To entertain yourself in San Francisco – and to build awesome calf muscles – all you really need to do is take a walk. During a recent day spent in the city, I walked, visited Alcatraz, and found several good veg meals.

 

Here’s a suggested itinerary for the vegetarian/vegan who likes to explore on foot.

 

Lodging

 

Fort Mason Hostel! I love this place for many reasons. One is nostalgia. I first stayed in the dorm here many years ago when I was 17. I’ve been back several times since. Now that I’m older and more crotchety (you damn kids make too much noise!) I sprang for a private room. I also love that this hostel is in a historic building. First built during the Civil War, it was later used as a hospital during World War Two. I stayed in room 14, which was once the eye examination room. Fortunately, no eyeball-related bad dreams.

 

The hostel has many excellent amenities: a downstairs movie theater that shows a free movie every night (I missed a showing of Blade Runner), spacious common areas including a fireplace, kitchen facilities, a traveler’s library and breakfast included in the price. Breakfast is in Café Franco, which looks out on the bay. The meal consists of vegan bagel or toast, instant oatmeal, a piece of organic fruit and unlimited orange juice and organic coffee. I’m a coffee snob, and this coffee was really good. You can also buy additional pastries and espresso drinks. The café is also open for lunch and dinner, and features veg dishes like a hummus plate.

 

The location is also fantastic. First, there’s green space around the hostel. If you’re traveling with kids or hyperactive adults, they can romp in a big grassy area. Walk around behind the hostel and you have views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Mason is in one of the safer sections of San Francisco. Walk over to the Marina for dinner or, if you’re feeling touristy, it’s a short walk downhill to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf. There’s also a fitness center down the hill going towards the wharves where you can drop in for yoga, Zumba, or other classes.

 

 

Dorm beds start at $30 and private rooms at $75. My room was basic yet comfortable, with a bunk bed (single bed on top, double down below), dresser, mirror, chair and locker.  Strangely, no electrical outlet. But they’ll charge your phone behind the desk if you ask them.

 

Alcatraz

Even though I lived in San Francisco in the early ‘90s, I’d never visited Alcatraz.  I decided it was time.

The prison island has intrigued people for decades. So strangely close, yet so difficult to escape from. And so strangely close to a major city, yet so filled with super violent criminals.

 

 

It amazed me how popular this attraction is. Alcatraz Cruises, the official government concessionaire, runs a dozen tours a day at 30 bucks a head. And they’re not driving empty boats out to the island. I visited on a sunny yet nippy day in November, and I had plenty of company. In summer, many of the cruises sell out a week ahead.

 

Cold was one of my major impressions of Alcatraz. Walking down a crumbling corridor of one of the old prison buildings, the wind whipped through after me. I doubt the prisoners had my fake fur scarf or cozy gloves. The chill was just one of the hundreds of reasons being imprisoned in Alcatraz must have sucked.

 

If you visit Alcatraz, make sure you take the cellblock audio tour. This excellent production brings the prison to life. Listening to the voices of former guards and prisoners, I felt like I could begin to grasp the prison experience. A few features:

 

• Tiny cells
• Vicious neighbors
• Extremely creepy solitary confinement in total darkness
• Only one visitor per month, and you were lucky if anybody came to see you
• The torture of San Francisco in view but beyond reach
• A strange obsession with playing bridge
• Usually fatal escape attempts
• Families of guards – including children! – lived on the island

 

Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant

 

After Alcatraz, I hightailed it to Chinatown for lunch. It takes about 40 minutes to walk to Chinatown if you don’t stop and look around. I was very excited to get some Chinese dim sum for lunch.

 

Lucky Creation is one of those holes in the wall that gets mixed reviews on places like Yelp. Some people dare to call the restaurant’s hygiene into question. I wasn’t too worried about that, but I’d say the folks could have been a little friendlier. As soon as I ordered, the proprietor shoved my dim sum into a plastic to-go container. When I said I wanted to stay, she grudgingly indicated the table right by the drafty front door. I had to scrounge a plate off another table. The proprietor also seemed a little put out that I didn’t want to eat with my fingers, but she finally handed over a fork. Oh well. I got four pieces of interesting dim sum for $2.95. Not sure exactly what everything was, but it was pretty good. And it’s always an interesting cultural experience to be the only whitey in a place. Kind of like leaving the country without having to.

 

 

 

 

Benjarong Thai

 

After lunch, more walking awaits. China Town, North Beach, Russian Hill and the Marina are all close and full of shops and coffee places. I’ll assume you can entertain yourself in these areas, and skip right to dinner.

 

I chose Benjarong Thai for dinner because I was walking by and remembered it had gotten good online reviews for vegetarians. The restaurant was totally empty of customers on a Wednesday night when I walked in around 8 p.m. While some people take that as a bad sign, there was nothing to fear. They made me a lovely dish of tofu, vegetables and shredded ginger. Garnished with a gorgeous pink orchid! I sat in the window just in case there was any people watching in the Marina on a Wednesday night. Benjarong has really cool hanging lights, which the proprietor said she ordered from Thailand. They also have a bunch of ornate Thai bowls behind the bar, which she said is the meaning of the word “benjarong.”

 

 

So there you have it, a lovely, touristy walking day in San Francisco. Suitable for solo travelers like me, or couples, or a small group or family who enjoys walking and veg dining.