Perfect Day

Morning
Start your day with a ride on one of our iconic cable cars. Take the Powell-Hyde Street cable car to Ghirardelli Square, stop off at Lombard Street, our famously crooked street then continue on to the last stop at Fisherman’s Wharf. To your left will be the Buena Vista Café, where breakfast and an Irish coffee is a real treat. When you can prise yourself away, stroll along the beach and then Jefferson Street; a great place, I think, to people-watch. From the wharf walk up to Coit Tower and take the elevator to the top for a fantastic view of the city and the bay, often framed by the fog that rolls in and out.

Afternoon
Take the Powell-Mason cable car to North Beach. Known as SF’s ‘Little Italy’, it’s full of funky shops and Old World delicatessens. Explore the boutiques on Grant Avenue and Columbus Avenue then the neo-Gothic St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, located in the centre of the neighbourhood. It’s where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were photographed after their wedding. For us, any of the many cafés along Columbus Avenue will be ideal for lunch. But if we had to pick one, we would say Rose Pistola, northern Italian restaurant, popular for its sumptuous seafood.

Evening
Dinner at the highly rated and recommended Luce, at the InterContinental San Francisco, will start your evening off in style. Follow this with a cabaret show at Beach Blanket Babylon, another San Franciso institution with its extravagant costumes and, in particular, the largest hats you’ll ever see. Stop in at Pearl’s Jazz Club in North Beach, for some live music in an intimate setting reminiscent of a classic Hollywood movie.

And finally, visit the Top of the Mark at the Mark Hopkins Hotel for some martinis and, if you have some energy left, a dance. Top of the Mark is famed for its spectacular views.