This is only a smattering of the Bay Area's riches. I've tried to choose what's close to the hotel site, as well as throwing in a few places that are close to my heart. (My devotion to Patrick O'Brian shows, no doubt.) For more complete listings of places to go and things to see, check the East Bay Express and SF Bay Guardian, our local free papers, and the Pink Pages of the Sunday Examiner/Chronicle.

Alameda
Want a fix of gorgeous Victorian and Craftsman residential architecture, without the hassles of San Francisco's hills and traffic? Go down Broadway and turn into the Alameda Tube, drive down Webster Street, then turn left onto one of the main streets and enjoy the island of Alameda, which has many magnificent architectural specimens. Also excellent for a walk or bike ride.

Asian Art Museum (415-379-8801)
Golden Gate Park, Eighth Ave. and John F. Kennedy Dr.
W - Sun 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The current special exhibit is paintings prints by Masami Teraoka, through January 29, on themes of sexuality, cultural identity, and AIDS, using traditional Asian techniques and imagery.

Chabot Observatory (530-3480)
4917 Mountain Blvd.
F & Sat 7 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., shows at 7:30
Adults $5, youth 6 - 17 $3.50, seniors $4
Current planetarium show is on the Sun's life cycle. No bus service, good free parking, show is accessible but not the telescope observation area.

Davies Symphony Hall (415-776-1999)
Grove Street & Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco

Exploratorium (415-561-0360)
3601 Lyon St., San Francisco, in the Palace of Fine Arts
T - Sun 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., W 10 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Adults $9, 6 - 17 $5, under 6, free
Seniors and university students $7, disabled $5
Hands-on science exhibits on sound, light, music, computers, electricity, gravity, biology and other topics. And be sure to stroll around the grounds of the Palace—it was designed by noted Berkeley architect Bernard Maybeck and it's the only extant building from the Panama Pacific World's Fair.

Ferry Service (522-3300)
$4 one way, $2 senior/disabled, $1.50 children.
Phone for schedules or stroll over to pier; departures are too frequent to be listed. Ferries for Alameda and San Francisco depart from the pier at the foot of Clay Street, past Beverages and more. It's about a 35-minute trip across the bay to downtown or the Pier 39 tourist area. This is a great way to get to Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, the Hyde St. Pier, Pampanito, and so on if you haven't got a car. The Alameda ferry stops near Rosenblum Winery, which has a tasting room, but there's not much else to see there.

Grand Lake Movie Theater (452-3556)
3200 Grand Ave. near MacArthur Blvd.
Beautifully restored four-screen movie palace showing current films; one theater has a huge screen and state-of-the-art sound system, two are small, with whimsical decor, one is in-between.

Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
Golden Gate Park, a vast, rambling park reaching out to the Pacific Ocean, has a windmill, an arboretum, a rose garden, and a herd of buffalo. It is also home to the Asian Art Museum (415-668-8921), the California Academy of Sciences (planetarium, natural history museum, and aquarium) (415-750-7145), the M.H. de Young Art Museum (415-750-3600), and a Japanese tea garden. Parking in the park is heavily restricted on weekends, and parking in the neighborhood can be nightmarish.

Hyde Street Pier
San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily
Adults $4, juniors $2, free to seniors and those under 12
$19 combination ticket allows 2 adults and up to 4 children admission to the Pampanito and the Hyde St. Pier.
See the historic ships Balclutha, C. W. Thayer, Eureka, Alma, and more! The ships are not wheelchair accessible.

Jack London Cinema (433-1320)
Washington between Embarcadero and 2nd
Nine-screen first-run theater, several blocks from hotel.

Lawrence Hall of Science (642-5132)
Centennial Drive near Grizzly Peak Blvd., Berkeley
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily
Adults $6, seniors and students $4, 3 - 6 year olds $2
A fine small science museum, not as large as the Exploratorium. Fantastic views of the Bay on clear days.

