Some Old, Some New: Top Things to See in San Francisco, California

There’s always something new in San Francisco. This year they’re celebrating some things that are rather old as well.

I recently spent a few days in the City by the Bay checking out things both old and new. Okay, and a few things in between. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.

SOME THINGS NEW

HOTELS

 

Hyatt Regency SoMa

The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa, previously known as the Park Central hotel, reopened last year after a full, $70 million renovation/reimagination. We had a 23rd floor suite in cool shades of grey and black, with brown and beige accents. The room had a very large living space with an L-shaped sofa, a large desk, a large screen TV mini-fridge and a coffee maker. The room had hardwood floors for a nice, clean look. There was no closet in the bedroom but there was a free-standing spot to hang our clothes and a massive, gleaming bathroom. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a partial view of the Bay Bridge and San Francisco Bay, as well as a bit of the skyline. The hotel partnered with the Academy of Art University and commissioned tons of cool art that’s displayed throughout the hotel’s ground floor public spaces, including the new lobby bar and restaurant, garden bar and lounge, check-in area, the coffee bar, and the new Regency Club. We were there on a weeknight in early August and the lobby was jumping.

 

Luma Hotel SF

The Luma Hotel is just south of Oracle Park stadium in the booming Mission Bay region, and was named hottest new hotel of the year in the United States by Trip Advisor. It’s super airy and bright, with high-tech touches like a robot who can deliver snacks to your room. I was told they’re training it to handle hot coffee. There’s tons of beautiful, local art on the walls, including a wonderful digital image in the lobby area that changes every couple minutes. They call the lobby “Glow Central” and the front desk employees are “curators.”  The hotel’s 17th floor rooftop bar, Cavana, has fabulous views of the city and serves up small plates and craft cocktails. The main floor features great work space and Twyne Coffee Bar, which serves locally roasted coffee and local pastries. All rooms have 65-inch webcast-enabled TV’s. It’s a LEED certified building with E vehicle and Tesla chargers. The new San Francisco rapid transit line, the T Line, stops right out front and can quickly take you to downtown, Chinatown, Dogpatch, and other areas. The lovely Mission Street Park and Mission Creek houseboats are just a few steps from the front door of the hotel.

Dining

La Societe Bar and Cafe

At a time when many hotels are cutting back on in-house restaurants, the Hyatt Regency steps up with an exquisite lobby dining spot called La Societe Bar and Cafe. It’s a great space, with big light fixtures and a classic French bistro feel. We had two terrific cocktails: a Monsieur Lapin (you have to love the name) with reposado tequila, mezcal, yellow chartreuse, carrot and orange bell pepper for a deep orange colour. An elegant, unusual cocktail with a slightly smoky taste due to the mezcal. My wife enjoyed a drink called The Other Green Fairy with gin, sugar snap pea, tarragon, mint syrup and lime; light but distinctive. We had a very good La Societe Salad with radishes, green apple, ricotta cream and a tarragon-dijon vinaigrette that was nicely tart. I’d personally add a bit more apple for a touch of extra sweetness, but it was very good, and very different. The California heirloom tomatoes came with a creamy, local burrata. They’re known for their Onion Soup, Deviled Eggs with Caviar and Salt Cod Beignets, but I opted for Liberty Duck a l’orange with thumbelina carrots and grilled Treviso chicory. It was outstanding, with a rich but not too sweet sauce that balanced the duck. My wife had a perfect Filet Mignon with au poivre sauce that was out of this world. We also had decadent duck fat pommes frites and an excellent apple tart tatin with fine pastry and just the right amount of cinnamon. Our waiter, Roger, was first-rate. The restaurant also is open for breakfast, and there’s an on-site coffee place if you want something faster.

Attractions

 

 

A new park at the Presidio 

The Presidio Tunnel Tops is a fabulous new nature park (it opened last year) that arches over the top of the Presidio Parkway tunnels, which connect the city to the Golden Gate Bridge. It also connects the Presidio, a massive bit of land that the military occupied until 1994, with the waterfront. Tunnel Tops is free, and open every day. It features big, deep green lawns for playing or picnics, as well as gardens with lovely plants that are native to the area. The views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge are outstanding. There’s a great play area for kids (designed by Earthscape Design out of Elmira, Ontario) and also a small but entertaining and educational field station with great displays. The Presidio is a massive piece of land in the northern end of the city that was occupied by the military until 1994. There are now hotels and new restaurants, as well the Walt Disney Family Museum and offices for Industrial Light and Magic and other companies. There’s also a nice golf course, a trampoline park, a batting cage, bicycle shop and lovely nature trails among towering eucalyptus and evergreen trees. It might be the best urban park most Canadians don’t know about.

