A San Francisco treat

48 hours just isn't enough...

San Francisco is a world-famous city practically waiting at your back door. Full of alleys to wander through, new restaurants to try and plenty of bars to stop into, it deserves some dedicated exploring.

GETTING THERE
On the high-speed ferry from Vallejo you can sit back, relax and enjoy the view. Baylinkferry.com.

EAT
The Ferry Building has wonderful food shops and restaurants, including the popular Slanted Door and the Hog Island Oyster Company. Ferrybuildingmarketplace.com.

Across the street from the Ferry Building is a true dining icon, Boulevard. 1 Mission St., (415) 543-6084; boulevardrestaurant.com.

Pres a Vi, located in the Presidio, is but one of many San Francisco restaurants waiting to be explored. (photo: Pres a Vi)

Pres a Vi, in the Presidio, is stylish and quite good. 1 Letterman Drive, Building D, Suite 150 (415) 409-3000; presavi.com.

Just off of Union Square is one of the city’s most intimate spots for fine French food, Anjou. 44 Campton Place (415) 392-5373; anjou-sf.com.

Yank Sing is a popular dim sum lunchtime destination located in the Rincon Center. Yanksing.com.

Borobudur is a must for delicious, authentic Indonesian cuisine. Located on the corner of Post and Jones. Borobudursf.com.

Stop in at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Fourth and Market or in Embarcadero Four. The café vanilla or English breakfast tea latte are musts for sweet coffee fans. Coffeebean.com.

DO
During the spring and summer when the Giants are in town, there is a vibrant buzz coming from the action in the SoMa/South Beach/China Basin region. SFgiants.com.

Some of the city’s many famous museums include the Asian Art Museum (asianart.com), the deYoung Museum (famsf.org), and the Exploratorium for kids of every age (exploratorium.edu).

If it’s a nice day, lunch and some shopping in North Beach are always a treat.

SHOP
The Fillmore, Castro and Haight districts are home to a number of chic boutiques, music and furnishing stores as well as restaurants and cafés.

STAY
There are dozens of good places to stay: Campton Place, The Ritz-Carlton, Hotel Diva, Sir Francis Drake, Kensington Place and the hip new Hotel Vitale are all excellent choices.

HEARD & SCENE
The 71st Annual Stern Grove Festival is the premier location to take in a wide variety of performing arts in a beautiful outdoor amphitheater. And admission is free. 2 p.m. Every Sunday from July 15-Aug. 17. Sterngrove.org.

A walk up the Filbert stairs (photo: Beaker)

INSIDER TIPS
Cow Hollow, a neighborhood that borders the Marina District and Pacific Heights, has a nice blend of locals and tourists. A close runner-up is Washington Square, home of the Washington Square Bar & Grill, (frequently nicknamed The WashBag).

Chinatown alone is worth half a day. Stroll up one side of Grant to Columbus Avenue, then back down the other side. If you want to experience this area the way it was decades ago, stop for lunch at Sam Wo’s at Grant and Washington.

A walk up the Filbert Steps or the Greenwich Stairs may try your knees, but you may see the parrots that inspired the 2005 documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. The view from Coit Tower, where the steps end, is unparalleled.

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