A Baseball Trip To San Francisco

Description:

Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco's historic waterfront, is at the top of every visitor's muse-see list-and we mean every visitor (locals tend to avoid it). Despite abundant souvenir shops, Fisherman's Wharf still has plenty of appeal. Families shouldn't miss the aquarium and sea lions sunning outdoors at Pier 39, nor Fisherman's Wharf's novelty museums, including Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, the Musee Mecanique, and the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf. History lovers can explore the area's maritime past at an anchored submarine, a WWII ship, and an array of old-time vessels. Shopaholics can find more than just souvenirs on Jefferson Street and at Ghiradelli Square, an outdoor mall featuring (you guessed it!) the city's signature chocolate. Fisherman's Wharf is also an unbeatable dining destination, whether you prefer only-in-Cali burgers at In-n-Out or premium fish and seafood. If you're in town during November through February, you're in store for a harvest of Dungeness crab, a local specialty. Try clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl for a year-round Fisherman's Wharf culinary delight.

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You just might not be able to stop yourself from singing the old Rice-a-Roni jingle each time you ride a gleaming, red San Francisco Cable Car. Although it's mostly tourists who ride these iconic streetcars, even locals who live near the cable lines get in on the action just because it's the most fun way to experience the hilly, roller-coaster ride that is San Francisco topography. Hold on tight and boldly lean outside the Cable Car for unparalleled views of the cityscape and the Bay rising and fading. For the best Cable Car ride the city has to offer, brave the line at Powell and Market and take the Powell Street line up some of the city's steepest hills, all the way to its terminus at Fisherman's Wharf. For an alternative, take the Hyde Street line to the top of twisty-turny Lombard Street. The California Street line takes you through the Financial District to the more elegant residential turf of the Nob Hill district, home to some of the city's most luxurious hotels.

Description:

Lefty's is the perfect place to sit down and unwind after a long day of shopping, sight-seeing or working. They are more than a restaurant and lounge-offering one-of-a-kind baseball memorabilia, rare celebrity photos and "the best deal on the square." Lefty's has 12 TVs scattered throughout their restaurant. Don't forget the kids!

Our Local Expert Says:

If you don’t fill up during the game, head out to one of SoMA’s great nearby eateries: Tres Agaves boasts wonderful haute Mexican food and top-shelf tequilas; Primo Patio serves up a delicious islands-inspired lunch menu; and South Park Café features refined yet unpretentious French cooking.

Description:

Baseball lovers would be remiss not to catch an open-air game at AT&T Park, home to MLB powerhouse the San Francisco Giants and the record-breaking feats of Barry Bonds. Built in 1997, AT&T Park is positioned on the bay in San Francisco's funky SoMA district and appeals even to fair-weather sports fans with its fantastic setting, beautiful views, and fun features, such as the 80-foot Coca-Cola bottle with playground slides. And then there's the matter of the park's top-notch eats. Where else in America could you expect to buy a gourmet sausage and garlic fries or a sushi roll for your mid-game snack?

Description:

Rock star Sammy Hagar, Eric Rubin, Tommy's Mexican Restaurant co-owner Julio Bermejo, and Globe chef-owner and Zuppa's owner Joseph Manzare have teamed up in this restaurant. Manzare's menu is inspired by Jalisco, a state in the central highlands of Mexico, which is also the birthplace of Mexican whisky - tequila. However, only tequila made from blue agave is on the menu at Tres Agave. Needless to say, the food, ambience, and alcohol is unsurpassable with such seasoned persons behind the helm.

Description:

The Grove is the kind of place you go just to hang out and enjoy the fact that you're in San Francisco. That the heaping salads, lasagna, pasta, sandwiches, and daily specials are predictably good is an added bonus. I like coming here on weekday mornings for the easy-going vibe, strong coffee, and friendly, fast service. Inside you can sit at one of the dark wood tables on the scuffed hardwood floor and people-watch through the large open windows, but on sunny days the most coveted seats are along the sidewalk. It's the perfect place to read the newspaper, sip an enormous mug of coffee, and be glad you're not at work right now. A second Pacific Heights location is at 2016 Fillmore St. between California and Pine streets (tel. 415/474-1419).

