"The Letterform Archive is one of the US’s best independent repositories of fonts, typefaces and printed design. Opened in 2015 and accessible by appointment only, it houses more than 60,000 standout examples of typography, including books, posters and calligraphy. A highlight is original logo work for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, designed by Lance Wyman."

"We’re stretching the boundaries of San Francisco a little with this one but it would be remiss to leave it out. Located just outside the city on the northern side of the Golden Gate Bridge (many of the rooms look directly onto it), this hotel is a sensitively restored turn-of-the-century military building. Choose between the original house, with its authentic tin ceiling and fireplaces, and the hillside new-build rooms with their floor-to-ceiling windows, spectacular views and radiant-heat floors for those slightly chilly nights. There’s also the Murray Circle restaurant, optional cooking classes, yoga sessions and hiking in the nearby national park. In short, it would be easy to stay on this side of the bridge for your entire trip."

"Founded in 1849 as a coffee stand in the Financial District (when the Financial District was still a series of wharfs), Tadich Grill is San Francisco’s oldest restaurant. “At least half of this menu goes back 100 years,” says current owner Mike Buich – that’s around the time that his grandfather took over the restaurant. Signature dishes include Australian lobster tail and cioppino, a seafood stew traditionally made by fishermen."

"This homeware brand, founded by Edith and Brian Heath in 1948, was bought by Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey in 2003. Following intelligent expansion, they transferred their tile production to the Mission, where they also opened a retail space. Besides a homeware collection, the site also has a kitchen for demonstrations, work stations for custom orders, a newsstand and a coffee cart."

"Founded in 1935, SF Moma was originally housed in the War Memorial Veterans Building in the Fillmore District. In the 1990s it moved to this Mario Botta-designed building, which reopened in 2016 with an expansion by Snøhetta inspired by the water and fog of San Francisco Bay. The impressive public space is filled with light and art and plays host to performance, photography and architecture exhibitions. Visitors are greeted by the artworks of Richard Serra, Sol LeWitt and Amy Ellingson."

"Like a fantasy of classical antiquity, the Palace of Fine Arts was built by beaux arts disciple Bernard R Maybeck for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. It’s a crowning jewel in a newly confident city but unlike the other buildings it wasn’t meant to be permanent. Maybeck wanted the site to fall into gentle ruin but the city grew attached to it and restoration work turned it into a lasting structure – meaning partially demolishing and then rebuilding the original in the 1960s. Today it holds concerts and performances."

"With some 24 million visitors each year, this is the third most visited park in the US. The crown jewel among the city’s 220 public green spaces, it was founded in 1871 by engineer William Hammond Hall and master gardener John McLaren. Beyond the regular trees, plants and streets of a park, the features here range from the California Academy of Science and Dutch windmills to an archery field and summer festivals. Tour the area by foot, bike or rollerblade."