SOME THINGS OLD

Hotels

 

The world’s first Fairmont

The Fairmont San Francisco is one of the grand dames of American hotels, a place where you feel special the moment you walk in. The lobby is airy and elegant, with towering marble columns and massive floral displays. There are 606 guest rooms and suites, some in the sophisticated main building and others in the stylish, newer tower. When I stayed there in late July I had a sleek room in the new tower, with taupe walls, a super comfortable bed with a pretty headboard, a nice desk and outstanding views of San Francisco Bay, including Alcatraz and part of the Golden Gate Bridge. We also had a Nespresso coffee maker and a lovely, large bathroom with a big tub. We had breakfast in the Laurel Court room, where we enjoyed tremendous lemon ricotta blueberry pancakes and avocado toast.  The room evokes the glamour of old time San Francisco, with a beautiful domed ceiling, murals of pastoral scenes and more marbled columns. At night there’s usually a grand piano, and they do a spectacular afternoon tea, which has been a fixture at the hotel since it opened in 1907. It’s also a great place to celebrate a special occasion, which we did after our youngest son proposed to his now wife on a hike near the Golden Gate Bridge. I didn’t go this time, but when I stayed at the hotel last year I had a chance to visit the famous Tonga Bar and Hurricane Room, where they serve dinner and powerful tropical drinks in a high-end tiki bar that features musicians playing on a boat in a small lagoon.  The late Anthony Bourdain once described it as “the greatest place in the history of the world.” A word of warning, the Tonga Bar is only open Wednesday to Saturday.  Don’t miss the rooftop garden and fountains behind the two towers. Oh, this was the first Fairmont Hotel in the world. It’s now a Toronto-based brand with dozens of high-end properties all across the globe.

Other great options include The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, an elegant property in a regal building that dates back to 1909. The Mark Hopkins Hotel, famous for its Top of the Mark bar, opened in 1926. It’s part of the InterContinental Hotel Group.

Attractions

 Cable Car Anniversary

This year marks the 150th anniversary of San Francisco’s famous cable cars, which seemingly do climb halfway to the stars. No matter times I ride one, I still lean out further than I should and hang on tight, grinning like a madman. For those who don’t know, the cars aren’t motorized. Instead, the conductor uses a lever to attach the car to a thick metal “rope” that moves under the road. The San Francisco Cable Car is one of only two National Historic Streetcars in the U.S., the other being the St. Charles Streetcar in New Orleans. The most popular and most crowded routes for the cable cars are the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines, which run between Market Street near Union Square and Ghirardelli Square/Fisherman’s Wharf. You can catch the California Street car near the Ferry Building and take it to Van Ness Avenue on a straight shot that goes up very steep California Street. It’s usually a shorter wait to get on here. It’s $8 for most riders. To board cable cars at Powell & Market, Bay & Taylor and Hyde & Beach Streets, you must purchase your fare in advance (applies 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily). You can pay an exact cash fare at other locations, including the starting points on the California Street car. I haven’t been, but there’s a Cable Car Museum near Chinatown (1201 Mason St.) that looks very cool.

Dining

 

A Dash of History at John’s Grill

John’s Grill is a glorious, old-time, downtown San Francisco haunt that’s known as the place where Dashiell Hammett wrote “The Maltese Falcon,” which became a huge hit movie with Humphrey Bogart. You can see a likeness of the movie falcon and film memorabilia if you walk up to the second floor. The walls are covered with a Who’s Who of San Francisco politics, as well as pics of Hillary Clinton, George Lucas, Lauren Bacall, and other celebrities. The restaurant opened in 1908 and features classics such as grilled halibut, New York and Ribeye steaks and Maine lobster ravioli. We enjoyed a nice burrata with ripe, heirloom tomatoes and Sam Spade lamb chops, named for the Bogart character in Maltese Falcon. We also had very nice roasted beets with creamy goat cheese, and marvelous cheesecake, chocolate mousse torte and house made vanilla bean ice cream for dessert. If you’re a Hammett fan, ask for the booth at the back where he wrote his book. Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown comes in for a meal every Saturday, owner John Konstin told me. His parents bought the place in 1950, and his Dad ran it for years. He trained in New York City for some time but came back to run the restaurant. “It just called to me,” he said.

