San Francisco is famous for the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the snake-like Lombard Street (known as the most crooked street in the world), Alcatraz Island, Haight-Ashbury and Fishermen’s Wharf. All those places are worth a visit (with the possible exception of Fishermen’s Wharf, which is perhaps the most obnoxious tourist trap in the Western Hemisphere) and cable cars are fun to ride, but plenty of less well-known attractions offer a fuller experience of the foggy City by the Bay for visitors.
The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park previously flew under the radar, but recently reopened with great fanfare after a renovation that took a decade and cost nearly US$500 million to complete. The end result is a museum that leads the vanguard of green architecture, with rechargeable vehicle stations outside and solar panels on its rooftop, which is also home to a massive garden filled with plants native to the area around San Francisco.
The Academy of Sciences at 55 Music Concourse Dr, tel: 1-415-379-8000, includes an aquarium, planetarium and the usual host of taxidermy and fossils you would expect to see in a natural history museum. The highlight, however, is a four-story rainforest located in the middle of the building. Part greenhouse and part natural habitat, the rainforest is located in a glass dome that measures 27.5m in diameter and teems with butterflies that flutter through the humidity, seeking cover under tall, shady trees and vines. A spiral walkway leads to the top level, where an elevator descends underwater into the museum’s Amazonian flooded forest exhibit. The US$25 admission price is a bit steep, but a lot less expensive than a plane ticket to South America. On the Net: www.calacademy.org.
» San Francisco is covered by the Muni bus system, which costs US$1.50 per ride for adults, US$0.50 for seniors and children aged 5 to 17, and is free for young children. Buses run from 5am to 1am, with a late night service on limited lines. Exact change is needed to board
On the Net: www.sfmuni.com
» Many popular attractions are also accessible by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains. Tickets cost less than US$3.50 for most destinations within the city
On the Net: www.bart.gov
Nature lovers will also want to visit Marin Headlands in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on the northwest side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Admission is free, not counting a US$6 toll for people driving across the bridge. (The Golden Gate Bridge is open to bicyclists and pedestrians during daylight hours and is 2.7km long.)
The winding drive up to the Headlands along Cozelman Road offers perhaps the most breathtaking views of the bridge and the San Francisco skyline — as long as the fog doesn’t get in your way. Marin Headlands has easy-to-hike trails, Rodeo Beach (which is gorgeous for walks but not for swimming) and World War II-era military post Fort Cronkhite. Go to www.nps.gov/goga/marin-headlands.htm for maps of hiking trails and historical information.
After taking in your fill of San Francisco’s natural scenery, consider a day of shopping downtown in Union Square, which is bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton streets. The square is home to Macy’s flagship department store on its south side, Tiffany’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and the Sir Francis Drake hotel, among other famous names, and is close to the city’s theater district.
If your fashion tastes lean more towards do-it-yourself than Dolce & Gabbana, walk over to Britex Fabrics at 146 Geary St, tel: 1-415-392-2910. The four-story San Francisco institution sells fabrics ranging from simple calicos to couture-quality wools, brocades and velvets. The third floor of the sewing behemoth is home to an awesome selection of buttons, both new and vintage, ribbons, silk flowers, sequins, ribbon, and vintage lace and collars. On the Net: www.britexfabrics.com.
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