Carnival San Francisco

Dear San Francisco.... Thank you for making me cry to today, as I absorbed the beauty of the Carnival in your streets. Tears of joy came to my eyes, as I watch the Samba dancers celebrate life in your streets in the wonderful Mission, and as I listened to your musicians and artists shout "I love life."

I would definitely recommend visiting San Francisco just for the Carnival. We have such a blessed community of Latin Americans, and such diversity within that group to include peoples from all over the world.

The parade starts at 9:30am and runs through the heart of the Mission District. The dance troupes do their best to keep the party going, and the music is bombastic. There are literally thousands of people lining the streets.

The party starts a couple of days before and culminates in a fantastic final event. It is certainly the most entertaining cultural event in San Francisco!

Exercise in San Francisco

When I meet people from the Midwest that have relocated to San Francisco, they always seem to remark on the amount of time they can spend outdoors compared to their places of origin. The moderate climate of the Bay Area allows residents to spend more time outside of the house, and thus, more time exercising, which permits us to be more health conscious, more physically active, and less susceptible to seasonal mood swings.

The best type of exercise suited for San Francisco for people of all ages, athletic backgrounds, and capabilities is definitely walking. You can walk the entire width of San Francisco in a few hours and there are plenty of scenic routes to take. Most people would probably follow the route of the Bay to Breakers marathon, but there are many alternatives.

I would recommend starting at the top of Market Street and making your way down to Pier One. Hang a left, and walk along the piers until you get to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. Walk up Columbus Avenue, through the North Beach and Chinatown and head back toward the Financial District. You'll cover a lot of ground and see a lot of interesting places to stop.

I imagine you'd have to be in decent physical shape to make this trek, but don't forget, if you get tired, there are plenty of public transit options at any point. Don't forget to stay hydrated, because even on those foggy days, you will still break a sweat with all those hills.

Church Street

Church Street, which stretches from the lower Castro)through Noe Valley to the edge of Glen Park, has two main retail sections. The first is between 17th Street and Market. There you will find great restaurants, bookstores, and cafes. Just across from Safeway, on the other side of Market, is Burgermeister, which sells some spectacular burgers and sweet potato fries. Be sure to ask about the condiments.

From 24th Street to 30th Street, there are restaurants, cafes, and a lot of beauty salons and dry cleaners. There is also a fantastic church, St. Paul's, which was the site of the movie "Sister Act" with Whoopi Goldberg. The sermon on Sunday's is usually in Spanish and you will find a lot of worshipers from the Mission.

It's a great street to walk, but be ware, there are some serious uphills near Dolores Park. It will take a good 20-30 minutes to navigate Church Street, but it's well worth it (and, if you get tired, you can always hop on the J-Balboa muni line).

San Francisco Fog

San Francisco is sometimes referred to as Fog City because of the vast amount of coastal fog that stretches over the city throughout the year, particularly during the summer months. Two of the foggiest parts of the city are the Sunset and West Portal district.

The Sunset is the neighborhood adjacent to Ocean Beach on the south side of Golden Gate Park. It receives a lot of fog because there are no natural or man-made barriers to corral it from spreading. It's not until the fog reaches Twin Peaks and the top of Clipper Street that it begins to dissipate. If you stand at the bottom of Clipper and look west, you will actually see the fog line. As a result, neighborhoods, such as West Portal and Miraloma Park receive a lot of fog and moisture. The worst part, as many locals know, is between Mount Davidson and Edge Hill. On some days, the low clouds make it almost impossible to see up the block on Portola Street.

No one visiting San Francisco should miss the opportunity to get lost in the fog and to see the beauty and mystery it brings.

Ocean Beach

Many people visiting San Francisco never make it to Ocean Beach, and that's a shame, because they are too busy with the other tourist spots and miss one of the best outdoor experiences of the city. Ocean Beach stretches from the Cliff House all the way to the San Francisco Zoo. It is an excellent beach for walking, site seeing, Frisbee, dog walking, and for those imperious to cold ocean temperatures, surfing and body boarding.

You can drive along the coastal highway and see the views of the beach. And if you are lucky, you will have to stop at every red light and have a great photo opp (FYI... if you drive exactly 35mph, you will make every green light on this stretch of road).

At the end of Ocean Beach, just across from the old entrance of the SF Zoo is a small deli and liquor store that has the best sandwiches in the Sunset. It's a great place to stop, buy some sandwiches and snacks and head to the beach to catch a picturesque sunset.

24th Street - Noe Valley

Noe Valley, aka Stroller Valley, is a family neighborhood in the city. It is popular for young families because there are many children friendly establishments. I prefer to go to Joe's 24th Street Cafe. The people there are really friendly and they make food like home.

There are a few children toy stores, like the Ark, and another near Bernie's Coffee. You can walk along the streets and window shop and no one is going to get annoyed by your SUV-size stroller. Pets are also welcome.

The places I recommend on 24th Street follow:
Shufat Grocery
Ark Toystore
The Dubliner
Joe's 24th Street Cafe
Haystack
La Boulange
Whole Foods
Bernie's
Toast
Ambience

If you are from out of town, I recommend a visit of the real San Francisco. It's not touristy and there are plenty of friendly people that are willing to talk about the neighborhood and show you some good spots for brunch or coffee.

Dolores Park

I have to say, Dolores Park is never boring. There are many activities and special events in at the park, depending on the day and weather. Usually, on a warm weekend day, there are plenty of people that gather on the rolling knolls of the park, drinking beer and eating sandwiches. It is almost always a good place to sit and people watch.

You have to be careful with children, however. The kid's park is very outdated and somewhat dangerous for toddlers. There is also a noticeable amount of beer bottles, wrappers, and trash left behind by adults that children find in the sand. Make sure you watch your kids carefully. One time, we found a shirtless homeless man swimming in the sand underneath a slide and we had to call the park officials.

After lunch, don't forget to go to Bi-Rite Creamery for ice cream. It is worth the wait.

Bay to Breakers

As a local San Franciscan who was born and raised in the city, it's hard to admit that I never participated in the Bay to Breakers. In fact, I have never even seen the runners or the freak show they attract. Some years go by and I read about it in the paper and wonder how such a big event can take place in my town and not even know about it. Maybe because I grew up in West Portal, or maybe because of my lack of athleticism.

I wish all the runners luck this time. Maybe next year, I will join them. Or maybe not.

Twin Peaks

The view from Twin Peaks is phenomenal! Looking eastward, you can see the entire layout of downtown San Francisco. Market Street is the main artery of the city and runs all the way to Pier 1. A stroll down Market Street can be fun for window shopping and people watching, but watch out, it could also be dangerous, especially around 6th Street, which is known as our version of NY's Hells Kitchen.

The left of Market Street is known as SOMA (south of Market) and contains many industrial buildings and apartment complexes - not exactly a family neighborhood, though that is gradually changing as more residences spring up in this area.

San Francisco Aerial View

The best way to understand any city is to get an aerial view. If you notice, the San Francisco Bay Area is the shape of a thumb, and the city the fingernail.

The geographic center of San Francisco is Twin Peaks, which has a remarkable view. In fact, you can see both bridges, the Golden Gate to the north, and the Bay Bridge to the east. Just a few miles from Twin Peaks is the highest elevation of San Francisco - Mount Davidson, which is about 800ft above sea level. There is an enormous cross on the top of Mt. Davidson, where many people celebrate Sunday worship.

There is much to see from the great vista points in the city, but I would recommend starting on Twin Peaks (or even Mt. Davidson) to get a lay of the land and start your journey from there.