Ferry Building Celebrates 125 Years

This year marks the 125th anniversary of San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building. The historic Ferry Building Marketplace is home to a variety of diverse merchants and local artisans showcasing the best of the Bay Area’s culinary scene. They also have special programming and community events throughout the year in celebration of the milestone anniversary. We stopped in at Gott’s Roadside for lunch in July and had marvellous Ahi Poke Cripsy Tacos, an excellent and perfectly crispy fried chicken sandwich and Mexican corn on the cob. I’ve dined at their restaurant in Napa in the past and enjoyed excellent burgers and Brussels Sprouts. There’s indoor dining and a very large patio out front that offers great views of the San Francisco Skyline. There are a couple dozen food places that sell everything from macarons to Filipino fusion cuisine, as well as Jamaican patties, donuts and craft beer from the Fort Point Beer Company. Miette Patisseries makes luscious gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese icing. We ordered a marvelous coffee latte from Blue Bottle Coffee and took our cupcakes out behind the building and sat on a bench overlooking the bay, the ferry boats and the Bay Bridge. Hog Island Oyster Company has a fine patio overlooking the water.

NOT REALLY OLD, NOT QUITE NEW

 

Try a Bay Cruise

The Blue and Gold Fleet offers wonderful tours of San Francisco Bay from Pier 39. The one-hour tour takes you under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz island for amazing photos. If the weather is good you’ll also see the Palace of Fine Arts, Ghirardelli Square and Fort Point, a brick fort built during the U.S. Civil War. The Blue and Gold Fleet is part of the CityPASS program, which provides great deals for a package of city attractions.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball moved into their new home in 2000, now called Oracle Park. It’s a truly stunning ballpark that butts right up against San Francisco Bay.

Science Explorations

The San Francisco Exploratorium is a great science spot for kids. Located on the waterfront between the Ferry Building and Pier 39, you’ll find engaging, interactive science exhibits that help explain everything from wind power to gravity. Kids can also blow giant bubbles or design unusual sculptures. There’s a surprisingly good café on site, as well (try the tostada with chicken). The Exploratorium also is part of the CityPASS program.

 

Enjoy the Arts

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA) is a spectacular museum, with wonderful architecture, a terrific patio and brilliant works of art. The lower level lobby area (free) has a wonderful mural by Diego Rivera that’s called Pan-American Unity and features lovely street scenes, Black swimmers, Latino families, white business folks and more. You could spend hours examining the detail. When we explored in late July we also admired inspiring works by Black artist Frank Bowling (only until Sept. 10) and inventive photography from Candice Brietz that showed fans of musical groups such as ABBA, Britney Spears and San Francisco’s own Grateful Dead. There’s a fabulous display of New York City people photos on display from photographer Helen Levitt, as well as works by Matisse, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and many many more. There’s a nice, sunny café as well, and wild washrooms in shiny, super-bright Golden Gate Bridge orange. SF MOMA is part of the CityPASS program.

A Sky-High Attraction in the Park

The Golden Gate Park SkyStar Ferris Wheel is relatively new, having opened in 2020 to celebrate the park’s 150th birthday. It’s a nice way to check out the gardens and greenery in one of the top city parks of the world. The wheel is scheduled to be dismantled in 2025.

Great Mexican Food

Colibri Mexican Bistro is an established place that moved to a new location on the Presidio Grounds a year or so ago. They make an excellent guacamole right at your table, as well as great fish tacos and al pastor tacos with pork and pineapple. On the other hand, we ordered coffee that tasted as if it had been sitting for hours. The interior is dark and quiet, but there’s a nice patio with heaters for foggy days.

Getting There: Air Canada flies directly to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from Toronto, Vancouver and other Canadian cities. Air Canada recently opened a new Maple Leaf Lounge at SFO that includes an outdoor patio.