SF Travel & Photo Guide: The Top 100 Travel Experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area

Intro/About/The Author

What are the Top 100 Travel Experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area? Award-winning travel journalist Lee Foster, a local, provides the answers, assisting you to make wise use of your valuable exploration time. What are the best things to see and do?

Foster selects the most interesting subjects in 10 areas of San Francisco, such as Fisherman's Wharf or Golden Gate Park. He includes a few subjects also from North in Marin County, East to Oakland and Berkeley, and South to the San Mateo Coast and Stanford. Additionally, he groups subjects thematically by special interest, such as Culture/Museums and Nature/Hikes. Everything can be seen from a clickable Table of Contents outline by area and special interest subject. All the sections are then shown in an easily understood SF A-Z order.

For each subject, Foster presents a succinct write-up on why the subject was selected, based on his watching over the area for 40 years. Foster provides all the practical details you might want for a visit, such as a phone, exact address (for easy map search), and website for more information.

A noted travel photographer, Foster also offers a Your Best Shot paragraph for each subject, assisting you to get the objective photo and the selfie that will make your visit to the subject memorable. Almost everyone visiting San Francisco will want to create and share some of their own photos. Lee can help make the photo quest successful

Within each subject presented, there are numerous details that only an experienced observer can accumulate. For example, What time of day would be best for a visit to Baker Beach, with its views of the Golden Gate? Answer: Afternoon from 3 p.m. until sunset, you’ll see the western-positioned sun fall on the Bridge. Sometimes you’ll want to know the precise location where a special experience and photo are possible. For instance, Where exactly should I stand to get that fabulous view of old North Beach, the Coppola Building, with the Transamerica Pyramid in the background, showing SF Old and New? Answer: Exactly at the corner of Kearny and Columbus on the uphill side. Another question: Where is that park where you can see the Victorians with the city skyline in the background? Answer: That’s Alamo Square, a great place for a picnic.

Your Author: Lee Foster

Lee is an award-winning travel writer and photographer and long-time resident of Berkeley, across the Bay from San Francisco. His work has won eight Lowell Thomas Awards, the highest awards in travel journalism. He has been named Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year. All the write-ups and photos here are from Foster.

He has several parallel books/ebooks on San Francisco and Northern California. You can see them wherever books/ebooks are sold.

Much of his travel journalism can be seen on his website at https://www.fosertravel.com. About half of the 300 worldwide travel writing/photo coverages on the website are about San Francisco and Northern California. The others range from Egypt to Bali. You can Search for a SF/Norcal subject or worldwide subject and find his presentations, all available for free on the website.

Lee’s travel writing/photos have appeared in almost all the major U.S. travel magazines and newspapers, plus in more than 300 Lonely Planet travel books. You can see his digitally ready photos at http://stockphotos.fostertravel.com. Most of his licensing of photos occurs to major magazines and book companies, from the local AAA Via to National Geographic. Foster also offers an inexpensive Personal Publishing secure license for individuals who simply want a photo for their blog, website, book, or wall décor.

Contact Lee at lee@fostertravel.com if you have any suggestions on SF/Norcal travel and this presentation. New aspects for all these travel subjects emerge. Your experience, whether good or bad, is helpful to Foster as he continues to evaluate what should be in this select list.

Foster believes that few areas have done more than SF/Norcal to preserve the environment or improve the basics of travel, including attractions/dining/lodging.

SF/Norcal ranks as his favorite place on Earth. The more he has seen of the world, the more he appreciates his home territory. He hopes that this presentation makes your own exploration more enjoyable and insightful.

Note that the content of this ebook is also available as an app, titled SF Travel & Photo Guide, from Apple and Google.

Table of Contents

To the Reader: This Table of Contents is organized with an Overview Menu and then with a San Francisco A-Z list of all the best items to experience in the San Francisco Region.

For each Overview Menu subject, such as Area: Golden Gate Park, you’ll find at the bottom of the write-up a clickable list of relevant items in the SF A-Z list.

In the Overview Menu subjects you’ll also see beyond Areas some Themes, such as Culture/Museum, which may interest you. Everything in the San Francisco A-Z list relevant for these Themes will be listed and clickable at the bottom of the write-up.

