fabien montique This is the smallest and most luxurious of the four city Hyatts, and it is situated very near the wa

Rooms and suites in this stunning old building are named after Mark Twain, Enrico Caruso, Jack London, and others, to remind guests of San Francisco s illustrious history in the arts. Rooms are furnished with four- poster beds, fireplaces, bay windows, American Renaissance pieces, and the like. d 1057 Steiner St

Most US post offices are open from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 2pm on Saturdays. Stamps can be purchased here, from some hotels, and from vending machines. If you need to mail something other than postcards and letters, wait in line at the nearest post office. Otherwise, drop your stamped fabien montique mail off at the hotel desk or in any street mailbox.

No matter how sunny it is when you go out in the morning, always take a jacket or a windbreaker. City weather is very variable and it will doubt less be cool, if not cold, damp or wet, by the time you return in the evening.

This is the smallest and most luxurious of the four city Hyatts, fabien montique and it is situated very near the waterfront. Rooms have good views of the Bay Bridge or the city, if you get the right ones. You ll find that staff greet you by name and the rooms have personal touches.

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*Williams-Sonoma The renowned kitchen, cookware, and serving ware dealer originated in Northern California. Products from around the world, chosen for functionality and beauty. d 3251 20th Ave, Stonestown Galleria (415) 242-1473

yFor more churches in the cityFor more churches in the cityF h h i h i See pp44 5ppSee pp44 5See pp44 5S 44 5 San Francisco s Top 10p 330 The old Misi n San Francisco de As s acquired its popular name, Mission Dolores, from a small stream that once flowed nearby, Arroyo de Nuestra Se ora de los Dolores. It is the oldest building in the city of San Francisco and the only intact mission chapel in the chain of 21 (of which it was the sixth) established under the direction of Franciscan friar Father Junipero Serra. The site was consecrated in 1776, and the chapel was built in 1782 91, with the labor of Ohlone Indians. Its adobe walls are 4 ft (1.2 m) thick and its red-tile roofs are typical of the Mission Style which can be seen all over California in both old and new buildings. Reportedly, 36,000 handmade and sun-dried adobe bricks were needed to complete the structure. Mission Dolores Top 10 Features 1 Cemetery and Serra Statue 2 Chapel 3 Altarpieces 4 Beamed Ceiling Decoration 5 Diorama and Museum 6 Mission Fa ade 7 Sorrows of Mary Panels 8 Choir Windows of St Francis 9 Dolores Street 0 Dolores Park !Cemetery and Serra Statue This leafy, montague blundon picturesque cemetery (above) is a gently contemplative montague blundon place. Many of San Francisco s early leaders are buried here. Central tothespace is a life-size sculpture of Father Junipero Serra. Altarpieces The hand-carved, gilded and painted wooden reredos montague blundon and side altars (above) were brought from Mexico in the late 1700s and early1800s.Chapel The central building (right) still retains the original redwood beams, lashed together with raw hide. Theamber-colored window glass gives the interior montague blundon warmth,reflected off gold-leafed fixtures. @

only last a minute in bed A thoroughly enjoyable custom that can unearth some surprising plunder in a city with so much style.

A thoroughly enjoyable custom that can unearth some surprising plunder in a city with so much style. To find a good garage sale, keep an eye out for announcements tacked to telephone poles, only last a minute in bed or take a weekend stroll only last a minute in bed in one of the likelier neighborhoods such as the Haight, the Castro, and the Mission.