Museum of Children's Art (465-8770)
560 2nd St. near Clay
M - F 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

National Maritime Museum (415-556-3002)
Beech @ Polk, near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily; free admission
(See also Hyde St. Pier and USS Pampanito)

Oakland Museum of California (238-3401)
1000 Oak St. @ 10th St.
Sun Noon - 7 p.m. closed M & T, W - Sat 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Museum of California art, social history, and ecology. Adults $5, Seniors & students $3, children 6 and under free. Underground parking.

Oakland Zoo (632-9523)
Knowland State Park, 98th Ave. & Mt. Blvd., off Route 580
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily, weather permitting
Parking $3; adults $5.50, children 2 - 14 and seniors $3
Once among the worst zoos in the nation, the Oakland Zoo has undergone a complete renovation in the last 15 years, and is now a delight. Your Native Guide's favorite exhibit is the pair of rare Malaysian sunbears.

Oaks Theater (526-1836)
1875 Solano Ave., Albany
The Oaks, for various complicated reasons, may be the only movie theater in the United States showing the Terry Jones version of "The Wind in the Willows." This is a chance to see all the surviving Pythons, some of whom have starring roles, in a live-action adaptation of the novel. If it's still playing, shows are at noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 p.m.

Pacific Film Archive (642-1124 for programming info)
2625 Durant, Berkeley, same building as University Art Museum
Scholarly archive typically screen two films each evening. The PFA has frequent festivals focusing on a particular director, actor, period, style, or country.

Paramount Theater (465-6400)
Broadway at 21st Street
Gorgeously restored Art Deco movie palace; shows classic films several times a month, and is used for concerts as well. Live organ music before classic films. Can be toured 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month at 10 am; admission is $1. (In other words, there is a tour on the Saturday of Potlatch, but it is right in the middle of programming.) Saturday night the Paramount will be screening "On the Waterfront," and your $5 admission will get you organ music, a newsreel, a cartoon, the film, and DecoWin, where they spin for prizes!

Parkway Theater (814-2400 for program info)
1834 Park Blvd.
$3 admission; 21 and over after 4 p.m. because of wine and beer sales
A funky restored two-screen theater showing 4 films per day, with quirky, interesting programs and food. You can get very good pizzas, pastas, seafood specials, salads, and various appetizers. Seating is on chairs and couches, not theater seats. Wheelchair access is also funky.

Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf
San Francisco
You can get there by ferry from Oakland, and bus or cable car from downtown SF. Shopping, shopping, and more shopping, plus a wax museum and mediocre restaurants. There are various Bay tours by ferry, ferries to Sausalito and Larkspur, and a ferry to Alcatraz Island, the former Federal prison. Be warned that reservations for the Alcatraz tour must be made up to a week in advance at times. Alcatraz is not wheelchair accessible.

Presidential Yacht USS Potomac (839-8256)
Roosevelt Pier, foot of Clay Street in Jack London Sq. (past Beverages & More)
W & F 10 -2, Sun 11 - 3
Adults $3, over 60 $2, 6 - 17, $1
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht, beautifully restored. Call to see if weather conditions permit a tour; yacht is closed when it's been raining and the deck is too slick for safety.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (415-357-4000)
151 3rd St., near Mission, San Francisco
Fri - Tues 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., closed Wed, Th 11 a.m. - 9 p.m
Adults $8, seniors $5, 12 - 17 $4, 12 and under free. Half-price 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Thursday, free 1st Tuesday of the month.
A world-class modern art museum. Two blocks south of Market Street, not far from Powell St. BART station.

USS Pampanito (WWII submarine)
Near Hyde Street Pier and Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Adults $5, seniors and ages 6 - 12 $3, active US military $3
$19 combination ticket allows 2 adults and up to 4 children admission to the Pampanito and the Hyde St. Pier
Not for the claustrophobic, but a must-see for anyone interested in World War II naval history. Not wheelchair accessible.

Yoshi's (238-9200)
510 Embarcadero—downstairs in the big garage
Yoshi's, a fine Japanese restaurant, is also a first-class jazz club. They have shows daily at 8 and 10 p.m.