San Francisco’s most popular attraction is the Pier 39. This bayside marketplace along the wharf is admittedly a bit touristy, but for good reason. It’s home to more than 100 stores, a dozen seaside restaurants and the city’s beloved sea lion colony. (You can see the seals via webcam at www.pier39.com.)

For many, Fisherman’s Wharf is synonymous with great seafood. You’ll find a wide range of restaurants, from street vendors selling steaming clam chowder served in sourdough bowls to fine restaurants offering romantic views of the harbor.

Wherever you go, be sure to try the Dungeness crab, a popular local dish. This sweet-tasting crustacean is harvested in the cold Pacific waters near San Francisco, so it’s guaranteed to be fresh.

After that, stop by Boudin Bakery to sample another local favorite – the Original San Francisco Sour Dough Bread. You can watch the bakers as they craft their masterpieces or browse the museum, which covers 150 years of company history.

Chocolate lovers will want to follow their noses up the hill to Ghirardelli Square. It was here in San Francisco that the world-famous chocolate got its start in 1852. Today, you can sample it for yourself at the Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Manufactory.  

Another American icon was invented in San Francisco -- the cable car. In the early days, San Francisco’s steep hills were difficult for horse and buggies to manage. After British immigrant Andrew Hallidie witnessed a horrific horse and buggy accident in 1873, he decided to try something new. The result of his efforts is the cable car system that still transports riders throughout the city today.

You can learn more about this unique transportation system at the free San Francisco Cable Car Museum. And after you’ve walked up some of San Francisco’s steep hills, you’ll have a new love for these slow, but effective cars. A day pass to ride the cable cars is only $11 – and well worth it!

In addition to the infamous prison, Alcatraz Island also boasts the first west coast lighthouse.

Your San Francisco experience wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Alcatraz Island. Located in the middle of San Francisco Bay, this tiny piece of land was home to the first lighthouse and U.S. fort on the western coast before it became an infamous federal penitentiary.

Today, ferries transport guests to visit the historic site, which is operated by the National Park Service. Audio tours offer insight into life in those long-gone days, as well as the history of some of the prison’s most-hardened prisoners. 

A weekend just isn’t enough to sample all that San Francisco has to offer. But it will give you a pretty good taste of this beloved American city, and it will make you want to come back for more.

If You Go

“Wicked”at the Orpheum Theatre
www.wickedthemusical.com

Orchard Garden Hotel
www.theorchardhotels.com

Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf
www.fishermanswharf.com

San Francisco Cable Car Museum
www.cablecarmuseum.org

Alcatraz Island
www.nps.gov/alcatraz

Accommodations
www.OnlyinSanFrancisco.com

Janna Graber is a long-time journalist and the executive director of Go World Publishing & Productions.