“Bay to Breakers,” San Francisco’s celebratory footrace, crosses the city in 7.5 miles. The event, aside from being a zany showcase of the city’s spirit, illustrates how easy it is to get around. In fact, serious walkers not intimidated by hills or stairs can walk from the waterfront up the Filbert Steps to Coit Tower, an Art Deco landmark with heart-stopping views. From there it’s an easy walk through North Beach, known as Little Italy, and Chinatown, down to the Transamerica Pyramid.

San Francisco, is one of the nation’s culinary capitals, it also a cultural one, and last October it saw the reopening of the de Young Museum after a dramatic transformation by the renowned Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron. It’s worth a visit, even without time to survey the collection, just to experience the building. The admission price includes entry to the Legion of Honor, in an unforgettable setting overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. The Asian Art Museum is one of he Western world’s largest museums devoted to Asian art. Finally, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art gives an innovative look at modern and contemporary art. Across the street, Yerba Buena Center is worth a stroll, through gardens with flowers and waterfalls.

Of course, the shopping is great, whether at the big department stores around Union Square or in the city’s myriad neighborhoods, with their quirky and artsy shops.

Zany dinner theater - such as that offered at Teatro Zinzanni, right on the waterfront - as well as a world-class symphony, opera, ballet, and theater both classic and experimental offer more reasons why so many leave their hearts in the City by the Bay.

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