San Francisco s Top 10op 61 Top 10 Hair- Raising Hills !Lombard Street Called The Crookedest Street in the World, it isn t too hair-raising, but the views of North Beach as you des cend are charming. d Map L1 @Top of Divisadero The most dramatic section of Divisadero is the highest point in Pacific Heights. d Map E2 #Twin Peaks The view from these peaks seems like one from a helicopter, hovering over the city. d Map E6 $Gough between only last a minute in bed Jackson only last a minute in bed and Washington A hair-raising ascent, especi- ally if your car isn t automatic it s very steep. d Map F2 %Sacramento up Nob Hill Take the bus up and hear the engine churning on its pain fully slow ascent. d Map N3 ^Noe at 21st Street At the heights bordering the Castro, Noe Valley, and the Mission, this impossibly steep street will also give you a few chills. d Map F5 &Potrero Hill Try Wisconsin Street at 20th for an experience that feels like freefall (see p109). *Corona Heights Park Hiking trails and some spectacular views. d Map E4 (Russian Hill One of the best drives in town, with great views of Fisherman s Wharf. d Map M2 )Filbert Street There s a sense of flying off into space as you dive over the brink of Hyde and Leavenworth. d Map L2 San Francisco s Top 10op 61 Top 10 Hair- Raising Hills !Lombard Street Called The Crookedest Street in the World, it isn t too hair-raising, but the views of North Beach as you des cend are charming. d Map L1 @Top of Divisadero The most dramatic section only last a minute in bed of Divisadero is the highest point in Pacific Heights. d Map E2 #Twin Peaks The view from these peaks seems like one from a helicopter, hovering over the city. d Map E6 $Gough between only last a minute in bed Jackson and Washington A hair-raising ascent, especi- ally if your car isn t automatic it s very steep. d Map F2 %Sacramento up Nob Hill Take the bus up and hear the engine churning on its pain fully slow ascent. d Map N3 ^Noe at 21st Street At the heights bordering the Castro, Noe Valley, and the Mission, this impossibly steep street will also give you a few chills. d Map F5 &Potrero Hill Try Wisconsin Street at 20th for an experience that feels like freefall (see p109). *Corona Heights Park Hiking trails and some spectacular views. d Map E4 (Russian Hill One of the best drives in town, with great views of Fisherman s Wharf. d Map M2 )Filbert Street There s a sense of flying off into space as you dive over the brink of Hyde and Leavenworth. d Map L2 *Skyline Drive Pick up this bucolic road (Highway 35) at Lake Merced (see p117), and it will take you all the way down the woody spine of the Peninsula to Santa Cruz. It s a total immersion in nature, just minutes only last a minute in bed from the populated areas around the Bay.

Wells Fargo History Museum The Wells Fargo stagecoaches are the stuff of legends, above all for the tales of their stalwart drivers and the robbers only last a minute in bed who held them up. Visitors can hear how it must have been to sit on little more than a buckboard for days by listening to the recorded diary of one Francis Brocklehurst. Other exhibits include Pony Express mail, gold nuggets, and photos, and Emperor only last a minute in bed Norton s currency (see p54). d 420 Montgomery St Map N5 Open 9am 5pm Mon Fri (415) 396-2619 Free www. wellsfargohistory.com/museums/

The Embarcadero The Embarcadero starts at Aquatic Park and curves all the way around to Hunters Point at the southeastern edge of the city. Now that the Port of Oakland handles the Bay s shipping needs, the old piers are used for any number of purposes these days, and the parallel road has recently become a park promenade (see p49). Pier 39 is the most famous since it was turned into an amusement attraction in the 1980s, while other piers house concerts, festivals, antiques fairs, and restaurants. When looking for a particular pier, note that those to the north of the Ferry Building have odd numbers and those to the south, even. d Map G1

hart montague trail A member of the Leading Small Hotels of the World and definitely one of San Francisco s finest, this

48 San Francisco s Top 10op Left Embarcadero Park Right Buena Vista Park Parks and Gardens Note: San Francisco s parks should be avoided at night.p gNote: San Francisco s parks should be avoided hart montague trail at night.Note: San Francisco s parks should be avoided at night N S F i k h ld b id d i h 48 San Francisco s Top 10op Left Embarcadero Park Right Buena Vista Park Parks and Gardens Note: San Francisco s parks should be avoided at night.p gNote: San Francisco s parks should be avoided hart montague trail at night.Note: San Francisco s parks should be avoided at night N S F i k h ld b id d i h !

