My trip to SF has finally arrived..leave tomorrow a.m. Here is our agenda (subject to change, of course)

After arr at SFO, going to Ferry Bldg to look around and have lunch at Slanted Door.

Then, maybe taking drive to Muir woods to kill some time before checking into inn in Sausalito. Having dinner at Poggios Friday evening.

Saturday - doing the Alcatraz tour and then driving to Calistoga for the evening. We will take the ferry from Sausalito to SF and will have about 1.5 hr for lunch before tour leaves. Any places at/near pier 41?

In Calistoga, have dinner reservations at Stomp and spa treatments booked for Sunday morning. Would like to visit some wineries that have caves to venture through and maybe have lunch at Wappos? Red wines are our favorite...like all flavors!!

Driving back to SF Sunday afternoon and staying near Alamo Square - no plans for dinner yet. Maybe try one of the Italian restaurants previously mentioned or may just be in the mood for a great steak....any suggestions on where to go for a good one? (steak, that is)

I appreciate all the help/responses from over the last couple of months....keep them coming for one more day.....thanks..colleen

Re: Steak house. I'm very old-fashioned about that kind of restaurant. I love Harris' on Van Ness near Jackson.

I had lunch at the Hog Island Oyster Co. restaurant in the Ferry Building last week. Great and unusual clam chowder - with little manila clams in the shell. