New to San Francisco. This is my routine tour to show friends who have not visited San Francisco before: Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, and China Town. They are pretty close together and personally, I have visited them so many times that I won't miss them in a long while. Depending on timing, Fishermen's Wharf can be added as well.
Alternate Day Trip To San Francisco. If you are tired of visiting the same ol' things over and over again, you can try this: Golden Gate Park, Cliff House, and Twin Peaks. They are close together and if time permits, you can visit San Francisco Zoo. 2 separate trips can allow you to see more. By the way, Twin Peaks is best place to view the city from a distance.
17 Mile Drive. It is a private driveway, about 17 miles long as its name suggests. Very beautiful beaches, tree landscapes, etc. But I usually stop over at Santa Cruz's Beach Wharf to see sea lions and lighthouse becuase they are on the way. Sometimes I will fit the Stanford Quad (or Oval, whatever) in the trip as well.
Fog Watching. Wonder what it's like to look down to it when the fog is rolling in from the sea? The best place to do this is on top of Mount Tamalpais, just about 40 minutes north of San Francisco, on the way to Stinson Beach. I would suggest you drive to the top to wait for the lovely sunset.
Wine and Dine. Napa Valley has so many great wineries where you can sample some of the world's best wines. Among them, Wineries of BV and Beringer stand out the most. You can lunch at CIA, or Culinary Institute of America; do expect a long wait. North you can drive to Calistoga to see Stone Forest and a geyser, which are less interesting. But generally the scenery of Napa is unique.
Angel Island. If you don't have time to visit Fishermen's Wharf, here is another chance. Because the Blue and Gold ferries take you from there to Angel Island. On the ferry trip, you can pass Alcatraz and have a chance to look back to see the panoramic view of Bay Bridge, city skyline, and Golden Gate Bridge. Spectacular! On the island, you have to rent a bike and circle around the island.
Cherry Picking. Once a year when cheeries are ripe, Brentwood is a great place to let go your guard, roll up your sleeves and climb the ladders to feast your appetite. There is a lake on the way, but I forgot its name (Angel Lake?).
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