24 Hours at Fisherman's Wharf - San Francisco

After a group tour through Sonoma, I gifted myself one day of solo time in the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood. With only 24 hours on the clock before I returned to the airport, I arrived at the Best Western Tuscan Inn, where the valets looked like gondola pilots in their black and white horizontal-striped shirts and black straw hats. The hotel lobby resembled a casual and cozy Italian manor, with a rear window that looked out on a multi-level terrace full of potted flowers and greenery, and small trees. A sign reminded guests about the free happy hour offered every evening, and I vowed to return from my adventures in time to socialize.

I put on my warmest jacket against the February chill, and set out on foot. The smell of salt water, and uncharacteristically blue winter sky, lifted my spirits. I explored Pier 39 and then headed to the other end of the Wharf where I met a writing acquaintance and S.F. resident, for a private wine tasting at a new wine store. Fueled by great food and drink, I returned to the streets with stops at Ghirardelli, Boudin Sourdough and several other food purveyors.

As the sun set I walked briskly towards the hotel again, where I joined a large crowd of ruddy faced guests before a roaring fire, still wearing fleece and scarves as they sipped wine and munched on freshly made bruschetta. Conversation flowed as it often does in a room full of strangers without agendas or previous connections and I found myself talking with a couple visiting from Ireland.

Before we knew it Jackie and I had talked for nearly an hour beyond the last guest's departure. Only then did I realize how good my comfy bed and soft pillow sounded.

Above It All - San Francisco's Coit Tower

During 5th and 6th grade my family lived in Walnut Creek, CA, a suburb of Oakland. On rare occasions, we crossed the bay to San Francisco, such as seeing the premiere of the Sound of Music on Mother's Day, or enjoying lunch in Chinatown with our Girl Scout troop. Coit Tower always intrigued me as it stood high above the pulsing city, but I never had a chance to visit.

When I visited Fisherman's Wharf last February, I was still on a tight schedule with no time to stop by the tower. However, at 9 a.m. on a chilly winter day, the 210-foot-tall structure still towered above the urban landscape to the east. Poised atop the 285-foot-tall Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower was clearly visible in the early morning light, surrounded by hills full of steep walkways and pastel-painted cottages.

But the next time I visit San Francisco, I'll finally make my way up Telegraph Hill, where visitors can see a 360-degree view of the City by the Bay including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the famed curves of Lombard Street. The tower was commissioned by local philanthropist, Lillie Hitchcock Coit, in honor of fire fighters who battled blazes that resulted from the 1906 earthquake. The tower, built of unpainted reinforced concrete, also offers a history museum, and murals that depict Depression-era working class life in California.

Seventy-five years after it was erected, Coit Tower remains a picture postcard favorite and a San Francisco icon.

Photo Shoot by the Bay

I had purchased my digital SLR camera only six weeks earlier, and San Francisco's sometimes fickle winter weather offered a gorgeous respite in early February. With less than 24 hours before I would leave Fisherman's Wharf I checked in to my hotel, and then began walking around the neighborhood with lens poised.

At Pier 39 I found a cornucopia of great images, from the dark mystery of Houdini's Magic Shop to The San Francisco Music Box Company, where tropical snow globes and Venetian jewelry boxes shared the shelves with hand-crank and Swan Lake music boxes. Diners filled the Crab House at Pier 39 and the Hard Rock Cafe; and Bubba Gump Shrimp offered patrons views of a massive Italian carousel where brightly painted horses pranced and thousands of lights twinkled.

Despite the calendar, a riotous rainbow of flowers decorated the boardwalk. But no place grabbed my attention more than this spot along the upper boardwalk, where the carousel's base disappeared, leaving only the 'roof' and it's intricately hand-painted images of the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Chinatown and other popular San Francisco sites in clear view. I savored the sunshine and wrapped my jacket around me, as the Bay sparkled invitingly.

San Francisco's Cable Cars

Despite the 40-something temperature, dozens of passengers lined up at the Friedel Klussmann Memorial Turnaround to buy tickets for a ride on San Francisco's famed cable cars. Across the street, empty cars on the Powell-Hyde line awaited customers.

It's been 25 years since the city of San Francisco totally overhauled its cable car system, from track to cars. But the tradition began in 1878 with only a brief interruption from 1982 to 1984, during the overhaul. Today there are three primary routes - the Powell-Hyde, the Powell-Mason and the California Street lines.

