California steaming

The people, sights, sounds, culture and architecture give San Francisco full rights to the title "everybody's favourite city". It has a pulse of excitement which captures the visitor from the time you step off the plane.
A 48-hour stopover had me hitting the ground running and I didn't stop until my night flight allowed me the luxury of viewing the magnificent lights of a city I yearn to return to.
I was there in late-August. Three days before, the city had experienced its highest temperatures on record, but as we drove into town my driver fondly commented: "Oh, our fog has cooled it down. When you're here, dress in layers, you'll have them off and on all day."
He was spot on. Cool in the morning, hot later and cool again as the sun disappeared.
San Francisco's "official" fog season is July to September and while it forbade me from seeing the famous Golden Gate Bridge in its full glory, it provided its own atmosphere, curling in around the famous Alcatraz Prison (known as The Rock) which was such a dominant sight in the bay.
It's an easy city to get around, despite its monstrous hills. Transport options include bikes, buses, streetcars, trolley cars, a subway and, of course, the magnificent historic cable cars.
Believe me, there is nothing like the latter. Clinging to a pole while you go up and down the city's steep hills gives such an adrenaline rush. Aiming your camera as you go adds to the thrill. (Try to travel early in the morning - the queues lengthen as the day goes on.)
There are many options price-wise for visitors to San Francisco. Look out for special offers, such as the Go San Francisco Card, which give you discount options to many sights and activities.
Arriving mid-afternoon, I settled into my hotel, just a short walk from Union Square where you not only find the turnaround for the cable cars, but also almost every designer store known to man.
The concierge whistled me a cab and I was off to the famous Fisherman's Wharf and a twilight cruise of the bay. We cruised west along the fascinating shoreline, with its mix of historical and recreational sights, and sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge (quite eerie with all that fog).
Then it was an enticingly close look at Alcatraz before heading back to town. (I didn't set foot on The Rock, but those who did told me it was worth doing.)
Afterwards I took a wander around the bustling wharf with its plethora of souvenir shops and dining options. I watched people sample clam chowder and crabs from street stalls before going inside for my own, dining in a restaurant which still exuded the atmosphere of the 1920s. If Al Capone had walked in, I wouldn't have been surprised.
At 10am the next day, I was on a five-hour city tour. If you're on a 48-hour pass, it pays to do a trip of this kind and there are many on offer via many modes of transport.
Highlights included standing under the Golden Gate Bridge and gazing up at the intricacy of its structure, watching scores of people utilising the many walk/cycle paths along the shoreline, going to City Hall (don't miss this, it's a wonder in marble), driving through the Castro (renowned once as San Francisco's gay centre and still a vibrant, eclectic area), admiring some of the more than 600 murals throughout the city (made possible by a tax paid by those staying in city hotels), viewing the city from the de Young Museum's observation tower and seeing so many different styles of architecture, including the spectacular Victorian houses.
I had a teaser trip into Golden Gate Park, which is probably worth a day on its own. It covers 4.2sq km and features the Kezar Stadium, a Japanese tea garden, the Academy of Sciences (which includes an aquarium, planetarium and rainforest), the Conservatory of Flowers, the San Francisco Botanical Gardens and a herd of bison.
That night, I was guided on foot through Chinatown and the predominantly Italian North Beach on a tasting tour.
Both cultures are on show as you wander around. I watched Chinese fortune cookies being made, tasted a variety of dim sim, spent an hour tasting Chinese teas and then ended up in an Italian restaurant where the owner, who only arrived in the US from Rome four years ago, produced some of the best pizza and red wine I've tasted.
Next morning it was the cable car and then a bit of shopping. In Union Square, you name it, you can purchase it. Ask the friendly locals for directions and you may have to tear yourself away, especially being a "New Zeeeelander".
Then it was a two-hour walking tour around the Victorian houses - we even got to go inside a Victorian hotel, once a girls' school where 75 per cent of the beautiful furnishings were authentic.
Our tour included a few hills, but nothing insurmountable to this unfit traveller, and getting a close-up view of so many different aspects of my favourite architectural era was mind-boggling.
My goodness, the time went fast. And there's still so much to see. I want to go back.
WHERE TO STAY:
The well-appointed Handlery Hotel, just a short walk from Union Square and the cable car turnaround. It's family-owned, comfortable and offers a wide range of tariffs.
FIVE MUST-DOS:
A twilight tour of the Bay out to the Golden Gate Bridge and past Alcatraz Island with the Red and White Fleet, established in 1829. Its audio tour has won awards, and I'm not surprised. Fascinating.
Eat at the 70-year-old landmark restaurant Alioto's in Fisherman's Wharf - clam chowder and crab to die for.
Urban Safari Tours transport visitors in comfortable, yet zany, zebra-striped safari vehicles on a number of tour options. Guides are friendly and well-informed.
Local Tastes of the City Tours cover Chinatown and the predominantly Italian North Beach to bakeries, restaurants and cafes, with tour guides who know the areas inside out (mine lived in North Beach and said he seldom left).
Victorian home walk tours allow you to appreciate the city's range of Victoriana architecture up close.
TIPPING:
I found tipping quite intimidating, as most people providing services seem to expect it. In New Zealand we tip mainly for exceptional service. In the US your tip - normally 15 per cent - is expected and regarded as part of workers' wages. That's okay when it's small dollar services, but it can become pricey the more expensive your meal or tour is. Best to work it in to your costings. An easy gauge - take 10 per cent of the total price then halve it again, add the figures together and that's what you'll be expected to pay.Then it was more shopping, back to the hotel, pack up and out to the airport.
GETTING THERE: Check the internet for special airline deals, with San Francisco as a stopover or destination.