Even locals have a love and hate relationship with San Francisco; inevitably raving about the incredible landscape and food scene in the same sentence they bemoan the weather and lack of fashion sense. September is SF's little secret, known as Indian summer, when temperatures push to the highest of the year and a bounty of crops make their way from farms to those hard-to-book local tables. While a private residence in Pacific Heights or Presidio Heights is our favorite, The Battery is the only San Francisco address worthy of check-in with its membership clientele and chic guest rooms that are a style quotient above the too-corporate St. Regis and all too-velvet tufted Ritz-Carlton.
Mornings are about carbs and coffee, namely at spots like the numerous installments of Blue Bottle with its fresh waffles or The Mill in Alamo Square with its bespoke toasts topped with cinnamon sugar or avocado. By day, Union Street lures with its new Equinox or Soul Cycle, Hayes Valley does one-off boutiques to perfection while Divisidero does home decor best with shops like Anthem and Anyon Atelier. Lunch is an affair and often requires its own advance reservation at spots like Wayfare Tavern with its smoky bacon burger, Kokkari with some of California's best Greek cuisine or deconstructed charm of Cotogna in Jackson Square. Late afternoons, opt for a gallery stroll in the vertical 49 Geary where Fraenkel Gallery where a four-decade survey of the Nicholas Nixon opens September 10th.
Around sunset in San Francisco, the bar at Coqueta lures with its bite-size pinxos and incredible mixology menu framed by the best views of the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island. For dinner, we say head to Hayes Valley where 2-star Michelin chef Dominique Crenn's eagerly awaited sequel Petit Crenn is a charming all-white dining room with decor and menu inspired by seaside Brittany. Nearby, you'll also find the debut of Mexico City's Gabriela Camara at Cala that's the first US outpost for the Contramar, Metotoro chef. Afterwards, head towards the Mission where you'll find the epicenter of SF nightlife du jour at bars like Trick Dog and that lure hoodie billionaires and starving start-up workers.
