traveldk.com

Postcard central, thanks to its row of perfect Victorians backed by the knock-out Downtown view. The park itself is a sloping patch of green, while the surrounding streets are lined with so many grand old houses that it has been declared a historic site. Two of them have been turned into hotels, although the areas immediately outside the square are not the most salubrious at night.

Pacific Heights’s double block of verdant hill is a popular place to take the sun when it ventures to break through the fog. Basketball and tennis courts and a children’s playground are in the center, while to the south there are terraced lawns, onto which some of Pacific Heights’ oldest homes face.

Take the CalTrain to this seasonal racetrack.

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

Highway 9 is one of the most picturesque drives in the Bay Area, winding its way among the green Santa Cruz Mountains and through little towns where nothing much changes. Life has a backwoods feel here, although it’s only minutes from the hubbub of Silicon Valley.

Although the hills’ amazing grades overwhelm all but those with legs of steel, bicycling is very big in San Francisco. Rent bikes from City Cycle.

Sailing, rowing and kayaking are all great here, although far from a cakewalk on the Bay’s unpredictable waters and sometimes ferocious prevailing winds. Play it nice and easy by taking a boat out on Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park (see Stow Lake and Strawberry Hill).

This hidden-away Marin beach tends to be windy and is mostly used by dog-walkers, and kayakers. It’s sandy, with a backdrop of rocky cliffs. If you walk north, you’ll find warmer nooks and crannies out of the wind, where some sun-worshipers bask in the nude, although there is a rarely enforced city ordinance against it.