Description:

Famed as the "crookedest street in the world," the swath of Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth streets in San Francisco's Russian Hill district is indeed full of twists and turns. Lombard Street was designed as a series of switchbacks in order to make its steep grade navigable by automobile. Today, you'll almost definitely see Lombard Street congested with cars making the celebrated drive down. Therefore, we recommend hoofing it-you'll be able to admire all the more slowly the lovely, brightly-colored houses flanked with bougainvillea and all manner of flowers, as well as the gorgeous view of North Beach, Telegraph Hill, and the bay. After winding down Lombard Street, head east to nearby North Beach for serious Italian eats, or north to the maritime delights of Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square.

Description:

Despite the popular misconception, Joe DiMaggio did not marry Marilyn Monroe in this opulent church (that was at City Hall). He did, however, marry his first wife, starlet Dorothy Arnold, here and it was this church that celebrated his funeral mass. Dating only from 1922, this Roman Catholic church is awash in marble, gilding and ornately carved wood, starting with the life-size marble angel at the entrance. Inside the hushed sanctuary, redolent with the aroma of burning candles, is an elaborately carved and painted ceiling glinting with gold leaf. Pendant chandeliers in aged brass and frosted glass hang from the arches of the colonnade on either side of the nave. The altar is an explosion of marble carved with the titular saints of the church, plus cherubs, angels and all the niches and domes needed to contain them. Statues and shrines, including one to Our Lady of Lourdes that features a faux grotto, line the walls and the elaborate chapels.

Description:

This historic but still hip little pub palace features stained glass, funky seats, and photos galore of the literary beatniks who once spent their pay (most likely from City Lights Publishers, just next door) on booze and loose women inside. At the corner of Jack Kerouac alley and Columbus Ave, it's premier location at the downtown edge of North Beach suggests it should be hopping all the time, but in fact its the perfect place to take a notebook, grab a pint and wax poetic, inspired by the beat of the beats that still lingers in the walls. Or do your waxing outloud with some friends in the sweet wraparound 2nd floor, where the tables at the front feature a downright uplifting view of the mad cats in strait jacket suits making their way from the Financial District to the Gentlemens' Clubs down Broadway.

Our Local Expert Says:

The best bookstore in the Bay Area. Not only for Beatniks.

Description:

Designated a city landmark, the hangout of Beat-era writers -- Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti among them -- remains a vital part of San Francisco's literary scene. Still leftist at heart, the store has a replica of a revolutionary mural destroyed in Chiapas, Mexico, by military forces.

Description:

With Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse, we have built a timeless environment for people to reminisce over collections of awe-inspiring memorabilia - or experience this era for the first time. We offer more than exceptional cuisine and service. By using the powers of design and entertainment, we stir emotion in the heart of each customer.

Our Local Expert Says:

If you don’t fill up during the game, head out to one of SoMA’s great nearby eateries: Tres Agaves boasts wonderful haute Mexican food and top-shelf tequilas; Primo Patio serves up a delicious islands-inspired lunch menu; and South Park Café features refined yet unpretentious French cooking.

Description:

Baseball lovers would be remiss not to catch an open-air game at AT&T Park, home to MLB powerhouse the San Francisco Giants and the record-breaking feats of Barry Bonds. Built in 1997, AT&T Park is positioned on the bay in San Francisco's funky SoMA district and appeals even to fair-weather sports fans with its fantastic setting, beautiful views, and fun features, such as the 80-foot Coca-Cola bottle with playground slides. And then there's the matter of the park's top-notch eats. Where else in America could you expect to buy a gourmet sausage and garlic fries or a sushi roll for your mid-game snack?

Description:

Okay, do not go here for the food. It is not bad, but it is not great either, with serviceable omelettes, burgers, sandwiches, and red (not white!) clam chowder. Do not go here for the decor, which borders dangerously on early 60s in alarming shades of orange, harvest gold, and avocado. We go to this place because of the view, the friendly service and the low prices, in that order. Located just up the road from The Cliff House, it perches on a cliffside that overlooks the Pacific Ocean and Seal Rock to the west and the ruins of the Sutro Baths with a glimpse of the Marin Headlands to the north. Counter service if you must, but get a table by the picture window where you can and marvel at the wonder of the conjunction of sea and sky.

Our Local Expert Says:

The San Francisco brewpub with, by far, the best view.

