Call it San Francisco 101. The ultimate tour of California’s ultimate city. A drive that elicits words such as “awesome,” “stunning” and “amazing” from almost everyone who takes it.
There’s only one problem: You have to drive through San Francisco to see it.
The route is the 49 Mile Scenic Drive, designed in the late 1930s to introduce the city to visitors at the 1939 to 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition. The route winds from the mountains to the sea, through neighborhoods and parks, along cliffs and under huge bridges.
Unfortunately, it also dashes directly across town, where the streets run at 30-degree grades, and jumpy drivers turn blue from holding their breath at the top of blind hills. A tip: Leave the stick-shift car at home.
The 49 Mile Scenic Drive is an incredible overview of the city, full of amazing views and bustling neighborhoods. It takes visitors to San Francisco’s highlights, from Golden Gate Park to Golden Gate Bridge, from Seal Rocks to Chinatown, from the honky-tonks of North Beach to the expensive shops of Union Square, from the top of the city at Twin Peaks to the bottom at Fisherman’s Wharf.
Some tips:
– The drive starts downtown at City Hall in Civic Center Plaza (McAllister and Grove Streets) and takes a complicated counterclockwise route through the hilly city. Don’t try to follow it in the opposite direction. Blue-and-white sea gull signs identify the route, but they’re visible from only one direction.
– Invest in a good map that outlines the tour. Maps are available for $2.40 at the Visitor Information Center or online at sfvisitor.org. An audiocassette and map, “The Ultimate City Tour,” is available for $10.95 at the center or on its Web site. Don’t expect to find a map highlighting the route at stores along the way.
– Break the trip into parts. The Visitor Information Center suggests 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays for the 9-mile downtown section. Or try it on a Sunday afternoon when traffic is typically light. The remaining segment–Golden Gate Park, Golden Gate Bridge and Ocean Beach–is busiest on weekends.
– The “AAA Hidden Highways” guidebook ($17.95, Ulysses Press) suggests that visitors park their cars and walk, or take buses, cable cars and other forms of public transportation on the downtown section of the route. The rest of the route includes easier-to-drive sections, such as the Presidio, Lake Merritt, Twin Peaks and Golden Gate Park and bridge.
– Watch for cable cars, bicyclists and pedestrians, all of which always have the right of way.
– If the drive is too much for you, hire a driver or take a bus tour. It’s worth it.
More trip tips
– Where to get information: Visitor
Information Center, 900 Market St., San Francisco, Calif., 94103-2804; 415-391-2000; www.sfvisitor.org.
– Where to eat: Cliff House, 1090 Point Lobos, San Francisco, Calif., 94121; 415-386-3330; www.cliffhouse.com.
– Where to stay: Waters Edge Hotel, 25 Main St., Tiburon, Calif., 94920; 877-789-5999 or 415-789-5999; www.marinhotels.com.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
