Things to see and do San Francisco & Bay Area

Since 1965, this independent gallery has a good selection of contemporary artists. It organizes five to six exhibitions per year. At the bottom, a theatre with dance, music, poetry and performance. A black staircase takes us to the bright showroom, where the works are very well placed. A trendy place in the neighborhood.

Dedicated to President Abraham Lincoln in 1909, Lincoln Park's site was the San Francisco cemetery until the late 1860 s. In 1902, golf fans dug three holes on part of the land. The golf course was expanded in 14 holes in 1914 and 18 holes in 1917. It was during this period that several road projects were transferred to the federal government. Lincoln Highway, along with its terminus west of Lincoln Park, was designed and mapped in 1913 as the first coastal route crossing fourteen states.

Rather general tour of 3 hours, rather advised at the beginning of the stay, because it gives a global vision of San Francisco. Helen, a charming little woman full of good recommendations, will talk about the evolution of the city with passion. You become San-Franciscan at the end of the day.

This impressive contemporary art center is spread over three hangars. Founded by collectors Deborah and Andy Rappaport, the project seeks philanthropic support for the arts from Silicon Valley to counter the real estate boom that is driving artists out of San Francisco. This arts hub offers affordable space to Bay Area art galleries and 30 artists' studios. On Minnesota Street, you'll find 12 galleries and a Lebanese restaurant, Besharam. A second address around the corner (1150 25th Street) is home to 3 other galleries.

This website is really great: it lists every possible themed tour of San Francisco, with a handy calendar of visits over the next few days (at least a dozen a day in low season). The principle? The tour is "free", organized by "volunteers", but you'll need to leave a tip of course, which is quite high for the 90 to 120-minute tour. For each tour, you'll need to pre-register online, where available dates are conveniently displayed.