Leave Your Heart, Not Your Cash, in San Francisco

Few American metropolises manage to muster the panache and just plain across-the-board appeal of San Francisco. The City-by-the-Bay’s charms include the familiar Fisherman’s Wharf, the fascinating ethnic pockets that go well beyond colorful Chinatown, architecture liberally sprinkled with gracious Old World style and push-the-envelope modern, and, of course, those endearing little cable cars climbing halfway to the stars.

This year, the biggest novelties in attractions seem to be popping up in a formerly slummy, now extremely hip and artsy neighborhood called SOMA, short for South of Market Street. They include two family-friendly behemoths: Sony’s 5-month-old Metreon entertainment complex (see its Web site, https://www.metreon.com) has received national attention for its IMAX theater and elaborate, kid-themed restaurants, shops and play spaces. Across the street, the year-old Rooftop at Yerba Buena houses huge bowling and ice-skating centers, plus a cool arts and technology studio for young people.

While in town, why not consider some walking tours given by people with a real devotion to their city and subject matter? A top contender is Jay Gifford’s Victorian Home Walks, telephone (415) 252-9485, conducted daily at $20 a head. Check out other aspects of local history with the Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour, tel. (415) 863-1621 ($15); Ms. Trevor Halley’s Cruisin’ the Castro, a look at the city’s influential gay culture, tel. (415) 550-8110 ($35, including lunch); and Java Walk for the coffeehouse culture of bohemian North Beach, tel. (415) 673-9255 ($20).

For the more conventional tourist attractions, do give a thought to CityPass. One price ($29.95 adult, $19.95 seniors, $17.95 under 18) buys you tickets, good for seven days, at up to half off what you’d normally pay for sites that charge admission; it also saves you from standing in ticket lines. You buy your CityPass at the first attraction or through the local convention and visitors bureau. CityPass is in five other U.S. cities; for information, tel. (707) 256-0490, Internet https://www.citypass.net.

In San Francisco, CityPass gets you into the Exploratorium, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, a Blue & Gold Fleet cruise on the bay, the California Academy of Sciences, the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Zoo.

Local hotel partners that provide CityPass discounts (prices vary by dates) include the Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt, tel. (800) 233-1234.

The Hyatt discounts, while not half bad, are outdone by some smaller hotels. In San Francisco, anything below $100 a night can be considered “budget.” You can enjoy sometimes downright distinguished surroundings for under $100 per double at the Andrews Hotel near Union Square, tel. (800) 926-3739; the nearby Golden Gate, tel. (800) 835-1118; Allison, tel. (800) 628-6456; and Amsterdam, tel. (800) 637-3444.

If you’re looking to spend still less, the San Remo, tel. (800) 352-7366, charges as little as $60 to $80 per double because most of its rooms have shared baths; but the Victorian decor is charming, and it’s just 3 1/2 blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf.

And while not exactly famous for cheap eats, San Francisco does harbor a few budget stars where you can get a solid, hot dinner for $10 or less per person: the Caffe Museo in the Museum of Modern Art; the Grove Cafe at 2250 Chestnut St. in the Marina district; a “healthy” Mexican restaurant called Sweet Heat, with locations at 3324 Haight St. in the Marina and 2141 Polk St. in Nob Hill; Capp’s Corner, a family-style Italian restaurant at 1600 Powell St. in North Beach; and Tana, a modern Ethiopian cafe at 4238 18th St. in the Castro district.

There’s an abundance of information on all this and more at the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau at Market and Powell streets, tel. (415) 391-2000; fax on demand (800) 220-5747;or Internet https://www.sfvisitor.org.