San Francisco Treat!

I now know why people rave about California, it was spectacular. My best friend, Sue, and I pick a trip every year as our birthday/Christmas gift to each other. For 2007…San Francisco. With a backdrop of the Bay, Alcatraz island, the mountains, the Pacific and the Golden Gate & Oakland Bay bridges, every direction you look is beautiful.
The day we arrived, we hit the tourist spot of pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf. We turned in rather early after a long day of traveling from the east coast. On day 2 we had mapped out some of the land marks in a few of the neighborhoods that we wanted to see. With a combination of cable car rides, the bus and our feet, we managed to navigate our way around pretty well. We visited Lombard St. (the crookedest street in the world), Alamo Square/The Painted Ladies, Lafayette Park, Spreckles mansion, Whittier mansion, the Octagon house and all kinds of cool looking houses along the way. Not to mention all the beautiful vegetation. Then, we headed for pier 33 for the Alcatraz tour.
Day 3 we spent exploring outside the city…we rented a car for the day. Drove over the amazing Golden Gate Bridge and headed for the Shoreline Highway to Muir Woods, where I saw my first Red Woods (I was awe struck… seriously). Then, off to Stinson Beach (what is a visit to the west coast without dipping your feet into the Pacific). We continued north on Shoreline to Point Reyes National Seashore, at the Point Reyes light house the view is unbelievable. We finished off the day in Sonoma Valley for a quick look at wine country and a fabulous dinner.
Day 4 we hired a driver to bring us around the city for some great photo op. From Twin Peaks (the highest point in SF) to Golden Gate Park then the Holocaust memorial, Golden Gate visitors center and finally… a ride down Lombard St. In the afternoon we walked to the pier and took the Golden Gate Cruise then hit the corny wax museum.
On our last full day we explored the harder to find nooks and crannies of the city. We found our way to Macondray Ln., Valejo steps, Coolbrith Park, North Beach neighborhood, Coit tower, Filbert steps, Levi’s plaza and Union Square.

Quick Tips:

What they say about the temperature changing quick is true… coming from New England I figured I was pretty well accustomed to temperature changes. I did learn, however, after the first day… it is worthwhile to bring a light weight jacket with you. Seriously, one minute you’re completely comfortable in a T-shirt, the next minute you’re freezing.
Saving a few bucks on attractions: I had purchased a San Francisco area Entertainment book prior to my trip. It worked out pretty well at saving us a few bucks. The book cost , I got to choose a dinning certificate for free (I picked the Compass Grill which is in the Sheraton at Fisherman’s Wharf… where we stayed). That alone paid for the book. It had tons of buy-one-get-one-free coupons for attractions (the cruises, wax museum, etc.). We even used the Ghirardelli coupon for buy one get one free hot fudge sundaes. I had checked out the CityPass for San Francisco and the Go San Francisco card… they weren’t as worth while for what we wanted to do.
Don’t get sucked into the tourist trap… I definitely recommend seeing Fisherman’s Wharf (why not?), but, the restaurants at the Wharf don’t even compare to the rest of the city (I asked a local for restaurant suggestions… and boy did that pay off… the North Beach Restaurant). The only bad meal for the entire trip was at Fisherman’s Wharf (and way over priced). I also asked my local connection, our driver from the airport, Bob, if there were any neighborhoods that we should avoid. For safety reasons being two women traveling together... I figured this would be good to know. Anyway, he told us that as long as we stayed north of Market St., we should be fine. So, we stayed north of Market St., we did, however, get rather close to Market St. in the area of Geary St., and we were both getting a bit nervous. There we saw a few questionable characters on the sidewalk.

