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Brief and Personal San Francisco Tour Guide Good weather is important for your visit. Spring and fall are best. Sights The murals in Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill are great but you don't need to climb the tower--the view's fine from the garden in back. Down the hill, stop at Cafe Trieste at Grant and Vallejo. The Palace of Fine Arts is the goofy remains of an exposition in 1915. Lombard St between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets is the crazy twisty one. Twin Peaks has a Vista Point at the top that is fun. At the end of Golden Gate Park, the Cliff House has a fine dining restaurant with a great view of the ocean. Chinatown has good food but in fact many Asian restaurants in Inner Richmond and Sunset off 19th Ave are better and cheaper; see the food guide. Downtown centers on the shopping at Union Square. On Maiden Lane, don't miss Xanadu Gallery, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. North Beach has touristy Italian restaurants of little distinction and the historic City Lights Books, with its superb selection. Of course there's Vesuvio but I like Specs Adler Museum Cafe across the street next to Tosca. The Ferry Building at the Embarcadero has lovely places to eat and buy food. By contrast, the only thing to do from Fisherman's Wharf is take the ferry to Alcatraz. Hayes Valley has one block of fashionable shops between Octavia and Laguna. Castro is the gay district. The Mission has a young scene with night life.
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