Overview Menu:

Intro/About/The Author

Google Maps: Where Are You?

Lee’s Top 10 SF Experiences

SF A to Z List: Everything to See!

Areas of San Francisco to Explore!

Area: Embarcadero

Area: Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39

Area: On the Bay

Area: Downtown

Area: Chinatown/North Beach

Area: Civic Center

Area: Golden Gate Bridge/Presidio

Area: Northern/Western Oceanfront

Area: Golden Gate Park

Area: Mission/Castro

Iconic Photo Views

Nature/Hikes

Culture/Museums

Restaurants/Bars/Hotels

Annual Celebrations

Sports Teams

North to Marin County

East to Oakland Berkeley

South to San Mateo Coast/Bayside

Here is the total list of subjects referred to in the Overview Menu sections above. You may already have something in mind on which you want information. You’ll find it easily in this A-Z list.

SF A to Z List: Everything to See!

Academy of Sciences

Alamo Square Victorians

Alcatraz Prison Island

Angel Island

Ano Nuevo Elephant Seals

Asian Art Museum

Baker Beach/Golden Gate

Bank of America Building

BART/MUNI/Uber to Get Around

Bay Bridge, Day and Night

Bay to Breakers Run

Beach Chalet

Berkeley Downtown/Arts District/Restaurants

Botanical Garden

Buena Vista: Only-in-SF Bars/Restaurants

Cable Cars/Cable Car Museum

Café de La Presse: Traditional Restaurants

Carnaval Parade

Castro District/Gay SF

Cesar Chavez Park/East Bay Parks

Chinatown Food

Chinatown Walking Self-Tour

Chinese New Year

Christmas Holidays

City Hall

Cliff House/Sutro Baths

Coit Tower and Crookedest Street

Conservatory of Flowers

Conzelman Road/Marin Headlands Views of the Golden Gate

Crissy Field

Cruise Terminals

De Young Museum

Disney Museum

Dungeness Crab/Sourdough Bread at Fisherman’s Wharf

Exploratorium Science Museum

Farmers Market Civic Center

Farmers Market Ferry Building

Ferry Building Ferries

Ferry Building Shops

Ferry SF to Oakland

Fisherman’s Wharf Shopping

Fort Funston Hang Gliders

Gary Danko: Celebrity Chef Restaurants

Gay Pride Parade

Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point

Golden State Warriors

Gourmet Ghetto Berkeley

Haight Ashbury

Half Moon Bay Town

Hilton Cityscape Elevated Views

Historic Trolleys Along the Embarcadero

Hyatt Regency Interior

Hyde Street Pier Historic Ships

Intro/About/The Author

Jack London Square/Oakland Waterfront

Japanese Tea Garden

Jeremiah O’Brien WWII Ship

Joie de Vivre/Kimpton Boutique Hotels

Kayaking Tomales Bay

Lands End/Outlook NPS Center

Live Theatre in SF

Local SF Travel Information/Insight

Main Public Library

Mark Hopkins/Top of the Mark

Mission Dolores

Montara Beach

Muir Woods

Murals of the Mission District

Museum of Modern Art

Nob Hill/Huntington Park

North Beach Coffee and Culture

Oakland Downtown

Oakland Museum of California

Ocean Beach/Great Highway

Pacifica Hikes/Pier

Palace of the Legion of Honor

Pescadero

Pier 39 Aquarium of the Bay

Pier 39 Sea Lions

Pier 39 Shopping

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Point Reyes

Presidio

Princeton-by-the Sea

Restaurants/Bars/Hotels

San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco Airport

San Francisco Giants

Sausalito

Stanford/Palo Alto

Tiburon

Tour Boats on the Bay

Transamerica Pyramid from Coppola’s Zoetrope Building

Twin Peaks View

Union Square

University of California Berkeley

Victorian Architecture Self-Tour

Westin St. Francis

Zoo

SF A to Z List: Everything to See!

Under SF A-Z: Everything to See! you will find alphabetically the 100-plus subjects that I feel will be your best travel experience choices for San Francisco and areas nearby. I have personally visited each and every place recommended.

