Daytrip: San Francisco
Posted on July 4, 2011 – 3:35 AM | by Admin
Story and Photos by Niki Kangas
There are a thousand and one ways to spend a day in San Francisco. It’s a city that is rich with beauty, history, hidden treasure, spectacular entertainment and top-notch food and drink, offering a myriad of possibilities to visitors and residents. And given the temperate weather, it’s the perfect escape from Sacramento in mid-summer.
If you like science and nature, beer, and BBQ, this is the daytrip itinerary for you. And if that’s not your speed, SF has probably got your number anyway; a bit of internet research should do the trick in tailoring a day away to your liking.
First stop: The California Academy of Sciences Museum
This was my introductory visit to the Academy of Science Museum, and, like the nerd that I am, I was skipping delightedly as we approached the threshold. It did not disappoint – this collection of wonders includes many educational, inspiring exhibits, including: a planetarium with a new look at the interconnectedness of all living things and the universe; an incredible recreation of a rainforest called Rainforests of the World; a 500,000 gallon aquarium; a swamp exhibit; African Hall, a taxidermy diorama room filled with big game representations, and much more.
The highlight is the rainforest atrium, which houses a tropical aquarium beneath a glass floor, and climbs four stories high. The thick, humid air and dense jungle vegetation teem with over 1500 live animals – critters that can be found flourishing in such a climate. Butterflies elicit surprised, giddy screams from human visitors as they whiz by marveling faces – or land on children who stand frozen, afraid to move lest they disturb the butterfly’s pause. The numerous terrariums filled with exotic amphibians, spiders and other creepy crawlies are amazing as well. We wound our way up to the top of the exhibit, then back down to witness the watery spectacle below.
Other magic spots for me were the hands-on display of hominid skull replicas, and seeing a chick being carefully, laboriously pried from its eggshell in the hatchery. And of course, the penguins were really freaking cute.
Owing to parking deadlines, we begrudgingly departed the Academy of Sciences (but only after hitting all of the most enticing exhibits) and headed toward Haight Street to feed our growling bellies.
Memphis Minnie’s Makes Me Merry
We decide to look for a bite to eat on our way to the Toronado. The Toronado is a beer mecca with a cult following. I’d visited once before, but was pregnant at the time so I’d never actually had the honor of drinking there, and my travel companion was new to its glory as well. This loose plan produced two happy accidents: finding Memphis Minnie’s BBQ, and stumbling into a grand mural by Sacramento artist, Skinner, just off Haight Street.
Well known by locals, and clearly popular, judging by the plastering of SF Weekly Best Of award plaques on the wall, Memphis Minnie’s emits a delicious smell that pulls a hungry soul like a tractor beam from Haight Street to its counter. As you contemplate what to choose from the menu, signs like “BBQ is like sex. Even when it’s bad, it’s good,” distract. After much deliberation, I ordered deep fried grit sticks and a pulled pork sandwich, plus, of course, a beer to put out the fire.
Spicy, perfectly executed BBQ was quickly served, and disappeared in little more than the blink of an eye. We learned that all the meat here is cooked using no gas or electric ovens, just the smoke and heat from burning white oak logs. Fortified and impressed, we waddled out of Memphis Minnie’s onto Haight Street, headed straight for the famed lower Haight-area pub we’d set out for.
Damn Good Beer
The Toronado isn’t just a pub; for many beer fans, it’s a bucket list item. Their menu is renowned worldwide, but there’s no food on it – just good old fashioned ales, stouts, and porters from all over the globe.
You enter the Toronado through a half door that opens and closes below your waist. The pub is dim and narrow, and the bartender begins the service interaction skeptically, as if he’s not really sure you deserve to be there. Once he recognizes your affection for beer, he may chat you up chummily.
We ordered a Russian River Blind Pig IPA and a Pliny the Elder, both on draught. Retiring to the back room, which is small, square, and decorated with various beer brand placards, we sipped our perfect pints and happily people-watched. I’m certain I’ll get some flack for such a suggestion, but I think our Sacramento haunt, the Shack, has a better beer menu, and good food and an outdoor patio to boot, though the Toronado was by no means lacking.
More Damn Good Beer
After the Toronado, everything else we did on our daytrip was on a whim. As we prepare to drive out of the city, my boyfriend told me that though he’d lived in California all his life, he had never crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. This was a travesty in my book, so we headed for the giant red landmark immediately. After heading over the windswept bridge and stopping on the other side to snap some pictures we reassess our route home and opt to hit Moylan’s Brewery in Novato off Highway 101 on the way home.
Moylan’s is one of the most notable breweries in Northern California, in the same league with other greats like Bear Republic, Rubicon, Lagunitas and Russian River. They are famous for their “Kilt Lifter” brew, but are also responsible for several other wonderful offerings. The brewery is run by Brendan Moylan, who also heads Marin Brewing Company.
The brewpub is spacious with a Scotch/Irish flavor in the décor, and was teeming with life, even on a Monday evening. In fact, there were no available tables at the time we arrived, so we sat at the bar and order some Kilt Lifters and nachos. Both were delicious, and I would highly recommend this pub to anyone – families included – who passes through Novato thirsty or hungry. This would make a perfect nightcap for a day trip to Point Reyes National Seashore, as well.
The drive home from Novato was Permagrin Central. All in all, we’d have been hard pressed to have killed time any better, and as always, a day in a different environment refreshed the spirit and tired the body in a good way. Whatever daytrip(s) you embark upon this summer, I wish you spontaneity, inspiration, and joy! And don’t forget: San Francisco may seem like a “been there, done that” sort of place, but it unfurls new adventures upon each new sojourn.
California Academy of Sciences Museum
55 Music Concourse Dr.
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Memphis Minnie’s
576 Haight Street, San Francisco
Toronado
547 Haight Street, San Francisco
Moylan’s
15 Rowland Way, Novato