Day Three

Golden Gate Park • Lincoln Park • Lands End

Golden Gate Park, landscape architect John McLaren’s 1870 master work, features 1,017 acres of grassy dells, gardens, lakes, wooded trails, botanical gardens and museums.

25 The Japanese Tea Garden (752-1171), opened in 1894, is the oldest public Japanese garden in America. Serene and lush, the garden turns spectacular in early spring when the cherry trees are in bloom. Hostesses in kimonos serve tea and cookies at the Tea House. Two new buildings flank the Music Concourse: 26 the de Young Museum with its soaring, twisting tower (750-3600) and 27 the California Academy of Sciences (379-8000), a planetarium, aquarium and natural history museum in one state-of-the-green-art building. At 1 p.m. on Sundays, April through October, the Golden Gate Park Band plays free concerts at the Spreckles Temple of Music in the concourse. It has performed in the park since 1882. 28 The San Francisco Botanical Garden (9th Avenue and Lincoln Way; 661-1316) comprises 70 acres of succulents and California native plants, a redwood trail and the Garden of Fragrance for the blind with labels in Braille.

The limestone 29 California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park at the city’s northwest end (863-3330) overlooks the ocean, Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands. It displays an extensive collection of French painting and sculpture, period rooms and has much Rodin and many Achenbach Foundation prints. Also at the edge of the city, at 48th Avenue, is 30 Lands End. There, a trail meanders through lush greenery and along cliffs, offering breathtaking ocean views. Stop where the trail narrows unless you’re a strong walker with sturdy shoes. Stop for a drink or full meal at the 31 Cliff House and watch the pounding surf below and birds and seals at Seal Rock 400 feet offshore.

Top off the day downtown in Union Square with dinner at the Redwood Room in 32 the Clift Hotel (495 Geary; 775-4700), 33 Scala’s Bistro (432 Powell; 395-8555) and 34 the Grand Cafe (501 Geary; 292-0101). The nearby theater district features 35 American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary; 749-2228), 36 Curran Theater (445 Geary; 551-2000) and 37 Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (474-8800). Down on Eddy Street is 38 EXIT Theatre, home of the S.F. Fringe Festival and much experimental work.

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