My Quirky San Francisco

More ink has been spilled by travel writers gushing about the beauty of San Francisco than almost any other place on earth. The fog. The bridge. The Victorians. I won’t repeat the basics.

Instead, let me tell you about my San Francisco — the one I’ve known over 35 years living in the city and nearby Tiburon. These are not necessarily the most famous places. But they are among my favorites — the quirky, soulful, slightly off-center spots that keep this city endlessly intriguing.

The Best View in Town (That Few Talk About)

The Palace of the Legion of Honor is a lovely, intimate museum. But if I’m honest, I often go as much for the setting as the art. Perched high above Lincoln Park, it offers one of the most expansive views of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate you’ll find anywhere in the city.

On a clear day, the light is cinematic. From here, hiking trails snake down toward Lands End, along rugged cliffs and windswept cypress groves. It’s one of my favorite combinations: culture followed by coastal air.

Fortune Cookies & Hidden Staircases

Most people don’t realize that the Chinese fortune cookie was popularized in San Francisco. You can still visit the tiny Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory tucked into Ross Alley in Chinatown. It’s a narrow, fragrant storefront where workers fold warm cookies by hand. It feels unchanged in decades.

Then there are the hidden staircases — one of the city’s great quiet joys. The book Hidden Stairways of San Francisco maps them beautifully. My favorites lace through Russian Hill, Nob Hill, and the Castro, revealing tucked-away gardens, murals, and improbable views. Climbing them feels like discovering a secret city layered atop the obvious one. The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps in the Sunset District are perhaps the most famous — 163 mosaic-covered steps rising toward the sky.

Tunnel Tops & Yoda

One of the city’s great recent additions is Presidio Tunnel Tops. Built atop highway tunnels, this park seamlessly connects the Presidio to Crissy Field. Rolling lawns, native plantings, food trucks, and unbeatable Golden Gate Bridge views make it feel both modern and timeless.

Just a short walk away, in front of Lucasfilm headquarters, stands a life-size Yoda statue. It’s delightfully unexpected — a quiet little pilgrimage site.

The Castro & Its Golden Fire Hydrant

The newly renovated Castro Theatre is once again an anchor of the Castro. The restoration preserved its grand Spanish Colonial façade while upgrading the interior for modern sound and performance needs. Whether you catch a film, concert, or sing-along, the building itself feels like part of the show.

In nearby Dolores Park sits the gold fire hydrant — painted to commemorate the hydrant that saved much of the Mission District during the 1906 earthquake and fire. A small, quirky landmark with outsized historical importance.

Yes, Even Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf can be over the top. But a must see is  the Musée Mécanique, where vintage penny arcade games still clatter and whir. Mechanical fortune tellers, hand-cranked amusements — nostalgia you can touch.

Tiki, Views & Wartime Rendezvous

Grace Cathedral, where you can walk the outdoor labyrinth before heading downhill to the Cable Car Museum. Beneath the street, enormous wheels spin endlessly, pulling the city’s cable cars along their routes.

For a completely different kind of nostalgia, head to nearby Trad'r Sam, often credited as possibly the oldest tiki bar in the United States. It’s unapologetically kitschy — bamboo, rum drinks, and zero pretense. Order something dangerously fruity and settle in.

If you prefer your tiki with a bit more elegance, the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar inside the Fairmont San Francisco was famously created by covering over the hotel’s original swimming pool. A “boat” band floats in the center while simulated tropical storms roll in overhead. It’s theatrical, historic, and uniquely San Francisco.

Right across California Street is the legendary Top of the Mark atop the Mark Hopkins Hotel. It offers what may be the finest panoramic views in the city. During World War II, servicemen would gather here before shipping out, arranging to reunite at “the Top of the Mark” if they survived. There is something deeply moving about sipping a martini there at sunset, knowing the stories that unfolded under that same view.

The Unexpected Corners

In the Outer Mission, Cayuga Park is filled with over 375 hand-carved wooden sculptures — whimsical, colorful, slightly eccentric. For manga fans and cosplayers, Japantown Center Mall offers niche shops like Fog Cats and Paper Tree. For avid hikers, the San Francisco Crosstown Trail traverses 17 miles across the city’s hills, connecting neighborhoods most visitors never see. Or, hop aboard a cable car that terminates at The Buena Vista, birthplace of American Irish Coffee. Watching the bartenders pour them in assembly-line precision is part of the show.

Sundays in Golden Gate Park

And finally, Sundays in Golden Gate Park. The main thoroughfare closes to cars. Disco dancers, swing groups, polka circles, drummers, roller skaters in sequins — it’s all there. Strap on blades if you dare. Wander slowly if you don’t.

Look carefully and you’ll spot half a dozen tiny fairy huts hidden among trees — whimsical reminders that San Francisco, for all its reinventions, still believes in magic.

There are countless things to see in this city. But these are among my favorites — the places that, after three and a half decades, still surprise me and still feel like home.