Home to historic landmarks and endless California nature, Hippie history and high-tech headquarters, San Francisco is a quintessential American city. Walk to the Golden Gate Bridge and to the Chinatown Gate, take a tour of Alcatraz, and hop on the Powell-Hyde Cable Car to get a sense of the city’s spirit. There are endless hiking trails around San Francisco, but Lands End, in the city’s northwest corner, and Mount Tam, in Marin, are good places to start. New restaurants crop up often, but the classics cannot be missed: the Ferry Building’s Marketplace hosts nearly 50 local food merchants, while Alice Waters’s Chez Panisse, in nearby Berkeley, serves the best of seasonal Californian cooking. You can’t go wrong staying at the Ritz Carlton or the St. Regis. And if you’re in the mood for art, head to the Institute of Contemporary Art and the de Young Museum.