A San Francisco Staycation

It may seem counterintuitive, given the famous refrain about the city’s fickle weather, but summer is made for staying close to home. San Francisco changes character three or four times before dinner, and the only way to catch it all is to be present. To become a visitor in your own city.

A San Francisco staycation runs on contrasts: tracing the hills before heading out on the water, pairing lavish moments with quiet discoveries, and folding several layers of the city into a single stay.

Skim the heights in Nob Hill and Russian Hill, where the streets are crisscrossed with cable cars and hidden garden staircases, and every climb pays out in a view. Combine elevated landmarks with down-to-earth eats, and stay attuned to the city’s changing rhythm, register and elevation.

Morning begins in Huntington Park, where the hotel’s tai chi class unfolds as the fog lingers around Grace Cathedral across the street. From there, step inside the cathedral to enjoy the Gothic architecture and continue your path of mindfulness while it’s still quiet. Trace the indoor labyrinth as you watch the light filter through the stained glass.

By late morning, follow the hill down to Swan Oyster Depot for seafood worth planning for. Arrive early enough to claim a seat at its marble counter before patrons start lining up outside. Order the off-menu Sicilian crudo and freshly shucked oysters, and settle into a San Francisco institution that has been eighteen stools since opening, with little interest in changing.

The return uphill is best taken slowly. Polk Street rewards a little wandering, with small shops and boutiques to explore along the way. ReLove stocks hard-to-find, authenticated designer vintage that transcends trends; Picnic curates objets d’art and small-batch candles named for local landmarks; and Smoke Signals keeps the culture of print alive, stocking coveted and rare magazine titles, with its knowledgeable owner, Fadi, always ready for small talk and a recommendation.

Stunning views from Ina Coolbrith Park

As afternoon gives way to evening, climb the Vallejo Street Steps to Ina Coolbrith Park. The terraced garden feels almost hidden until its paths open onto the Bay Bridge and downtown, just as the light begins to turn the city amber. 

Your reward for the climb: a properly extravagant dinner at The Big Four, back at the hotel. Go all out with bone marrow-laced steak tartare and the famed chicken pot pie, or keep things classic with an order of steak and fries, powered by an espresso martini. Settle in as the piano plays and the room begins its nightly revelry.

End the night at our Arabella’s Cocktail Salon, where decades-old spirits and jewel box cocktails await, and bed is only a very short journey away. 

The second day takes you west, for a close encounter with the fog that visitors complain about and locals quietly adore. There is an otherworldly beauty to the city when it turns cool, gray and cinematic. 

Begin with a picnic breakfast in Huntington Park, catered by The Big Four and carried across the street. Think coffee and pastries on the grass while the hill wakes up.

Then take a Waymo to the city’s western edge and follow the Lands End Coastal Trail through cypress and eucalyptus to the ruins of Sutro Baths. Watch the Golden Gate Bridge appear and vanish in the fog. Then continue past Mile Rock Overlook to Eagle’s Point, where the city gives way to cliff, wind and sea, and a stone labyrinth by local artist Eduardo Aguilera has a habit of disappearing and returning, much like the view itself. 

The Legion of Honor rises just above the trail. Move through the permanent collection and rotating exhibits before finding Gallery 6, where Hitchcock staged the fictional Portrait of Carlotta scene in Vertigo. Outside in the courtyard, Rodin’s The Thinker holds court, with the ocean beyond.  

Warm up with coffee and an occasional ray of sun at the locally beloved Andytown in the Outer Sunset. Order the Snowy Plover, espresso poured over sparkling water and cream, with an Irish-style pastry on the side.

Palm City Wines keeps an interesting stock of drinkable pours, including well-chosen natural wines. Stop for a glass of chilled red at a sidewalk table, then walk down to Ocean Beach for sunset. By then, the sun drops into the Pacific and the fog begins to lay claim once again.

Wrap up in the Inner Sunset with a seafood-centric dinner at Caché, a French bistro by the young, disproportionately talented chef Simon Mounier. The scallop carpaccio and petrale sole are winning options on a cozy night.

On the last day, trade the fog for the city’s brighter side and let the city take you a little back in time. There is a heady nostalgia to this side of San Francisco, where the bay flashes silver, old institutions keep their rituals, and the night still makes room for a little spectacle. 

Start at the Ferry Building while the morning light comes off the water. The tenants here are some of San Francisco’s most trusted artisans: Heath Ceramics has been glazing and throwing understated tableware since 1948; Bernal Cutlery sharpens knives by hand and offers anything from Japanese carbon steel to resurrected French antiques; and Tsar Nicoulai has been curing small-batch California caviar since 1984, making a tin from here a small, portable indulgence.

North Beach, where the Italian-American blocks still run on the old and the old-school, is next: espresso bars with the machines going all morning, delis slicing to order, and crates of vintage records along Grant Avenue that reward a slow flip. Spend an hour at City Lights Booksellers, where the upstairs Poetry Room suggests the Beat era never entirely left.

Aboard The Diamond Seas superyacht

By late afternoon, trade the street for the bay with The Huntington’s Summit to Sea experience. Our Chef Concierge will arrange a private two-hour charter aboard a 92-foot yacht, with paired bites and champagne poured before you have cleared the pier. Glide past Alcatraz and beneath the Golden Gate as the skyline shifts from gold to twilight. 

Come ashore for dinner at the Michelin-starred but not overhyped Hilda and Jesse, where self-taught chef Ollie Liedags serves brunch-meets-dinner, California-meets-Latvia wonders in a whimsical room dreamt up by star designer Noz Nozawa. 

Finish at Paris 75, a chic French-style cocktail lounge hiding behind typically ornate North Beach signage that gives little away. On the right night, a jazz band and a burlesque dancer share the same small stage, a flourish Arabella Huntington, who knew a thing or two about entertaining, might have enjoyed.