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The icy waters of the Bay are an option only if you’re a polar bear or an indomitable surfer. Most visitors will want to head for a pool – try the Embarcadero YMCA.

Free public tennis courts abound in the city. Contact the Recreation and Park Department for the one nearest you. Golden Gate Park has 21 courts, for which a small fee is charged, but you can book in advance. Most public outdoor courts are open from sunrise to sunset. Indoor courts are the purview of private tennis clubs, with membership required.

This vast swathe of greenery has only recently entered the city’s repertoire of parklands. It has the potential to be even more amazing than Golden Gate Park, providing that the right decisions are made by the Presidio Trust, whose job it is to make the new national park financially self-sufficient by 2013. The war of words and proposals is raging at the moment, mostly over exactly how commercialized the property should be allowed to become.

The most dramatic section of Divisadero is the highest point in Pacific Heights.

The view from these peaks seems like one from a helicopter, hovering over the city.

This tiny park is a much needed break from concrete and asphalt for Downtown workers, whom you will see picnicking here at weekday lunchtimes. The park evokes a peaceful mountain meadow. A wonderful sculpture by Georgia O’Keeffe adds contrast, while a central fountain sends droplets of water falling across cement blocks below.

Taking at least a day to drive up into the Napa-Sonoma hill country should be on everyone’s list. Not only is the countryside beautiful, but you can also sample some of the best wines in the world, and dip into the restorative volcanic hot springs that feed the area (see The Wine Country).

A small but very welcome patch of green in an otherwise paved-over area. When the weather is fine, the lawn is populated by sunbathers, while other parts of the gardens feature beautiful memorial fountains and sculptures (see Yerba Buena Gardens’ Features).