Just blocks from Union Square and the Theatre District, you’ve got the world at your feet. Embrace it. Then embark on the path less taken. Hotel Emblem is inspired by the Beat Generation and we know you love the eclectic, obscure and unknown as much as we do.
Our Underground Concierge has come up with 6 unique self-guided city tours that are anything but touristy. Scroll down for the inside look or download the Beat Generation map here. And get ready to channel your fearless spirit and experience them all.
San Francisco has long been heralded as one of the most culturally rich cities in the world, and a large reason for that is the abundance of major museums and art exhibits, both on and off the beaten path. Here are some of our favorite spots that lie on the road less taken.
There are over 1,000 murals in the city, and the largest concentration is in the Mission District. Balmey Street: This is where it all started in 1972. While the artwork is constantly changing, many of the older murals remain and have been restored. Clarion Alley: A little further north of Balmey Street, you’ll find street art in a welcoming alley that’s been an art epicenter since 1992.
Located on Moraga St. between 15th and 16th ave, the tiled step project was a neighborhood collaboration to create a themed mosaic up the 163 steps.
A destination for all who love photography, this enclave features around five yearly exhibitions focusing on established and emerging photographers from the Bay Area. To find out the latest exhibits, visit Leica Gallery LA.
Family-owned and operated, Gallery 444 showcases only original prints, painting and sculpture.
In April 2015, #ZettaMurals ran an Instagram contest to find muralists to paint their creative designs on a given floor in the stairwell. The 7-Story Canvas exhibit is open for public viewing featuring these winning designs.
The unique culture of our city manifests itself in so many different ways. One of the most unique expressions can be found in staircases throughout the city. Explore these eight colorful, famous stairways of San Francisco. They include four mosaic sets of stairs, the Sand Ladder near Baker Beach, the Filbert Street Steps near Coit Tower, plus a few surprises.
Location: Battery East Trail between the Golden Gate Bridge and Crissy Field/Fort Point
This set of stairs does not have an official name, but it's the best way to get between Fort Point/Crissy Field and the Golden Gate Bridge. It's part of the Battery East Trail. The great thing about the stairs is that they offer a short cut between these two locations (instead of walking along the road). You will also get some amazing and less common shots of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Location: Arelious Walker at Innes Avenue
Completed in 2014, these stairs are dedicated to Dr. Arelious Walker, a former pastor and advocate for the Bayview District. The design is a combination of patterns from various cultures including Adinkra cloth from Ghana, Native American painted pottery, and woven patterns from Central America and from the Middle East.
Location: Filbert between Sansome and Coit Tower
They take you to the top of Telegraph Hill from the waterfront near Levi's Plaza. It's a popular route for those wanting to get from The Embarcadero up to Coit Tower on foot. One you climb the first steep set, you’ll be taken through a lovely garden area with wooden steps – picture perfect.
Location: 16th Avenue at Kirkham
This set of stairs was completed in 2013. Broken up into several sections, each features a design with flowers, butterflies, leaves and other fauna.
Location: California at Lincoln Golf Course
This is the newest set of mosaic stairs in San Francisco. They are on California Street where it dead-ends into Lincoln Park Golf Course. It's a smaller staircase, but offers a colorful patter of bring yellows, greens and oranges.
Location: Lyon Street between Broadway and Green Streets
One of my favorite views of the San Francisco Bay is from the Lyon Street Stairs. This attraction starts on the top at Broadway Street and makes its way from Pacific Heights down to the Marina District. The first block is beautifully manicured with one of the Hearts of San Francisco near the bottom. The second set is more basic and steep but takes you quickly from one district to the next.
Location: Battery East Trail between the Golden Gate Bridge and Crissy Field/Fort Point
This set of stairs is, as its name implies, covered in sand. It’s part of the Pacific Coast Trail and has become famous as its one of the toughest parts of the run during the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
Location: 16th Avenue and Moraga
At 16th and Moraga, you’ll find the most famous set of mosaic stairs in San Francisco. The 163-step beauty was completed in 2005 as a community project by more than 300 neighbors.
While you may not have come to San Francisco for a hike, we highly recommend you take the chanceexplore some of the most picturesque views in the country, if not the world. Want to pack a lunch? Check out our Underground Concierge Culinary Experience section for deli options that have grab-and-go food.
Difficulty: Easy, though it’s all on sand (which can be difficult for some); Sand Ladder Trail is steep, but short
Time: Depending on how much you want to explore, your hike time can be anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours
Dog-friendly: Dogs are permitted off-leash under voice control, except for the 12-acre enclosure on the northwest side, where equestrians and hikers share the Bay Area Ridge Trail segment
What you’ll see: The most ecstatic dogs on earth, endless views of the Pacific Ocean, old fort ruins, plenty of California poppies, and some red-tailed hawks.
Difficulty: Easy, ranging from a mixture of sandy trails, dirt paths, asphalt roads, and concrete walkways
Time: 1.5-hour loop, starting and ending at the Inspiration Point lookout area
Dog-friendly: Dogs permitted, on-leash only; you’ll be near a lot of busy roadways
What you’ll see: Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire (constructed from Monterey cypress trunks), redwoods, charming brick houses, fennel, blackberry bushes, eucalyptus, meadows (some are under restoration), and views of the city’s northeast corner all the way to the East Bay on a clear day.
