San Francisco itineraries: One day, weekend or week

ByABC News
June 18, 2008, 4:37 AM

— -- While it's certainly true that San Francisco is a city best savored slowly and not slurped down in one big gulp, it's also true that no amount of time spent in the City by the Bay is wasted time. The following itineraries will help you make the most of your stay, whether you've got a day, a weekend or a week to spare.

One day

Your plane has landed, you've collected your bags, and you've got only 24 hours to soak up the sights. Ditch the luggage and hop a BART train from the airport straight to downtown. Get off at Powell Street and you can check off your first authentic San Francisco treat from the to-do list: the world-famous cable cars. Powell Street station is the terminus for the Fisherman's Wharf lines, but don't ride the running boards just yet.

If shopping's your thing, you're now at retail Ground Zero. Directly behind you is the Westfield San Francisco Centre, a fashionista's fantasy with Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lucky Brand Jeans, Juicy Couture, and more than 170 other retail outlets. Two blocks up the street is Union Square, home to Big Name designer boutiques and department stores ranging from Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's to Barney's, Neiman Marcus, Prada, and Marc Jacobs. Rest your feet and your credit cards at the historic plaza while you grab a panini and espresso and people-watch at the Emporio Rulli café.

On the West side of Union Square is the legendary Westin St. Francis Hotel, steeped in the cigar smoke and white gloves of the city's boom years. Built by the Charles Crocker family (of railroad fame) in 1904, it was the first hotel to be resurrected after the earthquake and fires of 1906. It's definitely worth a detour if not for a twirl around the grand lobby and a longing look at celeb chef Michael Mina's five-star restaurant, then for a ride to the top of the hotel in its outdoor glass elevators, where you can get a bird's-eye view of the downtown skyline (acrophobes need not apply).

From here, catch a cable car at any one of the stops along Powell Street and take it to the end of the line at Fisherman's Wharf. Fortify yourself with an original Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Café before exploring the waterfront. The frothy blend of hot coffee, whiskey, sugar and whipped cream was not actually invented here, but it was the late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Stanton Delaplane who brought the recipe back from Dublin in 1952, and a Buena Vista bartender who re-created it stateside for the first time. The legendary bar serves up some 2,000 Irish Coffees a day.

Afterward, go next door for some chocolate indulgence at Ghirardelli Square. The former chocolate factory is now a high-end shopping and dining center, but the Ghirardelli Chocolate Manufactory and Soda Fountain is still the spot to get your one-pound chocolate bars, your Emperor Norton (a hot fudge banana split) or your Alcatraz Rock (rocky-road ice cream in a shell of hard chocolate). Don't miss the mini-production center at the back of the room where melted milk chocolate sloshes around in big vats.

Start your tour of the Wharf at Aquatic Park across the street. Walk through the Maritime Museum, for artifacts and exhibits about West Coast whaling, steamboating and perilous journeys 'around the Horn' and out to Municipal Pier for views of the harbor and the Golden Gate Bridge. Alongside the Hyde Street docks, Maritime National Historical Park is home to a small fleet of restored historic ships. Further down Jefferson Street you'll come to the honky-tonk heart of the Wharf. Stroll past the caricature artists, watch out for "Bush Man," who likes to jump out and scare unsuspecting passersby, and grab a walkaway Dungeness crab cocktail from a stand at Fisherman's Grotto, near Taylor Street.

Make a detour to Pier 39 to visit the resident sea-lebrities on the west-side docks. The barking, belching, herring-eating sea lions have been happily ensconced here since 1990, having shown up one bright January day with an attitude and an appetite that permanently drove out the fishing boats. If you have time, make your last stop the Boudin bakery on Jefferson Street. As iconic to San Francisco as earthquakes, cable cars and liberal politics, Boudin's sourdough bread is still made from a mother dough first cultivated here in 1849. You can watch the bread-making process from the railing overlooking their showcase kitchen, and stock up on a few loaves.

If your one-day tour must end at the airport, you can catch a vintage F Line streetcar back to BART from there.

One weekend

If you can extend your stay, it's easy to expand the previous itinerary into a food and cultural extravaganza. Park yourself at a hotel near the Embarcadero, such as the Hotel Vitale, Harbor Court, or Hyatt Regency.

Fantastic restaurants abound here, many with long reservation lists, but a little planning and flexibility can usually nab you a seat, even on short notice. The newest "it" spot is Epic Roasthouse and Waterbar, two lavish sister restaurants that opened this winter on the Bay. Waterbar serves sustainable seafood from around the world and features 19-foot floor-to-ceiling circular aquariums. Epic Roasthouse is a modern take on a classic steak and chophouse, with an opulent industrial design and a custom-built wood-fired metal hearth.

Across the street, Boulevard is consistently rated among the best in the city. Chef Nancy Oakes, a James Beard Award winner, takes New American comfort food to a higher plane. A few doors down, Mexico DF serves fresh, offbeat Mexican faremade with local and organic ingredients. Chef David Rosales offers inspiring and unusual takes on standards like ceviche and guacamole, and his carnitassold by the poundis worth saving up an appetite for.

Any Saturday morning in this neck of the woods should be spent perusing the Ferry Plaza Farmers MarketSan Francisco's homage to all-things green and gourmet. While it's worth a visit at any time of day, Saturday mornings are when the real foodies find their bliss. A positively decadent array of fresh-from-the-vine edibles, artisanal cheeses, hot-from-the-oven breads, still-flopping fish, and gourmet goodies ranging from olive oils to handcrafted chocolates spread out on stands and stalls inside the market hall, as ferryboats dance on the bay and the old clock tower beckons travelers into port. For breakfast, try the beignets at Boulette's Larder or if you're feeling bold, a half-dozen Tomales Bay Sweetwater oysters at Hog Island Oyster Co.