Best Way To Get Around:

I had purchased the 7-day Muni pass a few weeks before the trip, that saved us a few bucks, not to mention saving us time… no waiting in lines for tickets. It is valid for 7 days of unlimited transport on the cable cars and the cities buses (it was for each pass, it costs for a single cable car ride… you do the math). We took at least 6 cable car rides and rode a hand full of buses, so, it was definitely worth the money.
The start of the Powell-Hyde cable car line starts at Fisherman’s Wharf…the line to wait just to get on a cable car is at least a half hour (even if you already have a pass). The Powell-Mason line is just a couple of blocks away with hardly a wait at all (the view doesn’t include the bay like the Powell-Hyde line). You can always take the Powell-Hyde line back towards Fisherman’s Wharf to catch the famous view without wasting so much time in line.
Obviously, in a city that is filled with steep hills… walking around can be a challenge. I suggest researching a bit (a topography map), before you go off on a walking exploration. Combine the public transport with your feet to keep from wearing yourself out. For example…we made sure we got to Filbert steps at the top of the stairs, so we could walk down them rather than up. Don’t get me wrong...you can’t completely avoid ever going up hill, but if you can knock out a few by taking public transport a couple of blocks further and walking down hill to go where you want…your feet will be grateful.
I’m not big on renting cars to get around in a strange city, I find it to be to frustrating. Not to mention the - daily parking fee at most of the hotels. We did rent a car for one day to explore outside the city. The hotel had a Dollar office in the lobby. One days rental was only including fees for a sedan. Once we were out of the city and over the Golden Gate, getting around was a breeze. You kind of feel like you’re in the twilight zone…city then country (no suburbia in between).

I had used my SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) points to book the room, which was a great deal, 28000 points for five nights. The room rate was $290 per night, so we made out like bandits for booking with points. Just in the nick of time, to: they changed the hotel category from a category three to a four after I had booked it. That would have changed the point redemption from 28000 to 40000. Anyway, it’s apparent that they do indeed take care of their SPG members. We arrived at the front desk to check in. Much to my dismay, they had us booked in a non-smoking room. They quickly corrected the problem. However, the only smoking rooms left were “the priceline” rooms, which apparently aren’t the greatest. It is a rare occasion nowadays to actually stay in a hotel that allows smoking, so I took the less-desirable room (I figured we wouldn’t be spending much time there anyway). People, keep that in mind if you book with Priceline! Our room was a bit off the beaten path from the lobby area on the first floor. The room was just large enough to fit two double beds, a small desk, a nightstand, and a TV stand (that also incorporated the only closet space and drawer space in the room). The bathroom was also small. The sink and vanity were just outside the bathroom door. I always like that, you can have two people getting ready at once. We kept our curtains pulled to block the view of the bus station that was just across the street but, I COULD SMOKE! During our stay, the 17 guests that were staying in the room across the hall started a fire. Apparently, they were trying to cook something on a hot plate. Disturbing to me was that I thought I was going crazy when I smelled the smoke. After 15 minutes or so you could actually see the smoke in the hallway. I must say, I didn’t feel warm and fuzzy when the smoke detectors or the fire alarm never sounded. I had to call the front desk myself to report the incident. But again, I COULD SMOKE! The décor throughout the hotel, including the guest rooms and common areas, was a nautical theme. I was grateful that I had snapped a few pictures of the lobby on my way through one night. The next day it was torn apart for a remodel. They were also in the process of remodeling the hotel’s restaurant, the Compass Grill. So they had temporarily moved it to a conference room. The hotel itself was in a great location, just a couple blocks walk from Pier 39 and one of the Cable Car stops. They also had a Dollar Rental Car desk, with the cars on site, very convenient. Aside from all my ramblings, we did have a very enjoyable stay. And, room service for breakfast was reasonably priced and yummy ($25 total for two).

