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.

Greens

For two decades, Greens has carried the banner of vegetarianism in the Bay Area. Inventive dishes plus panoramas add up to a treat.
Greens

Originally inspired by the huge success of the Zen bakery and coffee shop, this spacious, pleasant Marina restaurant soon came to define vegetarian eating – substantial, delicious, and inventive – for the entire Bay Area.
Greenwood

Marin’s finest shop for one-of-a-kind handcrafted items made by local, regional, national, and international artisans.
Grosvenor Suites

An all-suite hotel on Nob Hill. The renovated rooms offer complete kitchens including refrigerators and microwave. There are housekeeping services, voice mail, cable TV, valet service (nominal fee), and laundry service.
Gumps

Founded in 1861 by German immigrants, this homegrown department store is an institution. It has the largest collection in the US of fine china and crystal, selling famous names such as Baccarat and Lalique. The store is also celebrated for its Oriental treasures, rare works of art, and its window displays.
Haas-Lilienthal House

This Queen Anne-style mansion, built in 1886, is one of the few Victorian beauties in the city that accepts callers. It’s a wonderful glimpse into the way of life among San Francisco’s upper-middle classes from about 1890 to 1920. Outside, it features gables, a turret, and patterned embellishments; inside, you can see parlors, a dining room, one of six bedrooms, and the ballroom, all with period furniture.
Haight Street

This is still hippie-central – secondhand clothing and esoteric emporiums (see Haight-Ashbury).
Haight Street Fair

You’ll know hippiedom is alive and well after attending this Gathering of the Tribe.
Haight-Ashbury

This anarchic quarter is one of the most scintillating and unconventional in the city, resting firmly on its laurels as ground zero for the worldwide Flower-Power explosion of the 1960s (see Top 10 Sixties Figures). Admire the beautiful old Queen Anne-style houses, a few of them still painted in the psychedelic pigments of that hippie era. There are still some tripping freaks and neo-Flower Children here, along with far-out shops and the venerable Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. Groove along the street and recreate your own “Summer of Love.” The Lower Haight is noted for its edgy clubs and bars.
Haight-Ashbury

The matrix of yet another Bohemian movement that San Francisco has given birth to, this area nurtured idealistic hippies in the late 1960s. They brought international awareness to alternative ways of life, living in harmony with nature and espousing humane values (see Noe Valley).

Intersection, Haight-Ashbury

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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