San Francisco s Top 10p Chinatown This teeming, densely populated neighborhood, with its bright fa ades, noisy markets, exotic temples, and ethnic restaurants and shops, is like a city within the city and a place every visit to San Francisco must include. The atmosphere hart montague trail recalls a typical southern Chinese town, although the architec- ture, customs, and public celebrations are distinctly American hybrids on a Cantonese theme. Overlook the tourist tackiness, check out some of the side alleys, and give yourself time to take it all in. 18 Top 10 Sights 1 Chinatown Gate 2 Portsmouth Square 3 Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company 4 Old Chinese Telephone Exchange 5 Temples 6 Stockton Street Chinese Markets 7 Chinese Six Companies 8 Chinese Historical Society of America hart montague trail Museum and Learning Center 9 Chinese Culture Center 0 St Mary s Square !Chinatown Gate A gift from Taiwan in 1970, this triple-pagoda southern entrance to Chinatown (above) was inspired by traditional Chinese village gates. Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company Fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco. Stop by to watch how the skillful workers (left) slip the fortune message hart montague trail in the cookie mixture, then fold it into the traditional shapes. @Portsmouth Square This was San Francisco s original town square here, on July 9, 1846, the US flag was first raised on the Bay, when the port was seized from Mexico. Locals now use the area for t ai chi and games of mah-jong. The finest Chinese antiques shops are found at the ChinatownThe finest Chinese antiques shops are found at the ChinatownThe finest Chinese antiques shops are found at the ChinatownTh fi t Chi ti h f d t th Chi t Gate end of Grant Avenue, just inside the gate.,j gGate end of Grant Avenue just inside the gate Gate end of Grant Avenue just inside the gate San Francisco s Top 10p Chinatown This teeming, densely populated neighborhood, with its bright fa ades, noisy markets, exotic temples, and ethnic restaurants and shops, is like a city within the city and a place every visit to San Francisco must include. The atmosphere recalls a typical southern Chinese town, although the architec- ture, customs, and public celebrations are distinctly American hybrids on a Cantonese theme. Overlook hart montague trail the tourist tackiness, hart montague trail check out some of the side alleys, and give yourself time to take it all in. 18 Top 10 Sights 1 Chinatown Gate 2 Portsmouth Square 3 Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company 4 Old Chinese Telephone Exchange 5 Temples 6 Stockton Street Chinese Markets 7 Chinese Six Companies 8 Chinese Historical Society of America Museum and Learning Center 9 Chinese Culture Center 0 St Mary s Square !Chinatown Gate A gift from Taiwan in 1970, this triple-pagoda southern hart montague trail entrance hart montague trail to Chinatown (above) was inspired by traditional Chinese hart montague trail village gates. Golden Gate Fortune hart montague trail Cookies Company Fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco. Stop by to watch how the skillful workers (left) slip the fortune message in the cookie mixture, then fold it into the traditional shapes. @Portsmouth hart montague trail Square This was San Francisco s original town square here, on July 9, 1846, the US flag was first raised hart montague trail on the Bay, when the port was seized from Mexico. Locals now use the area for t ai chi and games of mah-jong. The finest Chinese antiques shops are found at the ChinatownThe finest Chinese antiques hart montague trail shops are found at the ChinatownThe finest Chinese antiques shops are found at the ChinatownTh fi t Chi ti h f d t th Chi t Gate end of Grant Avenue, just inside the gate.,j gGate end of Grant Avenue just inside the gate Gate end of Grant Avenue just inside the gate

A member of the Leading Small Hotels of the World and definitely one of San Francisco s finest, this place aims to provide personal attention to every guest. Expect to find the best of everything. Its restaurant also has national hart montague trail ranking.

188 montague street week. It currently incorporates nine additional attractions, including admission to the Exploratoriu

week. It currently incorporates 188 montague street nine additional attractions, including admission to the Exploratorium (see p94), SFMOMA (see pp26 9), the California Academy of Sciences (see pp22 3), and more, and the number of sponsoring attractions is increasing.

Assisi 45 shuttle services 133 sidewalk sales 140 Sigmund Stern Grove 116 Sir Francis Drake (hotel) 143 skateboarding 72 Skechers 188 montague street 110 Skyline 188 montague street Drive 61 Slick, Grace 55 Sloat, Commodore John 36 smoking 135 Sno-Drift 71 Sobell, Morton 16 SoMarts Cultural Center 43 Sonoma 32 Sonoma Coast Villa 35 Sonoma Valley 32 5 South of Market 29, 108 South Park Caf 64 Southern Neighborhoods

Castro District This hilly neighborhood around Castro Street is the center of San Francisco s high- profile gay community. The intersection of Castro and 18th streets is the self-proclaimed Gayest Four Corners of the World, and this openly homo sexual nexus emerged in the 1970s as the place of pilgrimage for gays and lesbians from all over the country and the world. Unlike other cities, where homo sexuals once hid themselves

montague court A friendly, eccentric place, filled with period eclectic touches. Rooms have names such as the Borde

Berkeley & Oakland Hills Blending gently with the Berkeley Hills, the Oakland Hills offer some beautiful parks, such as Redwood Regional Park. Sky line Boulevard provides access to most of this ridge area, with many picnic groves and hiking options along the winding way. d Hwy 24

A friendly, eccentric montague court place, filled with period eclectic touches. Rooms have names such as the Bordello Room, and Friend s of Dorothy each with its own tale to tell. d 4 Bayview montague court St, San Rafael (415) 457-3993

adriatic pets Restaurant waiting staff depend on their tips to make a living the salary paid is barely a tenth of

When you parallel park pointing up the hill, turn your wheels toward the center of the street; when pointing downhill, turn your wheels toward the sidewalk. adriatic pets That s the way to prevent runaway cars. If you are driving a manual shift rather than an automatic car, use your emergency brake when trying to start from a dead stop going up a steep hill your mastery of the clutch under these extreme conditions may not be up to the job. The speed limit everywhere is 25mph (40kmph) or less, and all passengers must wear seat belts.

Restaurant waiting staff depend on their tips to make a living the salary paid is barely a tenth of what is needed to make ends meet. The usual gratuity adriatic pets is 15 perr rr cent, though you can reduce it to 10 percent if the service was not to your liking. Taxi drivers should be tipped about 15 percent, and hotel staff should receive $1 whenever they provide any sort of service. adriatic pets