The North Beach Restaurant, three words…OMG! So good! Our driver from the airport was a San Francisco native and he recommended The North Beach Restaurant to us. Our last night in the city, we ventured to the North Beach neighborhood to try this restaurant. I was dying for some good Veal Saltimbocca. While we waited by the sidewalk for our table…I studied the menu (which did not have Veal Saltimbocca on it). Upset as I was, I looked for something else. As we continued to study the menu, a man approached us and suggested the Veal Saltimbocca. Stating, “I travel all over the place and they have the best Veal Saltimbocca I’ve ever had. The waiters always try to get me to order something else, and I just can’t bring myself to do it”. As I cried, “but it’s not on the menu”, he pointed out to me that it was listed as the chef’s specialty. Thank goodness! If that gentleman had not approached us for conversation, I never would have been able to have what truly was the best Veal Saltimbocca I’ve ever had! After all the fuss, my friend, Sue decided to try it too. She had never had Veal Saltimbocca and was thrilled to bits with her meal too.
We each had a salad. I had a Cesar ($7); she had a mixed greens ($8). We each had a cappuccino ($4.50); I am a coffee connoisseur and it was fabulous. Sue had a Chardonnay ($9) with dinner and I had a dessert wine, Muscato DeChanelle ($7). We were stuffed after dinner, but the waiter talked us into sharing a Tiramisu for dessert (both our favorite). Everything was delicious. The prices were modest for a fine dinning establishment. Our total bill was $110 plus tip. Our entrees were $26 each. The portions were very generous.
The décor made you feel like you were in Italy (not that I’ve been). Candle-lit tables, white table cloths, and vines along the walls. The wait staff were dressed in tuxedos with white gloves (they were dressed better than us...I was feeling a bit underdressed). They were very attentive to our every need. We were served our dinner only about 15 minutes after ordering (they probably wanted us schleps out of there). The restaurant was on the smallish side, which gave it a café feel. There were only about 20–25 tables.
It is rather easy to locate…right in the North Beach neighborhood on Stockton Street where Columbus crosses over Stockton.
I definitely, strongly recommend it!

1512 Stockton St.
San Francisco, CA
(415) 392-1700

We happened upon this place for lunch while wandering and exploring the city. After a couple of hours of hill climbing, we were starving. La Boulange is a cute little café-style soup/pastry shop. They have a few small tables inside and four tables outside on the sidewalk. We each (Sue and I) ordered a French onion soup and a double cappuccino. The total bill was $9.50 for each of us. I love French onion soup and have had it in many places. La Boulange, by far, was the best. The serving size was huge, it was the size of a mixing bowl. The soup was pure perfection. And the cappuccino was to die for. It too, was a huge serving (came in a large soup sized mug). Of course, the size of the mug made it difficult to drink without getting a pile of froth all over your face. But, it was totally worth the mess. Service is counter-style. You place your order at the counter and take a seat, they bring your order out to you when it’s ready. We waited maybe five minutes for our order which was great, we were starving. The line at the counter was only about a five minute wait also. We weren’t there during peak lunch time though, so that could make a bit of a difference.
Apparently La Boulange has a few locations. The one that we enjoyed was at 1909 Union St, (415) 440-4450. The additional San Francisco area locations are: 543 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, (415) 399-0714 and 800 Redwood Hwy, Mill Valley, (415) 381-1260.
I VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND!

Not the greatest place I’ve eaten dinner at, that is for sure. I suppose they stay in business because of the location. The Franciscan is right on Fisherman’s Wharf next to Pier 39. It was clean and decorated with the theme of crab. The wait staff was very friendly and attentive. We were seated right away and placed our order within five minutes. We did wait a bit longer than we needed to for our meal, about 30 minutes. The food was not so good! We decided to try the Franciscan purely for the Dungeness crab. I always like to try a native dish when I travel. We each got the crab melt with garlic fries and a coffee. We shared an order of the crab cakes. The crab melt was cold. It seemed that it was intentionally cold. I don’t know about you, but myself, I’m used to melt-style sandwiches being hot. The fries, on the other hand, were delicious. The crab cakes, I suppose, would have been OK if I had liked the Dungeness crab. Being from New England, I am spoiled with my seafood selections at local restaurants. The Dungeness was a bit too fishy tasting, didn’t much taste like crab. Oh, and it was a good cup of coffee! It was rather pricey, our total bill for the two of us was $70. We did have a lovely view of the San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island from our table. There is a nice gift shop in the building that I ended up spending a few bucks at. I got my traditional corny souvenir shopping done. And like I said earlier, it is conveniently located. We headed for the dock to get our tickets for the Golden Gate Cruise, ate dinner, then it was time for the cruise. That worked out rather nicely. The Franciscan Restaurant has three San Francisco locations. The one we ate at was at the 43½ Pier, San Francisco - (415) 362-7733. The other two locations: 2 The Embarcadero, San Francisco - (415) 362-7733 and 1995 Jerrold Ave, San Francisco - (415) 362-7733.
I recommend only for location and view, not price or quality of food.