not come across before, and all were reasonably priced. Visit when you are prepared to spend some time shopping.

Phone: 415/831-1200

Website: Zeitgeist

I went to meet some friends at this popular biker bar at their suggestion; a good old-fashioned roadhouse joint. Although it’s definitely not my scene, Zeitgeist is worth stoppin’ in.

The bar is a shabby little hole-in-the-wall, but it is noted for its huge outdoor patio area, stocked with large, wood picnic tables where you’re bound to pull up a bench and make conversation with a stranger.

When I arrived, it was packed. I walked outside through the small, dark bar to a sea of faces, port-a-potties, and the strong smell of BBQ. There’s a big grill, so non-vegetarians can get all kinds of BBQ and smoked meat dishes to eat while swillin’ beers. The bar offers 25 different beers, mostly micro-brews. Rooms are available above the bar to sleep in for $30 a night. Classy, see. They also offer weekend brunch…not sure about that.

Orbit Room is a pleasant café/bar with lots of windows and a colorful art deco-ish décor. It offers cheap eats, and is home to the remarkable "mixologist," Alberta, and other such knowledgeable bartenders. I’m told that Alberta is somewhat of a local bar scene legend. The bar is arrayed with bins and bins of garnishes, and the cocktail menu boasts classics such as the Caipirinha, the Mint Julep, and the Side Car, as well as many specialty house cocktails. I indulged in a couple Mojitos, which Alberta made using fresh squeezed lime juice and generous amounts of rum.

The crowd at the Orbit Room is usually varied and well mixed, but tends to lean toward hip, artistic types. Should it be a nice, sunny day or mild evening, there’s a patio to enjoy as well, and, with the new non-smoking rules, patios are a nice addition for nicotine addicts.

Click here for a 360° view.

Alamo Square was officially dedicated to the public in 1858. Legend has it that it was considered a dangerous place due to rugged roustabout "Dutchie" Charlie Duane, an unruly squatter, until the city ousted him in 1868, making it safe for city dwellers and passer-bys alike to enjoy the square. Once a rocky hill, the city constructed stairways, pathways, and pillars, making it a proper public park. Over 100 years later, the park is today considered a historic landmark.

The square is an ideal place to sit and lay on the grass for a mid-afternoon break. The view is populated by the famous "painted ladies" — vibrantly colored Victorian row houses, and, beyond, the taller skyscrapers of 'Cisco loom in the distance, creating a stunning visual juxtaposition of the past and the modern phases of architecture.

Website: Golden Gate Park

Of course, no visit to ‘Cisco would be complete without stepping into this famous park. (map) Golden Gate Park, once covered with sand dunes, is SF’s largest park, and is bigger than Central Park. The park was designed in 1870 by William Hammond Hall, and Hall selected John McLaren in 1887 to be his successor as park commissioner. McLaren dedicated the next 50 years of his life to Golden Gate Park, and one of his first declarations on taking the job was that there were to be no "keep off the grass" signs. Such a public sentiment still rings true today — it is speculated that 75,000 people troll through the vast regions of the park on an average weekend.

I went on a cloudy day, but the overcast weather didn’t detract from the beauty. I made my way to what my friend’s called "Hippy Hill" first, as that’s where a lot of young people have congregated since the '60s. As to be expected, there were plenty of drum circles and hacky sackin' to participate in. And I must have heard this 20 times in ten minutes: "Hey man. Lookin’ for some weed?," "Buds, buds, buds," and "What do ya need, man?"

The park is huge, and contains four specialized gardens and two museums, so go on a day when you have a considerable amount of time to spend. The Japanese Tea Garden is a city-wide favorite, and it’s open daily 8:30am to 5:30pm. There’s an admission of $3.50, but if you go during the last hour it’s opened, it’s free. It is said that this is where the original fortune cookie was invented. There’s also the Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers, where literary lovers can peruse over 150 flowers that made appearances in Shakespeare’s poems and plays.

However, if you only have an hour or two to spend, simply walking through and admiring the wide selection of flora is an hour well spent.

Website: www.muirbeach.com

To get to Muir Beach, drive North on Highway 101 from the Golden Gate Bridge. On your way, stop off and witness the glory of Golden Gate — if it’s a sunny day, the spot offers one of the best photo opportunities you’re likely to encounter. Take the 6-mile scenic drive from the Highway 1 exit and you'll find yourself in the small town of Muir Beach, Marin County. From there, just follow the signs down to the beach. The town is comprised of about 150 homes — you’ll instantly be struck with envy at the residence’s location, for the houses have seaside views of the two beaches. The Miwok Native American Tribe once inhabited Marin County until Westerners arrived in 1700, when Spanish missionaries colonized the area. The Spanish cultural influence can still be recognized, especially in the architecture of Marin County.

The beach area feels condensed — it lacks a sprawling shoreline and is often foggy, but has a wonderful rustic, scenic appeal. The coast is rocky, and it is an ideal place for a picnic. One feels relatively secluded; it’s a contemplative area and trails rise over the bluffs of the Golden Gate Recreation area, so if you tire of peering at the ocean, you can go for a nice hike.

Website: Muir Woods
Entry fee: $3 per person (17 and older)

Muir Beach and Muir Woods are named after famed naturalist, John Muir, whose writing advocated for conservation as an environmental ethic. Muir Woods is located 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge on Highway 101, and, if you have time for a day trip during your stay in SF, it is a sight to behold and not to be missed.

Muir Woods is home to the Red Wood tree. The Red Woods are billed as "the tallest living things." The Bohemian and Cathedral groves have the biggest trees in Muir Woods, one 252 feet tall and one 14 feet wide. Some of the trees are at least 1,000 years old. Venturing through the woods, you are profoundly impressed by the beauty and ancient, pre-historic quality of the surroundings. It feels magical, mystical, and medieval.

Muir Woods has loop walks in Redwood Canyon, and most of them are paved. For more rugged adventurers, unpaved trails out of the canyon link to the trails in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. I lacked the enthusiasm for a daylong hike, but spent about 2 hours going on a loop walk with my friends. By the end of the walk, I was so struck by the sublimity of the Red Wood trees, I was convinced I could live as a hobbit and set up house in the trunk of a giant Red Wood tree.