Description:

The Spanish colonial-style structure, architect Willis Polk's last design, was built in 1925 after his death. A wraparound Federal Works Project mural by Lucien Labaudt depicts San Francisco in the 1930s; the labels describing the various panels add up to a mini-history of Depression-era life in the city. A three-dimensional model of Golden Gate Park, artifacts from the 1894 Mid-Winter Exposition and other park events, a visitor center, and a gift shop that sells street signs and other city paraphernalia are on the first floor as well. On a clear day, the brewpub-restaurant Beach Chalet upstairs (notice the carved banister on the way up) has views past Ocean Beach to the Farallon Islands, about 30 mi offshore. Park Chalet, on the ground floor, has a stone fireplace and glass ceiling, offering indoor-outdoor dining facing a lawn, garden, and Golden Gate Park.

Our Local Expert Says:

The perfect spot for an after dark beach bonfire that's still near enough to your bed.

Description:

The massive beach stretches the length of the city's Pacific Ocean frontage from Seal Rocks all the way down to Daly City. Popular with surfers, kite flyers and families, it's San Francisco's main city beach. Although it can often be foggy and/or windy, on sunny warm days it's a joy. Swimming isn't advisable, as currents and waves can be extremely rough. A trip to Ocean Beach at sunset, followed by dinner at Beach Chalet (make sure you have a pint of the beer they brew on site) is just about a perfect evening. Or, enjoy a bonfire on the beach after dark, per NPS regulations.

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Two windmills anchor the western end of Golden Gate Park. The restored 1902 Dutch Windmill once pumped 20,000 gallons of well water per hour to the reservoir on Strawberry Hill. With its heavy concrete bottom and wood-shingle arms and upper section, the windmill cuts quite the sturdy figure. It overlooks the equally photogenic Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, which bursts into full bloom in early spring and late summer. The Murphy Windmill, on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive near the Great Highway, was the world's largest windmill when it was built in 1905 and also pumped water to the Strawberry Hill reservoir

Our Local Expert Says:

If you don’t fill up during the game, head out to one of SoMA’s great nearby eateries: Tres Agaves boasts wonderful haute Mexican food and top-shelf tequilas; Primo Patio serves up a delicious islands-inspired lunch menu; and South Park Café features refined yet unpretentious French cooking.

Description:

Baseball lovers would be remiss not to catch an open-air game at AT&T Park, home to MLB powerhouse the San Francisco Giants and the record-breaking feats of Barry Bonds. Built in 1997, AT&T Park is positioned on the bay in San Francisco's funky SoMA district and appeals even to fair-weather sports fans with its fantastic setting, beautiful views, and fun features, such as the 80-foot Coca-Cola bottle with playground slides. And then there's the matter of the park's top-notch eats. Where else in America could you expect to buy a gourmet sausage and garlic fries or a sushi roll for your mid-game snack?

Description:

Gordon Biersch Brewery is San Francisco's largest brew restaurant, serving decent food and tasty beer to an attractive crowd of mingling professionals. There are always several house-made beers to choose from, ranging from light to dark. Menu items run $9.50 to $26.

Our Local Expert Says:

The park is home to the architecturally striking De Young museum, with notable collections of American painters and South American, Oceanic and African indigenous art. Across the Music Concourse is the stunning new LEED Platinum certified home of the California Academy of Sciences, the greenest museum building in the world. Check out its living roof!

Description:

Spanning three miles from the edge of Haight-Ashbury all the way to the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate Park contains so many mini-universes and attractions you'll want to (literally) stop and smell the roses on several occasions. Die-hard nature lovers can check out the Rose Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, or the famous Japanese Tea Garden, featuring a classic pagoda, cherry blossoms, and landscaping straight out of the Land of the Rising Sun. Golden Gate Park's natural highlight, however, is the San Francisco Botanical Garden, which features a horticultural trip around the world (don't miss the redwood grove and succulents section).
Don't miss Golden Gate Park's two world-class museums, the California Academy of Sciences and the De Young Museum. Both were completely rebuilt in their original locations in the past decade, and are worth a visit for their architecture alone. The park is also the perfect place to get active. There are tons of walking paths, several public tennis courts, an affordable pitch and put nine-hole golf course, sport fields, and picnic grounds. You can even rent a boat and head out for a delightful row on Stow Lake. Spring, summer, and fall bring a number of... read more