I have introductory sections alerting you to all attractions in an area, such as Golden Gate Park, or as part of a theme, such as Culture/Museums. The main group of these sections divides San Francisco into 10 Areas where subjects can be found. I also have a few thematic introductions (beyond Culture/Museums to suggest Lee’s Top 10 SF Experiences, Iconic Photo Views, and Nature/Hikes, etc.) and the three directions from SF where you will find nearby attractions (North to Marin County, East to Oakland/Berkeley, and South to San Mateo Coast/Bayside).

Each of my 100-plus subjects has a succinct text explaining why the subject is likely to interest you. Below that is If You Go information, citing the area where the subject resides, plus the website, address, and phone for a contact. If there is a charge or not, that will be indicated as Free, Moderate, or Expensive.

You are welcome to send me a note indicating how this presentation helped you. Email to me at Lee Foster, lee@fostertravel.com. Please send me any errors you find or any omissions that should have been included. My hope is that this presentation will enrich your travel experience to San Francisco. More detail from me on many of these subjects can be seen if you Search on my website at http://www.fostertravel.com.

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Academy of Sciences

The sod roof on the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is a symbol of the institution's message: We need to develop more sustainable practices.

One such environmental practice: Collect the rainfall where it falls, rather than rely on a costly system of runoff, reservoirs, and transport systems to get water to people. Hence, the sod roof with its vigorous plant growth.

Diverse exhibits inside will delight visitors of all ages.

Your Best Shot: You can make effective photos of the new sod roof and the entire Academy building from the tower of the nearby de Young Museum, which lies across a treed expanse called the Music Concourse. Once inside the Academy of Sciences, you can make a selfie with a live white alligator in the background.

Admission is free to the de Young tower to get an elevated perspective on the Academy of Sciences.

Within the Academy of Sciences, concentrate on its tropical rain forest exhibit, among others such as the aquarium and the planetarium. This natural history museum is one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Etched into the floor is one of Charles Darwin's sobering observations—that survival of any species is dependent on something more than intelligence or strength. Survival depends on the ability of an organism to adapt successfully to changing circumstances.

If You Go:

Area: Golden Gate Park

Website: http://www.calacademy.org

Address: 55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118

Phone: 415-379-8000

Price: Admission charge, moderate

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Alamo Square Victorians

Arguably the best-loved view of San Francisco's Victorian houses is from a small park called Alamo Square, located in the Western Addition.

Your Best Shot: The iconic photo or view of the Victorians works well after 2 p.m. when the westward-advancing sun falls on the Victorians to the east of the park. It’s easy to get yourself in the photo from Alamo Square if you desire.

Not only is there a row of colorful Victorians, sometimes affectionately called Painted Ladies, but the modern city skyline looms in the background.

The setting juxtaposes the old and the new, best of both.

From Alamo Square you can venture out in the neighborhood to view adjacent Victorians. The Haas-Lilienthal House is your best source for further Victorian information and tours (see separate entry Victorian Architecture Self-Tour).

If You Go:

Area: Civic Center

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo_Square,_San_Francisco

Address: Hayes and Steiner Sts, San Francisco, CA 94117

Phone: 415-218-0259

Price: Free

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Alcatraz Prison Island

Whether seen from the edge of Pier 39 or from a tour boat parading around the Bay, Alcatraz is an intriguing aspect of the San Francisco landscape.

The famous and draconian prison island can also be viewed close-up with a National Park Service tour, which leaves from Pier 33 and includes a guided walk through the cell blocks.

Your Best Shot: While a portrait of the profile of the island is compelling, there’s nothing quite like strolling through the cell blocks and making a photo or video of how the incorrigibles lived. If you put yourself in the image, you may have your most captivating portrait ever.

Although best known for its infamous Federal Prison period from 1934 to 1963, with Al Capone as the most famous resident, Alcatraz also has a long history.

The island was in military use in the Civil War.

When abandoned after the prison period, it was briefly occupied by a contingent of American Indians in the late 1960s.

In 1972 Alcatraz passed into National Park Service control, where it is destined to remain. The Park Service offers every visitor an informative group tour with a ranger.

Then there is time to wander around on your own before catching a desired boat back to San Francisco.

If You Go:

Area: On the Bay

Website: http://www.alcatrazcruises.com

Address: Pier 33, Embarcadero, for boat ride

Phone: 415-981-7625

Price: Transportation and park entrance charges, moderate

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