Difficulty: Easy, mostly flat until you begin the steep but safe descent to Sutro Baths
Time: 1-hour out-and-back trails
Dog-friendly: Dogs are permitted, leashed or under voice control
What you’ll see: Wild views of the Pacific Ocean (and Marin and the Golden Gate Bridge on a fogless day) and the historic Sutro Baths and ruins.
Difficulty: Easy, a mixture of elevated boardwalk and sandy paths
Time: 30-minute loop trail
Dog-friendly: No dogs allowed
What you’ll see: Sandy dunes, a delightfully spooky forest of Monterey cypress and pine, colorful coastal shrubbery and butterflies.
Difficulty: Easy at the beginning, then moderate once you hit the grassy canyon
Time: 1-hour loop trail, starting and ending on Bosworth Street
Dog-friendly: Dogs allowed, but keep them on-leash; coyotes have been spotted numerous times in Glen Canyon Park
What you’ll see: Extremely impressive eucalyptus groves, more blackberry bushes than you can count, red-tailed hawks, wildflowers and rock outcroppings that are a blast to climb on.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate ascents and descents over both paved and dirt trails
Time: 40-minute loop trail starting and ending in the parking lot off John F. Shelley Drive
Dog-friendly: Dogs are allowed, off-leash OK
What you’ll see: Happy dogs swimming in the reservoir, the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, meadows, pine and eucalyptus trees, McNab Lake full of happy ducks.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate climb and descent, just be wary of poison oak
Time: 40-minute loop, depending on how many trails you want to connect (all are very clearly marked)
Dog-friendly: No rules are posted, but keep your dog on a tight leash if you bring one, because there is poison oak everywhere
What you’ll see: Huge eucalyptus groves, a sunny meadow at the top, and even a brief glimpse of Sutro Tower through the trees at the summit
Difficulty: Moderate dirt trails all the way to the top
Time: 1-hour, there-and-back trail, or a loop, depending on which routes you connect
Dog-friendly: Dogs permitted, off-leash OK
What you’ll see: City views all the way to the East Bay on a clear day, a front row view of Sutro Tower and the Mount Davidson cross.
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous (uphill climb)
Time: 40-minute loop trails
Dog-friendly: Dogs allowed, off-leash OK
What you’ll see: A breathtaking 360-degree city view, kite flyers, dogs, a red rock maze at the base.
San Francisco is one big playground, with a bunch of little, more literal playgrounds embedded within. We’re counting down the Top 10 parks so you can get out there and explore the best.
Mysteriously always cold regardless of temperatures across the city. It's a pleasant yet likely uneventful experience. The essence of Alamo lies in it being an open invitation to fantasize about the surrounding homes. Including the Full House home.
Bernal Hill provides visitors with a breathtaking 360-degree panorama and clear views of San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, downtown, San Bruno Mountain and the hills of the East Bay. These windswept slopes are still sunny when Twin Peaks is shrouded in afternoon fog. Red-tailed hawks soar overhead, the breeze sends waves through the native grassland community, and visitors hike around the hill’s peaceful summit to escape from the complexities of urban life.
Referred to as Hipster Hill, “Dolo” is San Francisco's hottest park. A sunny day is every bit as social and sloppy as a festival in the height of Indian summer.
A chaparral terrain as classically NorCal as hating SoCal, the plant and animal life in these grounds serves as a time capsule for what much of the city looked like before major redevelopment in the 1800s. Some native species to look out for: the California blackberry, the dramatically wind-swept Monterey cypress and the San Francisco forktail damselfly.
The Academy of Sciences and the de Young. The Conservatory of Flowers and Japanese Tea Garden. Hippie Hill. Hippie Hill on 4/20. Outside Lands. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Strawberry Hill and Stow Lake. Two functioning windmills. Roller discovers. Swingers. And an actual herd of buffalo.
The tiled Moraga Steps take you 666 feet up to a stamp-sized park with panoramic views of the city. The 1.1 acre of land is more ecologically valuable to the city than most of the other 49 square miles because of its rare native plants. Some of the whimsically named species you’ll find here include the Franciscan wallflower, dune tansy, bush lupin, beach strawberry, bush monkey flower and coyote bush.
This mixed-bag park is loved for its eclecticity. Go for a run, walk your dog or just do some people watching (Aaron Paul filmed Need for Speed here, and familiar faces tend to pop up now and again).
Great for dogs. The recently renovated tennis courts and the design-y playground will make humans happy, too. Make sure you climb to the woody summit for great views and tree trunk-framed sunsets.
Not really a park but you can get an ice cream from Smitten and sit on the grass for a while, which is good enough for us. If you’re feeling particularly liberal with definitions, you can extend your park day to include a dark ale and pickle from adjacent Biergarten.
Arguably the best views in the city — from the familiarity of the Market Street lights at night, to the five bridges you’re able to count on a clear day.
