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Walking San Francisco: 35 Savvy Tours Exploring Steep Streets, Grand Hotels, Dive Bars, and Waterfront Parks

Third edition, first printing

Copyright 2019 by Kathleen Dodge Doherty

Copyright 2007 and 2010 by Tom Downs

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Manufactured in the United States of America

Project editor: Ritchey Halphen

Cover design/cartography: Scott McGrew; map data: OpenStreetMap

Book design: Lora Westberg

Photos: Kathleen Dodge Doherty, except where noted

Copy editor: Kerry Smith

Proofreader: Laura Franck

Indexer: Sylvia Coates

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dodge, Kathleen, author.

Title: Walking San Francisco : 35 savvy tours exploring steep streets, grand hotels, dive bars, and waterfront parks / Kathleen Dodge Doherty.

Description: Third Edition. | Birmingham, Alabama : Wilderness Press, [2019] | Distributed by Publishers Group WestT.p. verso. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018042147| ISBN 978-0-89997-909-0 (paperback) | ISBN 9780899979106 (e-book)

Subjects: LCSH: WalkingCaliforniaSan FranciscoGuidebooks. | San Francisco (Calif.)Guidebooks. | San Francisco (Calif.)Description and travel.

Classification: LCC F869.S33 D63 2019 | DDC 917.94/610454dc23

LC record available at lccn.loc.gov/2018042147

WILDERNESS PRESS

An imprint of AdventureKEEN
2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102
Birmingham, AL 35233
800-443-7227, fax 205-326-1012

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Cover and frontispiece : Whether you amble in its shadow or you walk its length, the Golden Gate Bridge (see ) impresses with its grandeur. Cover photo: canadastock/Shutterstock

The following artworks appear in this book with permission: : Jerry Garcia mural (2016) by Mel Waters.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

SAFETY NOTICE Although Wilderness Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while following the walking trips described here. Always check local conditions, know your own limitations, and consult a map.

This book would have been far less fun to write without the amazing companionship, support, and pavement pounding of people I love. I am so lucky to have friends and neighbors willing to share favorite haunts and alleyways, and a few deserve a special shout-out.

Scott Nair downed endless cappuccinos and traversed countless stairways with me, rain or shine. Rebecca Sudore laced up her shoes and provided pithy insider information about her favorite neighborhoods. Tria Cohn proved once again that she has the most amazing sense of direction of anyone in the Presidio. Leah Doherty allowed her vacation to be co-opted into direction checking and cream puff tasting.

Melanie Cantarutti and Ellen McGlynn gamely clocked many miles in search of the ideal Golden Gate Park experience. Ann Cleaveland was with us in spirit, packing extra snacks and peanut butter. Kristina Malsberger and Marisa Gierlich added humor, bourbon, and encouraging words that stretched from The Interval at Long Now all the way to Piccino. Jenn Fox and Josh Mangum provided crucial literary and cinematic inspiration.

My mom, Mary Dodge, was an entertaining (if slightly dubious) source of first-person recollections of North Beach bars and Playland at the Beach. If my dad, John Dodge, were still with us, I know hed be wearing an Aloha shirt and enjoying a mai tai at the Tonga Room. He is incredibly missed. Johnny and Magnolia, my favorite pint-size walking companions, allowed themselves to be plied with ice cream and hilltop swings in the name of Moms work. And Im forever grateful to my husband, Eric, for holding down the fort when he wasnt hoisting a beer during bar-hopping research.

Finally, I want to thank the fine folks at Wilderness Press, particularly Tim Jackson, Ritchey Halphen, and Scott McGrew, for their wit, warmth, and wonderful support of this project.

Kathleen Dodge Doherty

As a child growing up in the East Bay, I always viewed San Francisco as the glamorous jeweled treasure box that beckoned from across the water, the dashing urban counterpart to my quiet suburban upbringing. My family would get dressed up to have dinner in the city, where sunlight glinted off the waves, Carol Dodas flashing neon nipples made us giggle in the back seat, and untold adventures seemed to await once I got old enough.

Once I was old enough, the city lived up to my expectations. I watched friends bands play at the Bottom of the Hill, danced at raves in abandoned Dogpatch warehouses, and ate more burritos than I care to admit. But my absolute favorite thing to do was to walk. I loved to pick a different neighborhood to explore each time and ferret out its distinction and charms. I delight in secret stairways, trellised gardens, windswept peaks, unexpected murals, and foggy waterfronts.

When I finally moved to the city more than 12 years ago, my walking explorations increased with fervor. These days, my favorite night out is an urban adventure with my husband, a bottle of wine in our backpack and the city stretched out before us, waiting to be discovered.

As I slip on my shoes and head out the front door, San Francisco always feels full of possibility. I love that at any one point, someone is shrouded in fog while someone else is getting a sunburn. One person is slurping noodles in Chinatown, while another is disco-dancing on roller skates in the park. Strains of gypsy jazz, Top 40, and kids practicing instruments waft down from open windows, providing the soundtrack.

More than anything, I love San Franciscos open-minded, welcoming nature and the vast variety of creative characters who make their home here. Ive found that the best way to get to know them is to join them on the street and ask them their favorite places to walk. This is what I did to research this book, and this is what I invite you to do as you hit the streets yourself.

All right. Lets see where our shoes take us!

K. D. D.