| Sleeping, Doing, Eating|
The choice is tough in America’s greenest city. But here are our top picks, some inevitable and some not, for an unforgettably green visit to San Francisco.
1.
Orchard Garden Hotel. San Francisco’s eco-stylish “green boutique hotel,”nestled in the heart of the City by the Bay, was the first in California to be built from the ground up to national LEED standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Take advantage of the Eco-Getaway Package, which offers a reduced room rate that comes with a free Greenopia Guide to the city’s green pleasures plus discounts on airport transfers in a Prius hybrid, an eco-friendly city tour and bike rentals. Sleeping.
2.
Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market. A vibrant cornucopia of the Bay Area’s best in organic and sustainable farming, plus artisan food producers, chef demonstrations and food vendors. It’s a passegiata of foodies, and you never know when you might spot an Alice Waters or a film crew from the Food Network. Under the auspices of CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture), Saturday is the really, really big show, from 8 am–2 pm, with scaled down versions on Tuesdays and Thursday from 10 am–2 pm. All is staged outside the iconic Ferry Plaza Building on the Embarcadero, which draws its own throngs of shoppers and diners inside. Doing/Eating.
3.
California Academy of Sciences. In sylvan Golden Gate Park, its “living roof,” vehicle recharging stations, insulation made of recycled jeans and the 4-story rain forest make this perhaps the world’s greenest museum. Visit midweek or when the doors first open to avoid crowds. Better still, do the After Hours Wine & Dine Tour, which starts at 6 pm every Sunday with a wine reception when all the crowds have been ushered out. Then comes a private tour that includes a visit to the gem and mineral vault (not generally open to the public) and a 3-course gourmet dinner pairing organic, seasonal and local with wine at the Academy’s highly rated Moss Room restaurant. Doing/Eating.
4.
Bike the Bay. San Francisco is one the country’s most bicycle-friendly big cities, and what could be more green than pedaling your way to its green sights and must-dos? There are many bike rentals in town, and one of the most popular is Blazing Saddles, which will outfit you with anything from a standard mountain bike to a bicycle-built-for-2 tandem to an eco-friendly electric bike that totally takes the strain out of the city’s famed ups-and-downs. A popular route is pedaling the Golden Gate Park. Another is crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and riding on to Sausalito or Tiburon in Marin County, then catching a ferry ride back. Doing.
5.
Green Mission District. We’re not kidding. Always one of the most culturally throbbing areas of the city, a spicy, hearty stew of families from Mexico and Central America, artists, activists and 20-somethings who want organic soy in their lattes, the Mission lately is beginning to green up. As you might expect, it’s doing it in funky Mission-style. Start your tour on 18th Street, just around the corner from Dolores Park (named after the nearby Mission Dolores). It boasts Tartine Bakery & Cafe and Delfina restaurant & pizzeria, both James Beard Foundation-lauded and devoted to local, seasonal and sustainable fare. But the street is anchored by the most improbable Bi-Rite Market. In an era when the big chains continue to hound the little guys into oblivion, this San Francisco Green Business is thriving as an old-fashioned community resource that celebrates local and sustainable food. It even has its own organic farm. Even if you’re not in need of groceries, it feels good being here, like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting updated for the 21st century. The deli section does mean take-out. And just down the street is its Bi-Rite Creamery, featuring fantastic, small-batch, artisanal ice creams, sorbets and confections made using products from Straus Family Creamery, an acclaimed organic and green local dairy. Wanna shop? The Mission is the city’s epicenter for recycled clothing and retailers with urban jam. On the eastern edge of the district, on Valencia Street, is Culture Skate, an eclectic shop that peddles vinyl 45s and LPs, organic cotton, hemp and bamboo apparel, skate wheels made from recycled urethane and a variety of skateboards. Cutting edge artwork adorns the walls inside and out, and music, sometimes live even, pulsates into the streets.Thirsty and want your drink with a chaser of local color? Then head over to another SF Green Business on Mission Street, between 21st and 22nd Streets: the venerable joint known as Doc’s Clock Bar. The drink straws are made of compostable corn, the bar napkins are 100% recycled and the beer and booze focus on the local and organic. It doesn’t smell like a normal bar, because it’s cleaned with natural, nontoxic products. And for a completely greened-up Mission vibe, just down the street there’s Gracias Madre, which is 100% organic Mexican, but also totally vegan. All “cheeses,” milks and ice creams are made using nuts. Tortillas and tamales are handmade from non-GMO organic heirloom corn. Eating/Doing.
