Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [145]
The Filbert Street Steps.
The Lyon Street Steps, between Green Street and Broadway, were built in 1916. This historic stairway street contains four steep sets of stairs totaling 288 steps. Begin at Green Street and climb all the way up, past manicured hedges and flower gardens, to an iron gate that opens into the Presidio. A block east, on Baker Street, another set of 369 steps descends to Green Street.
FISHING Berkeley Marina Sports Center, 225 University Ave., Berkeley ( 510/237-3474; www.berkeleysportfishing.com), offers daily trips for ling cod, rock fish, and many other types of game fish year-round; trips for salmon run April through October. Fishing equipment is available; the cost, including boat ride and bait, is about $95 per person. Reservations are required, as are licenses for adults. One-day licenses can be purchased for $12 before departure. Find out the latest on the season by contacting their hotline at 510/486-8300 (press 3). Excursions run daily from 6am to 3:30pm. Fish are cleaned, filleted, and bagged on the return trip for a small fee (free for salmon fishing).
GOLF San Francisco has a few beautiful golf courses. One of the most lavish is the Presidio Golf Course ( 415/561-4661; www.presidiogolf.com). Greens fees are $125 for nonresidents Monday to Thursday, $145 Friday to Sunday. Twilight rates drop to $85 and $93, respectively, and then to $49 after 3pm for everyone. Carts are included.
There are also two decent municipal courses in town. The 18-hole Harding Park, Skyline Boulevard at Harding Road ( 415/664-4690; www.harding-park.com), charges greens fees of $135 per person Monday through Thursday, $155 Friday through Sunday. Opened in 1925, it was completely overhauled in 2002, and the new Harding has been getting rave reviews ever since. In 2004, it was named by Golf magazine as the number-two best municipal golf course in America; in 2009 it hosted the President’s Cup. The course, which skirts the shores of Lake Merced, is a 6,743-yard, par-72. You can also play the easier Fleming executive 9. The 18-hole Lincoln Park Golf Course, 34th Avenue and Clement Street ( 415/221-9911; www.lincolnparkgc.com), charges greens fees of $34 per person Monday through Thursday, $38 Friday through Sunday, with rates decreasing after 4pm in summer, 2pm in winter. It’s San Francisco’s prettiest municipal course, with terrific views and fairways lined with Monterey cypress and pine trees. The 5,181-yard layout plays to par 68, and the 17th hole has a glistening ocean view. This is the oldest course in the city and one of the oldest in the West. It’s open daily at daybreak.
Get Your Blood Pumping
When Eric Kipp, a certified yogi, conceptualized his wildly popular concept of Hiking Yoga, he aimed to bring tourists and locals alike out and about for some fresh air, intense cardio, and fantastic city views. Kipp’s 90-minute urban treks, which take place several times a day, most days of the week, depart from the clock tower at the Ferry Building and wind their way up to Coit Tower and around Telegraph Hill. Routes vary, but the formula is always the same: Participants enjoy intense and fast-paced hill hiking—this is no leisurely walk in the park—while stopping at four stations throughout the city for a series of yoga poses. The program, which originated in San Francisco in 2007, was such a hit, Kipp has now taken it to more than a dozen cities. For information or a schedule of hikes, visit www.hikingyoga.com or call 415/261-3641. Reservations are required, and each session costs $20. Package deals are available.
HANDBALL The city’s best handball courts are in Golden Gate Park, opposite Seventh