Sunday, April 26, 2009
Life, Travel, In this Issue...

San Francisco treats

Even if you’ve been before, there may be a few sites you missed

David Danzig
A view of Seal Rock from the Cliff House

By David Danzig

HALF MOON BAY

On your way in from the airport, detour past the hauntingly beautiful Golden Gate National Cemetery, through fragrant eucalyptus trees and jaw-dropping ocean views, into the seaside community of Half Moon Bay (www.halfmoonbaychamber.org). The town’s cultural activities, hiking trails, shopping and golf courses bestow a feeling of seclusion before heading to the City by the Bay. Hungry? Grab a lobster roll sandwich at Sam’s Chowder House (www.samschowderhouse.com). Taking a New England culinary classic and significantly upping the ante, Sam’s lobster roll puts its East Coast originators to shame and even earned a Top 5 Sandwich in America distinction from the “Today” show.

THE CLIFF HOUSE

Proudly perched on a bluff hundreds of feet over the Pacific Ocean, the historic Cliff House (www.thecliffhouse.com) serves up stirring views along with its terrific daily menus. Today’s Cliff House is actually version 3.0: The first was built in 1863; the second survived the great earthquake of 1906, only to burn to the ground the following year. Two floors and three distinct areas serve excellent fare in the casual fine dining room (Sutros), the pub area (the Bistro), and the swinging side bar/appetizer room (the Zinc Bar). Sunday’s lavish champagne brunch buffet at Sutros is to die for. Just be aware that it might be difficult to eat: The views of the Pacific’s stretch of infinity make it almost impossible to concentrate on the food. Watch daring surfers and beachcombers to the south and hundreds of brown pelicans converge on Seal Rock just off the shore. Unfortunately, the seals themselves don’t visit anymore—they left for the other side of the peninsula and Pier 39 after the 1989 earthquake.

PIER 39

For almost 20 years now, the aforementioned Seal Rock sea lions—up to as many as 900 of them in the winter—make the Pier 39 docks their home. Every day, they put on a free show of barking, sunbathing and snacking on the herring. The honking symphony is just the beginning—Pier 39 (www.pier39.com) acts as San Francisco’s “Disney on the Docks,” with 110 specialty stores and 13 restaurants (12 with bay views), which service millions of visitors a year. It offers a retro-carnival atmosphere with street performers, an arcade, the San Francisco Carousel ride, Aquarium by the Bay, ferry trips to Alcatraz and sea kayak rentals. A visit to Pier 39 alone could easily occupy an entire day.

MUIR WOODS NATIONAL MONUMENT

Just past the town of Sausalito, across the Golden Gate Bridge, the mighty Coast Redwoods, nature’s tallest trees, populate Muir Woods (www.nps.gov/muwo). These organic skyscrapers can grow as high as a 37-story building and live up to 2,200 years. A stroll through the park’s cool air, babbling brooks and shaded trails conjures a meditative fairytale experience, punctuated by moments of sheer awe when you come upon the trunk of a tree through which you could comfortably drive an Escalade. It will be the most liberating $5 (per person) you’ll ever spend (plus the $6 round trip over the Golden Gate Bridge).

FLEUR DE LYS

Even the most sophisticated foodies will meet their match at Fleur de Lys (www.fleurdelyssf.com), a shrine to culinary ecstasy. Chef Hubert Keller is the benevolent mad scientist in the kitchen—his dishes start with basic ingredients, which arrive tableside as if they came out of some taste bud particle accelerator, stimulating every sense and ultimately making you feel as if you are tumbling down a glorious multi-course rabbit hole. The menu is extensive, but the staff and sommeliers are refreshingly unstuffy and happy to act as tour guides on your romantic epicurean odyssey. Three- to five-course prix fix menus range from $70 to $92 per person. If you’re ever going to splurge, do it here. Jackets are suggested, and reservations are a must.

GHIRADELLI SQUARE

Sprung from the original 1899 chocolate factory, the waterfront development of Ghiradelli Square (www.ghirardellisq.com) now boasts high-end retailers, a spa, a winery and several killer restaurants like McCormick and Kuleto’s Seafood Restaurant, which serves up each of its fresh seafood dishes with stunning views of Alcatraz. Ghirardelli Chocolate retail outposts are on site. Tip: Ghirardelli white chocolate hot chocolate will get you through a chilly day. Inside the complex, the Fairmont Heritage Place (www.fairmontheritageplace.com) has converted original chocolate-producing buildings into luxurious accommodations, making it one of the most unique hotel experiences anywhere. Fractional ownerships of these studios are also available so you can fulfill your Willy Wonka fantasies and actually live in a chocolate factory.

THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY 
OF SCIENCES

To my knowledge, there’s no other single building in the world in which can you travel over a living coral reef, then up through the canopy of a living rainforest, then underneath an ocean of fish and plant life, then across the universe in an all-digital planetarium and end up outside on the structure’s “living” rooftop—2.5 acres of rolling hills populated with indigenous California plants, local birds and butterflies. Designed by Renzo Piano (the master architect behind the High Museum’s 2005 expansion), this engineering marvel also earned LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible award given to a “green design” building. The structure generates 10 percent of its own energy and uses 35 percent less than a typical building of its size. An ingenious creation, the Academy (www.calacademy.org) will instantly make anyone of any age a natural science buff. SP