Solo in San Francisco

San Francisco is a city of many dreams. Whether it is the dream of those seeking the Maltese Falcon (the very stuff, after all, that dreams are made of); or those who came here forty years ago to dream up a better world and celebrated their dream with a Summer of Love; or even those who gathered this year for the sports fan's dream that is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Those are but a few of the dreams that make this city so special.

I found myself on my own in San Francisco at the end of a two week journey that had taken me from my home in New Jersey to Fairbanks, Alaska. From there I had traveled more than 3,000 miles by train, bus, ship, and finally automobile to reach San Francisco on a perfect summer Sunday afternoon. What follows is a sampling of some of the dreams that can realized in San Francisco, as experienced by this traveler.

There have been Sabellas in San Francisco since the fisherman Luciano arrived from Sicily in 1887. Luciano and his son Antone opened the family's first food stand on Fisherman's Wharf in 1920. Antone sold the stall to two of his brothers in 1940, and opened a full service restaurant, A. Sabella's, in a former fruit cannery building across the street. When Antone died in 1948, ownership of the restaurant passed to his son Lucien.

As the years went by, the Wharf became more and more popular as a tourist destination, until it arrived at its present status as the favorite neighborhood of visitors to this city. The commercialization of the Wharf in response to the growing crowds made the area something less than popular with the city's native population. A devastating fire destroyed the restaurant in 1964, but Lucien rebuilt, and in 1967 A. Sabella's regained its rightful place as a landmark on Fisherman's Wharf.

These days A. Sabella's is something of an oasis above the teeming crowds. It's location on the third floor places it well above the hustle and bustle of the activities on the wharf below, while preserving wonderful views of San Francisco Bay beyond. The present owners are brother and sister Laureen and Antone Sabella, the fourth generation of Sabellas on the Wharf, and they could not be more gracious hosts. They are concerned with every element of their guests' experience in the restaurant. The San Francisco Chronicle has called A. Sabella's "the best seafood restaurant on the Wharf", and you'll get no argument here.

The owners of First Crush were probably thinking of their splendid all-California wine list when they named their restaurant, but the romantic connection cannot be overlooked. The restaurant sits a few steps below sidewalk level, not far from Union Square. The lights are dim, the food is superb, and the service is impeccable. And then there's that wine list. There you will find not only the classic family wineries, and the big names in the industry, but some of the smaller and up and coming wineries as well. The Chronicle called the restaurant's list "one of the most innovative and fun wine programs in the city".

There are times when you don't want to be a tourist; when you want to experience the city the way the locals do. It's easy enough to do. Find yourself a largely residential neighborhood, and then determine where the people from the neighborhood eat dinner. If you happen to be in San Francisco's Sunset District, which adjoins Golden Gate Park, one of the most popular spots is Park Chow.

Located about a block from the Park's southern border, this bustling spot features an eclectic menu that defines the term "comfort food". Every year, Park Chow finds itself on the Chronicle's list of the 100 top restaurants in the city, and best of all, the prices are astonishingly reasonable. One tip: this place draws a crowd, and they don't take reservations as such, but you can call ahead and ask to be put on the waiting list, which will get you seated a lot faster.

It is surely the dream of every traveler, to find a clean, comfortable hotel room at the end of a long day of sightseeing or skirmishing on the corporate battlefields. Fortunately, San Francisco has a wide array of choices that will accommodate even the most discerning visitor.

Recent years have seen the grand revival of a once moribund neighborhood south of Market Street, the city's main thoroughfare. This neighborhood, known by the acronym SoMA, is a sprawling district which warehouses share with trendy clubs and restaurants, Internet companies, furniture showrooms, art galleries, and sleek new hotels which attract business travelers and well-heeled vacationers. Among the latter is the ultra-stylish W Hotel. Rooms in the 28-story tower are classified by the hotel in categories from "Wonderful" to "Extreme Wow", and range in size from 300 square feet, to a massive 900 square foot suite. If you can't afford the big suite, don't worry about it, every room includes a pillowtop bed with goose-down covers, a library of cds and dvds to entertain you, and Bliss amenity products to soothe a weary traveler.

If you are looking for something a little more subdued in a downtown hotel, take a look at Le Meridien, located in San Francisco's bustling Embarcadero shopping district. Lacking nothing in terms of modern style, Le Meridien doesn't seem to have to try as hard as its sister W Hotel to effortlessly provide an equally satisfying experience. This hotel is particularly well suited to the business traveler, based on its location, and the menu of business services that are offered to the guests.

The distance from the W Hotel to the grand dame of San Francisco hostelries, the Westin St. Francis, is not very far as the crow flies, but it is light years in terms of the hotel experience. The Saint Francis, located on busy Union Square, is, simply put, a classic. From the massive, opulent lobby to the first class guest rooms, every detail speaks to a tradition of over one hundred years. The Great Earthquake of 1906 destroyed the interior of the hotel's original 250 rooms, but by late 1907, the hotel had reopened with 450 rooms. An additional thirty two story "Pacific Tower" opened in 1971. The hotel is centrally located close to the best of the city's shopping, dining, and theatre. The St. Francis is the very definition of a classic hotel, and it's no accident that the television show "Hotel" was filmed there.

If you prefer your classics on the smaller, quieter side, there is a hotel on Nob Hill that is just right for you. San Francisco's most elegant neighborhood is a peaceful alternative to the downtown ebb and flow. The Huntington Hotel and Nob Hill Spa has welcomed more selective travelers to its California Street location since 1924. The spa has consistently been recognized for its quality, and the hotel is also home to the award-winning Big 4 restaurant. There are only 136 stately guest rooms in the hotel, and there's a level of personal service that is sometimes absent from the larger chain hotels. There's nothing quite like walking out the front door of the Huntington on a beautiful morning and being confronted with a view of the magnificent Grace Cathedral, right across the street.

Hitchcock fans will remember the Palace of the Legion of Honor from his film "Vertigo". It was in this beautiful neoclassical building, set high on a windswept hill overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, that Kim Novak's character contemplated the portrait of Carlotta. The setting of the Legion of Honor is clearly one of the most beautiful of any museum in the world, and its collections including Rodin's "The Thinker", are world class as well.

The de Young Museum has been an integral part of Golden Gate Park since 1895, and the new de Young opened to the public in 2005. The museum's highly eclectic collections range from fascinating African, Oceanic and Art of the Americas, to a wonderful group of American paintings, with some particularly interesting examples from the Hudson River School. There are also contemporary crafts, and American sculpture and decorative art pieces. All of this is placed in a wonderful new space, enclosed within a copper-clad building that also includes a 144 foot "Education Tower", which provides some of the best panoramic views of San Francisco from its top floor.

San Francisco is a relatively small city, with a population of just 750,000 people. It's easy to take in a lot of the city in a short time. It's a great city for wandering, whether on foot, by automobile, or by using the city's wonderful "Muni", the municipal transportation system that includes the world famous cable cars.

A great way to take advantage of what the city can offer is to purchase a CityPass. For one low price, the pass will allow you unlimited use of the Muni for seven days, admission to several museums, the Aquarium of the Bay, and a Blue & Gold Fleet cruise on San Francisco Bay. It is a great value for first time and repeat visitors.

San Francisco is a city of many dreams. It is easy to understand how Tony Bennett could leave his heart there. I look forward to the day that I can return to the City by the Bay.

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