8:30 am — The Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. On Saturday mornings its famed farmers market typically wraps the building; graze on stone fruit, oysters and pastries with the Bay Bridge behind you.
10:30 am — Catch a cable car (the California line is usually shorter) and rattle over Nob Hill — the ride itself is the attraction.
11:30 am — Chinatown: dim sum, temple alleys and America's oldest such district. Enter through the Dragon Gate and wander north.
1:30 pm — Down to Fisherman's Wharf for the honest classics: sea lions lounging at Pier 39 and clam chowder in a sourdough bowl.
3:30 pm — Rideshare or bike along Crissy Field to Fort Point, where the Golden Gate Bridge towers directly overhead.
5:30 pm — Position for sunset: Baker Beach on the city side, or across on the Marin Headlands if you have wheels. Watching the towers catch the last light is the weekend's centerpiece.
8:30 pm — Dinner back in the Marina or Cow Hollow, both dense with lively restaurants.
9:00 am — Golden Gate Park: the de Young Museum's observation tower, the Japanese Tea Garden early before crowds, bison paddock if you are curious.
12:00 pm — Walk through the Haight-Ashbury, ground zero of 1967, still in costume.
1:00 pm — The Mission District for the essential lunch: a Mission-style burrito, invented here. Then murals — Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley are the famous open-air galleries.
3:00 pm — Sprawl on the grass at Dolores Park with the skyline spread out below.
5:00 pm — If the evening is clear, end on Twin Peaks for the full 360-degree farewell.
Tip: Fog ("Karl," locals call it) usually burns off by late morning and returns near sunset. Do bridge views in the mid-to-late afternoon window, and always have an indoor Plan B — this city built great museums for a reason.
