Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [144]
Stop by Ocean Beach bus terminal at the corner of Cabrillo and La Playa streets to learn about San Francisco’s history in local artist Ray Beldner’s whimsically historical sculpture garden. Then hike up the hill to explore Cliff House and the ruins of the Sutro Baths. These baths, once able to accommodate 24,000 bathers, were lost to fire in 1966.
BIKING The San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department maintains two city-designated bike routes. One winds 71⁄2 miles through Golden Gate Park to Lake Merced; the other traverses the city, starting in the south, and continues over the Golden Gate Bridge. These routes are not dedicated to bicyclists, who must exercise caution to avoid crashing into pedestrians. Helmets are recommended for adults and required by law for kids 17 and under. A bike map is available from the San Francisco Visitor Information Center, at Powell and Mason streets, for $3, and from bicycle shops all around town.
Ocean Beach has a public walk- and bikeway that stretches along 5 waterfront blocks of the Great Highway between Noriega and Santiago streets. It’s an easy ride from Cliff House or Golden Gate Park.
Avenue Cyclery, 756 Stanyan St., at Waller Street, in the Haight ( 415/387-3155), rents bikes for $8 per hour or $30 per day. It’s open daily, April through September from 10am to 7pm and October through March from 10am to 6pm. For cruising Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge, your best bet is Blazing Saddles ( 415/202-8888; www.blazingsaddles.com), which has five locations around Fisherman’s Wharf. Bikes rent for $28 per day, including maps, locks, and helmets; tandem bikes are available as well.
BOATING At the Golden Gate Park Boat House ( 415/752-0347) on Stow Lake, the park’s largest body of water, you can rent a rowboat or pedal boat by the hour and steer over to Strawberry Hill, a large, round island in the middle of the lake, for lunch. There’s usually a line on weekends. The boathouse is open daily from 10am to 4pm, weather permitting.
Cass’ Marina, 1702 Bridgeway, Sausalito ( 800/472-4595 or 415/332-6789; www.cassmarina.com), is a certified sailing school that rents sailboats measuring 22 to 38 feet. Sail to the Golden Gate Bridge on your own or with a licensed skipper. In addition, large sailing yachts leave from Sausalito on a regularly scheduled basis. Call or check the website for schedules, prices, and availability of sailboats. The marina is open Wednesday through Monday from 9am to sunset.
A whale OF A TALE
Not many people outside of California know about the Farallon Islands, nor do many people get to visit up close. The entire Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is off-limits to civilians so visitors must gaze from the deck of a fishing or whale-watching boat if they want a peek firsthand.
This veteran eco-tourism company offers trips out to the desolate outcropping of rock off the coast of San Francisco that is home to birds, sea lions, seals, dolphins, and the ever-present great white shark. Typically on the search for migrating gray, humpback, or blue whales, expeditions leave from Gas House Cove Marina at Fort Mason and pass underneath the majestic Golden Gate Bridge on the 27-mile trip out to the islands. Captain Jim Robertson has a crew of trained naturalists that accompany each voyage and will stop the Outer Limits catamaran at the first sign of water spouts on the 6- to 8-hour weekend trips.
For more information, call 415/331-6267 or visit www.sfbaywhalewatching.com.
CITY STAIR CLIMBING ★★ Many health clubs have stair-climbing machines and step classes, but in San Francisco, you need only go outside. The following city stair climbs will give you not only a good workout, but seriously stunning neighborhood, city, and bay views as well. Check www.sisterbetty.org/stairways for more ideas.
Filbert Street Steps, between