Purchase Tickets

Windy City, Too

Guided: San Francisco

By Ron Donoho

CHICAGO GOT DIBS on the “Windy City” nickname. Had San Francisco been settled first, I propose that the City by the Bay (a name that merely hints at gusting breezes) would have nabbed the Windy City moniker. The winds blow wild weather patterns hither and yon. If you’re taking a stroll around Fisherman’s Wharf, be sure to wear a tank top and a long-sleeve shirt, as well as a waterproof fleecelined coat. Don’t like the current climate? It will soon pass.

The May weekend of my visit held the annual Bay to Breakers foot “race.” According to news reports, 33,000 signed up for the run, and double that number participated. Enthusiasts dress up as clowns, cowboys and anything else their imaginations can dream up. No official count is offered, but hundreds choose to strip down and run au naturel——with only their spirits to warm them.

WHERE TO STAY: The InterContinental San Francisco (888-811-4273, 415-616-6964; intercontinentalsanfrancisco.com) is the largest hotel to open in the city in decades. Set in the SoMa (South of Market) area and built proximal to the Moscone West convention center, the sleek tower has 550 rooms on 32 floors.

Most guestrooms have floor-to-ceiling window walls. My corner room had two——including the bathroom wall. I opened all the curtains and gazed out at my 180-degree view, which included the bayside ballpark, Bloomingdale’s and the offices of the San Francisco Chronicle. At varying times of day, the view went away as the fog rolled by. But I knew what was out there.

The hotel’s I-Spa has 10 treatment rooms and a manicure/pedicure station. The fitness center still smells new, and there’s a vanishing-edge lap pool.

WHERE TO EAT: Those floor-to-ceiling window walls also apply to the InterContinental’s street-level restaurant, Luce. Executive chef Dominique Crenn blends the tastes of Tuscany and California. Try her farm-to-table, five-course tasting menu, highlighted by scallops with tomato gel, bacon glaze and parsley foam . . . If you find yourself on Jefferson Street around lunch time, stop into the Bistro Boudin (415-928-1849; boudinbakery.com). In 1849, the Boudin family struck culinary gold. They say wild yeasts in the San Francisco air gave a unique tang to their bread, giving rise to “San Francisco sourdough French bread.” A loaf hollowed out and filled with clam chowder is a hearty repast.

WHAT TO DO: It seems cliché, but you have to take the tour of Alcatraz (415-981-7625; nps.gov/alcatraz). Go for the self-guided audio tour of the island-bound former federal penitentiary (it served as such from 1934- 63). Prepare to be fascinated by stories of Al “Scarface” Capone and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz (who never had birds here). Didja know? During the prison’s working days, the guards——and their families—— lived on the island, and rarely locked their doors.