I Left My Heart In San Francisco

Tony Bennett wasn't the only one with a love for the city. San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world. I’m not alone. Everywhere I go I end up chatting with someone who loves the city. (Even itunes has an "I heart San Francisco" collection! Leave it to those smart Mac users to put a SF music collection together.)

With five star restaurants on every street and first class shopping, San Francisco is a fantastic weekend jaunt. If you're a "foodie" and you've never been to San Francisco, just go ahead right now and open another web browser to expedia.com and book your flight now. I’ll wait….

I was first exposed to San Francisco when one of my best friends moved there. As a true "city girl" and one from southern California, I didn't understand the question John posed to me when I inquired what I should wear. "Do you have any fleece?"

Do I have any WHAT? Will we be hiking? Would I be forced to (GASP) CAMP? What WAS he getting at?

"John, Honey, what do you mean?" I replied.

After a second of silence, he asked again if I had fleece. I laughed silently to myself and wondered if I would need to peruse the LL Bean catalog before I left for San Fran.

I just replied, "John, it's AUGUST".

We went back and forth for quite some time discussing my fleece, or lack thereof. I had apparently never heard the quote (allegedly) from Mark Twain "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

I went to San Francisco sans fleece and understood why he asked the question. The weather in San Francisco can be quite variable. It can be cold, rainy, foggy, just drippy, or absolutely gorgeous. What a lot of people don't realize is that one of the coldest times in SF can be late summer/early fall, when the fog rolls in. For those of us who find fog to be a fascinating natural phenomenon, you'll find lots of it in SF.

The attire in San Francisco is whatever you want it to be. There are those that are quite granola, quite geen and leaning to the left. There are also the elite from Pacific Heights that show off their classic duds. All groups congregate in peace on the 7 square mile city which is San Francisco.

Being a snooty-ish type of person, I do wear my fur to San Francisco. After all, we wouldn’t want to catch a nasty cold while on vacation. While some GASP at the fact that I wear fur to such a predominately liberal local, I can assure you that I’ve never had any issues. I received more dirty looks in Chicago than San Francisco in regards to the fur. I honestly believe that the San Franciscans really don’t give a hoot. They all just continue to do their thing. See, we all really can just get along!

Food and Shopping

In terms of food, SF is unsurpassed in the quality of the food. One of the fantastic things about SF is that anyone can just stumble down the street and come upon a true gem of a restaurant.

The only thing that I like better than good food and good wine is good shopping… well, good shopping before the good food and good wine (don’t do that in reverse). If you too enjoy this sport, I highly suggested the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero. This historic building was originally built in 1889 and used as a transportation hub for those arriving by train or by ferry to San Francisco.

After the opening of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate bridge, the building was rarely used. In 2003, the Ferry Building was restored and became a center for high quality food and merchandise vendors. Where it once was a shabby run down building, it’s now a bustling trendy spot where once can leisurely stroll and check out all of the vendors. One of my favorites is the Cowgirl Creamery. If you like cheese, do yourself a favor and stop for just a little taste.

Another fun idea is to do a little wine tasting amongst your visit to fabulous places in the Ferry Building such as the Stonehouse Olive Oil Shop. The Ferry Building Wine Merchant carries most kinds of wine. One of my favorites is the Neauvou Bougelias. It’s seasonal, so you might be in luck and perhaps not. Regardless, give it a shot. You might be pleased. For more information on all of the shops and restaurants at the ferry building, check out their web site. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

Another key shopping site is Union Square. If you’ve never been, it’s a must! With Macy’s, Nemans, a Levis Store and everything from Fresh to Sampsonite a few blocks away, this is shopping Mecca. After you’ve broken a sweat shopping at Union Square, venture over to the Neman’s café for a lobster club sandwich and a fabulous view of Union Square.

If you prefer a more out of the way restaurant, I have a few recommendations. Jeanne D’Arc is located in the Cornell Hotel-just a block up from Union Square. This petite restaurant, located in the basement of the hotel, is a little treasure with traditional French cuisine without the traditional French attitude. The Fix Prix menu is fabulous and for $30 a person worth every bite.

Another favorite of mine is the Nobb Hill Café at 1152 Taylor Street. If you’re on Hob Nobbing on Nobb Hill (as the saying goes) this charming café offers wonderful Italian food and wine at a surprisingly reasonable price for the quality food. Note: they do not take reservations so, plan on waiting for a table or simply eat early.

After enjoying a fabulous Italian meal at the Nobb Hill Café, walk 2 blocks up the hill to the Mark Hopkins. The Top of the Mark is a historic bar located on the 19th floor of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel. In 1939 the penthouse of the hotel was transformed into a cocktail lounge with a 360 degree view of the city.

You can enjoy cocktails, and breakfast, lunch or dinner throughout the week. They also have a martini menu with 100 martinis for choose from. With 100 martinis to choose from it has to be a fantastic place, don’t you think? Most nights of the week there is live entertainment. I will say that if you’re planning on going to the Top of the Mark during the weekend, I highly recommend a reservation. Waiting for a table can be treacherous.

For absolutely fantastic Italian Food, I highly recommend Farina. Located in the Mission District, this charming restaurant offers more than just ambience. The food is authentic Italian, and it's incredible. I've always been a pesto lover, however their pesto is SO incredible that I nearly asked for the recipe. Rather than being overly oily or lumpy, the pesto (served with fresh pasta) is almost a basil puree with a hint of pine nuts.

If pesto isn't your thing they also have traditional Italian "focaccia". You might be suprised that traditional Italian focaccia actually translates to a thin crust pizza with proscutto, especially in Northern Italy. I figured this out quite quickly when I ordered focaccia, while in Milan, and what looks like a pizza came to the table. The waiter insisted that it was focaccia. Who knew?

The fillet is also incredible with what seemed to be a balsamic reduction sauce, mashed potatoes and a thick sizzing pat of butter on the fillet itself. Bon Appetito!

These are just a few of my favorite things to in the city by the bay, but the possibilities are really quite endless. Now go ahead, book that flight and find favorite things of your own to do in San Francisco.