I first rode a cable car across the city's brick-paved streets in elementary school, with my family and then when my Girl Scout troop had lunch in Chinatown. Thirty years later, I grabbed an outer bar and hung off the side of another car with a traveling buddy, as another friend took our picture. But I didn't have time to 'ride the rails' during this visit. Something to look forward to, the next time I'm in the city by the bay.

Fisherman's Wharf's Chocolate Mecca

Ghirardelli Square at Fisherman's Wharf has been home turf for renowned chocolatier, Ghirardelli, since its founding, in 1852. The square is actually a collection of buildings that host numerous food and beverage venues, from the classic Lori's Diner to Cellar360, the ultimate wine retailer, and McCormick and Kuleto's, with its Crabcake Lounge overlooking San Francisco Bay. There are also cupcakes, an Irish pub and several other vendors. And, with the recent addition of Fairmont Heritage Place, the Square has added a luxury private residence club too.

But chocolate still rules at Ghirardelli Square. Of the more than four million people who visit each year many stop to indulge at Ghirardelli, where enormous palettes of new products fill the adjacent sidewalk each morning before most people have had a cup of coffee. Chocolate lovers, young and old, feast on signature squares of filled milk and dark chocolate, savor slices of decadent flourless mocha torte, or chase away a chill with rich hot chocolate - all where this sweet legend began.

Barking at Fisherman's Wharf

A chorus of deep, raspy barking drew me towards Pier 39. Captivated onlookers lined the dock railings, three-deep, and craned their necks for maximum views of the massive sea lions. More than a dozen basked in early morning sun, paying no attention to gulls that occasionally landed in their midst.

As I watched from a less crowded boardwalk across the inlet, I realized my position minimized the stench I'd heard these enormous sea mammals created. But the distance that saved my nose also hampered my view. I could not see them very well until I attached the telephoto lens to my camera. The raucous barking continued as I snapped away, capturing the sheen of their wet hides and laziness of their seaside naps.

Not until I looked at my pictures later did I realize the sea lions had totally ignored the sign that said 'No Docking.'

Sour Dough in Frisco

It was late morning when the smell of freshly baked bread drew me to Boudin Bakery, within view of San Francisco Bay. A street musician created sonorous music as he tapped enthusiastically on a twin pair of over-sized bongos, and raucous gulls swooped across parking lots and buildings.

Inside the bakery, more than 150 years of history coalesced in dozens of fresh sourdough loaves, paying homage to a tradition that began when the Gold Rush '49ers merged traditional French baking techniques and 'sour' dough. In fact, today's loaves are still made with a portion of the original 'mother' dough, which has been divided and replenished with flour and water each day since the first batch was made.

With a crunchy crust and a chewy center, a 24-ounce loaf only cost about $4. If I hadn't been so full from breakfast I might have grabbed lunch in Bistro Boudin, the company's first full-service restaurant. And if I hadn't been so pressed for time I would have toured the company's on-site museum - full of city history and antique photos - or stopped by the demonstration bakery. But, sometimes, it's also nice to have things you can look forward to during your next visit.

Wine by the Bay

In October 2007, Cellar360 opened at Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco with a goal of bringing the best of wine country to wine lovers who lack sufficient time to visit Napa or Sonoma. New owners stripped away modern construction to reveal brick, wood floors, ceilings, columns, and windows in the circa 1864 Woolen Mill Building, and then transformed the space with undulating architectural curves, loads of light and hundreds of beautifully displayed bottles.

But Cellar360 is more than a retail store - it's also a multi-brand tasting and wine education facility in which educators from COPIA/The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, teach classes. Their classroom is a glass-walled room that seats 40-50 people, attached to a full-service stainless steel kitchen with an expansive viewing window. Cellar360 also hosted a wine and chocolate class on February 16.

And tasting is an important part of a visit here. Sample a multi-brand flight of wines at the tasting bar, enjoy a pairing of cheeses and wine, or sip a glass of vino with one of 25 cheeses, soups of the day, salads and sandwiches or dishes such as truffled macaroni and cheeses or brussel sprouts with pancetta, that are available on-site. Then take one of your favorite bottles home to share with friends and family.