by Anne Vargas
We both used to live there, we both love it and we both had a list of “things we want to do”. Happily, the lists were the same. Our daughter’s godmother was in Reno for her 
annual visit which, this year, included a girls-only trip to “our” City by the Bay. We had a plan: San Francisco is a city of neighborhoods, each with a distinct personality. We would wander as many as possible. We would re-visit favorite haunts and have dinner at our two favorite restaurants, both known well to locals but not necessarily to tourists.
An internet search had secured a motel reservation in the Marina district which sounded good; $80 for two Queen sized beds, free parking, quiet street and easy walk to both Chestnut and Union streets. Hopefully it would prove as good in actuality.
Shopping was on the list so there was a 3-hour stop at the Outlet mall in Vacaville en route. There are 120 stores there but we spent the entire time spent in Chico’s. (A clerk who recognized me commented that I would never have been able to stay that long if my husband had been with me.)
Onward out of the Sacramento heat into the welcome, cool fog of San Francisco where we checked into the motel. It more than satisfied our criteria of clean, cheap, and conveniently located. We walked the few blocks to Chestnut Street, shared a spinach bagel at Noah’s Bagel Shop to stave off hunger and headed for manicures/pedicures ($18 for both) at my favorite of the many nail salons in the Marina.
We strolled through the delightful shops before going back to the motel for a glass of wine and discussion about dinner options. Dismayed to discover our restaurant choice for that night was closed, we walked up to Union Street. The appealing restaurants there were also closed, so we went back to Chestnut Street for more of the same situation. By then it was getting late and we were tired and hungry so we abandoned the quest for the perfect place and went into the Squat & Gobble, which I’d never heard of.
They advertised a dinner special of any appetizer, any entrée and a glass of wine for $19.95 but since there you have to order at the counter and there weren’t a lot of people, we wondered how good it could be (we were wrong). We opted for a grilled salmon sandwich on and a Chinese Chicken salad. Both were $8.95; both were superb.
We sat near a couple who did have that dinner special (it looked wonderful) and ended up chatting with them, learning they live nearby and eat there several times a week because the food is so good. Assuming we were tourists, they offered advice and asked where we were from. The wife then said “I know someone who lives in Reno, I wonder whether you might have met?” That small world stuff must be true; she is a close friend with whom we had dinner the night before!
Day Two: Polk Street for breakfast at Boulange where we shared a baguette with an abundance of butter, preserves and condiments along with huge pottery bowls of café au lait and the morning paper. Then we were off to the Ferry Building for the Tuesday morning Farmer’s Market (also on Saturday) and a walk along the waterside, underneath the Bay Bridge.
Next stop, SOMA (South of Market Area) to Nordstrom’s Rack for a bit more shopping and a drive around the area. In its former days this was an impoverished neighborhood but is now one of the city’s hot spots, with new condos and great restaurants. On to Hayes Valley (near the Civic Center) described as “a haven for haute couture, with trendy fashion boutiques, SoHo-style funky art galleries; a thriving destination for style hunters from all over the globe”.
Time for lunch: Back to the Marina district to Pluto’s (“Fresh Food for a Hungry Universe”) for their terrific salads. A side salad (huge) is $5.15 with your choice of three kinds of greens and seven additions. We ordered ours “to go”, drove to the Presidio, parked directly beneath the Golden Gate bridge and picnicked by the water with city in the background, watching the body surfers catch the waves.
More neighborhoods to visit so we head out the back Presidio gate, stopping for the ocean view from the lookout point. Clement Street awaits, more Chinese than Chinatown, harboring home goods stores with fun “finds” and (supposedly) more restaurants than any other street in America.
Drove down Sacramento Street en route to Fillmore Street where a perusal of the many consignment shops unearthed a treasure; a brand new designer handbag with the tags still on for 1/10th the original price.
Back to the motel to freshen up. It was Bastille Day and we had dinner reservations at the Baker Street Bistro which was lively with an atmosphere of gaiety and animated conversation in both French & English. Everything is good but we chose the prix fixe menu (changes daily) which includes soup of the day, salad, entrée and dessert for $14.95 from 5 p.m. until closing Sun/Tues/Wed/Th; 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fri/Sat. (That night: carrot/ginger soup, field greens with vinaigrette, roast pork/chutney with mashed potatoes and chocolate mousse).
Day three: Back to Boulange for another delightful breakfast and a drive along the Bay before leaving our hearts and heading home, already making plans for next year: More of the same and possibly Golden Gate Park to visit the new Museum of Science, the DeYoung Museum, the Japanese Tea Garden; or maybe the Palace of Fine Arts which houses the Exploratorium, a place for kids from 2-92 (within walking distance of the motel), and at least one more day.
Particulars:
- Motel Capri, 2015 Greenwich (at Buchanan), San Francisco (415) 346-4667 (one block off Lombard, coffee/tea and free internet access in lobby
- Boulange, 2300 Polk Street, (415) 346-4667, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Monday • Squat & Gobble, 2263 Chestnut St (415) 441- 2200
- Pluto’s, 3258 Scott (at Chestnut) 415) 775-8867
- Baker Street Bistro, 2953 Baker St, (just off Lombard) (415) 931- 1475
- Ristorante Milano (the one we didn’t get to), 448 Pacific (415) 673-2961 (their gnocchi with gorgonzola cream sauce is equivalent of eating clouds!)
Special note: My traveling companion has “parking karma” so we easily (miraculously) found parking places everywhere. Parking in San Francisco is admittedly a problem; if possible, find your own parking karma friend or opt for the excellent