KEY POINTS:
As Mark Twain may or may not have said: "The coldest winter I ever saw, was a summer spent in San Francisco."
Although the famous quote is usually attributed to the American author, it's now generally accepted he never said it - but that doesn't stop it from being utterly true.
Tourists in California dreaming of sunshine can be horribly caught out by San Francisco's variable weather, which struggles to reach 22C, even in summer, and which drops much lower when the blanket fog rolls over the Bay and cloaks the city in mist.
But once you get past the weather, San Francisco is a fantastic, cosmopolitan city - and arguably one of America's most beautiful.
It is a surprisingly small city, funky and individual, where impossibly steep streets give way to stunning vistas of the skyline and bay area.
One dinner companion described the locals as "professional, democrat and gay", which would explain why wolf whistles pierced the air within minutes of our arrival. Clad in shorts and singlet in anticipation of a bicycle tour, I was fair game in the home of the gay rights movement.
Although San Francisco is one of the few American cities where you can get around without a car - the MUNI network of buses, trains and cable cars is a cheap way to travel - a leisurely bike ride is a great way to see the sights up close.
A two-hour tour with Bay City Bikes leaves from Fisherman's Wharf, around the harbour's edge, then over the impressive, iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
Although it also has a less glamorous claim to fame - as the number one suicide spot in the world. The bridge is 77 metres above the churning green water, and would-be jumpers may reconsider if they took the time to take in the view.
On one side is the entrance to San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, on the other, panoramic views of the harbour, the infamous Alcatraz prison, and the cascading hills of the city's skyline. Unbelievable.
Don't be put off by the length of the two-hour trip, the pace is easy and even if you haven't exercised for years it's as easy as, well, riding a bike. Plus you get bragging rights for having cycled over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Once the 1.6km bridge is safely traversed through the buffeting winds, the road twists around the coastline to the art colony town of Sausalito.
Sausalito is to San Francisco what Devonport is to Auckland, not least for its cute Victorian homes, funky shops and numerous eateries - and the fact the ferry is only a 20-minute trip back to the city.
That legendary fog rolled in across the Bay on the return trip, cloaking Alcatraz in an ominous mist and causing the bottom half of the bridge to completely disappear, leaving an impression of a city poking out of the clouds.
If biking is not your thing, you can gain some insight into the diverse and wide-ranging history and culture of the city - in a convenient four-hour time slot - by catching a bus tour.
The trip starts in Fisherman's Wharf - a top 10 destination for tourists in the US, but loathed by locals.
A stretch of piers on the harbour's edge, the Wharf is dotted with shopping and restaurants, and a colony of sea lions. It is also where you'll find Ghirardelli Square, home to world famous chocolate and icecream sundaes.
Our knowledgeable driver points out landmark buildings and explains the historical significance of each diverse neighbourhood - Little Italy, Little Saigon and Little Tokyo - while elderly Chinese practise tai chi in Washington Square and lanterns line the streets of Chinatown.
We pause at the bottom of Lombard St, supposedly the "crookedest" street in the world and so steep there are eight sharp turns in the space of one block.
"There is some debate over the claim that it's the crookedest street in the world," says the driver, gravely. "Some say Wall St deserves that title." There's a titter of laughter from the bus crowd. Tour guide humour is the same the world over.
The bus winds through the Castro district, home of the gay rights movement, where rainbow flags flutter and purple is the decor of choice, before winding up the hill to Twin Peaks.
San Francisco has the lowest number of school-aged children per capita in America. There are more dogs than children - which is why schools are closing but doggie day care centres are booming.
Twin Peaks, located almost at the geographical centre of the city, offers usually unparalleled views, although sadly on our visit, we're beaten by the fog.
Also the home of the dot.com revolution, San Francisco has something to enjoy for everyone: professional sports teams such as the Giants, a rich history, diverse culture, beautiful architecture, great shopping - topped off by a useful public transport system (riding a cable car is a must). But, be warned - scientists predict an earthquake, as big as the 1906 and 1987 quakes which rocked the city, will strike San Francisco any time in the next 30 years. Get there first.
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At a glance
San Francisco is a city full of rich history, where people pride themselves on being the cultured counterparts to the excesses of Hollywood and Los Angeles.
Since 50,000 pioneers jumped on the bandwagon for the Gold Rush, it has always been a gathering place for immigrants, now estimated to comprise 70 per cent of the population.
Twice destroyed by earthquakes and the resulting fires, San Francisco built itself up on its rolling hills time and again, constructing beautiful civic buildings and streets lined with Victorian homes around a beautiful harbour.
For those with a keen eye on the property market, San Francisco real estate is not cheap - geographical elevation in a city of hills means greater wealth. The median family home is priced at US$780,000 ($1.12million) which would explain why 70 per cent of the population are renters.
*Jared Savage travelled to San Francisco courtesy of Air New Zealand.
- Detours, HoS
