DK Travel : San Francisco

San Franciscans will, rather candidly, admit that they are the most fortunate people on earth, the occasional earthquake notwithstanding; and most visitors, after a few days of taking in the sights and sounds of this magnificent city, will agree. Ask anyone who has been here and they will tell you it’s their favorite US city. The geographical setting evokes so much emotional drama, the light seems clearer, the colors more vivid, the cultural diversity of the ethnic neighborhoods so captivating and inviting, that it’s a place almost everyone can fall in love with at first sight.

de Young Museum

The old de Young was too damaged in the 1989 earthquake to be saved, but a new state-of-the-art facility is due to open in October 2005. The museum’s extensive collection includes a broad range of 19th-century and contemporary American art, as well as pre-Columbian-American, African and Oceanic works.
Delfina

Nouvelle Italian might best describe the cuisine here, and it is turned out to near perfection. The decor is fairly stark but not overbearing, and the inventive dishes rarely fail to surprise and delight. Maybe you’ll choose a night when they’re serving gnocchi with peas and morel mushrooms.
Destino

Traditional Spanish and South American music and dancing, with all the spirit that goes with it. Great drinks and Latino food, too.
Destino

Relax and experience the passion of flamenco and the intensity of tango every evening. Close to being under a freeway overpass, it nevertheless exudes a special energy. South American food, too.
Detour

Mostly under-40s here, but nobody’s shy about striking up a cruisy conversation or cozy tryst at this long-standing and very popular gay men’s spot. The music is techno, and the go-go guys look goo-goo-eyed with the ennui of it all, but it has got the city’s longest Happy Hour (from 2pm to 8pm) and the drinks are cheap anyway.
Dianne Feinstein

One of the movers and shakers of San Francisco politics in recent decades, she became a US Senator in 1992.
Dirty Harry

Yet another detective story (1971) set in the city that invites such mysteries, perhaps due to its fog.
Divisadero

This street cuts a great swathe through the city centre. It starts in the south at Duboce Street, then rises to glorious mansions and Bay vistas after Geary Expressway.
DNA Lounge

The recent return of this clubbers’ favorite brings with it a juiced-up sound system, five bar areas, and a bigger dance floor. Webcasts of live concerts and DJ events, too.
Dolores Park Inn

The rooms at this 1874 Italianate Victorian range from a snug enclave with twin beds to a two-room suite with a patio. The ground floor has two parlors and a dining room decorated with antiques. A large one-bedroom suite in the carriage house offers a fireplace, a Jacuzzi hot tub, marble flooring, and a full kitchen with washer and dryer.

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Hotel price categories

For a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
- under $100
- $100-$200
- $200-$250
- $250-$300
- over $300
Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under $20
- $20-$40
- $40-$55
- $55-$80
- over $80