As a child growing up in the East Bay, I always viewed San Francisco as the glamorous jeweled treasure box that beckoned from across the water, the dashing urban counterpart to my quiet suburban upbringing. My family would get dressed up to have dinner in the city, where sunlight glinted off the waves, Carol Doda’s flashing neon nipples made us giggle in the back seat, and untold adventures seemed to await once I got old enough.
Once I was old enough, the city lived up to my expectations. I watched friends’ bands play at the Bottom of the Hill, danced at raves in abandoned Dogpatch warehouses, and ate more burritos than I care to admit. But my absolute favorite thing to do was to walk. I loved to pick a different neighborhood to explore each time and ferret out its distinction and charms. I delight in secret stairways, trellised gardens, windswept peaks, unexpected murals, and foggy waterfronts.
When I finally moved to the city more than 12 years ago, my walking explorations increased with fervor. These days, my favorite night out is an urban adventure with my husband, a bottle of wine in our backpack and the city stretched out before us, waiting to be discovered.
As I slip on my shoes and head out the front door, San Francisco always feels full of possibility. I love that at any one point, someone is shrouded in fog while someone else is getting a sunburn. One person is slurping noodles in Chinatown, while another is disco-dancing on roller skates in the park. Strains of gypsy jazz, Top 40, and kids practicing instruments waft down from open windows, providing the soundtrack.
More than anything, I love San Francisco’s open-minded, welcoming nature and the vast variety of creative characters who make their home here. I’ve found that the best way to get to know them is to join them on the street and ask them their favorite places to walk. This is what I did to research this book, and this is what I invite you to do as you hit the streets yourself.
All right. Let’s see where our shoes take us!
—K. D. D.
Stairways through lush gardens, like the Filbert Steps across Napier Lane on Telegraph Hill (see Walk 9), entice explorers to discover San Francisco’s hidden neighborhoods.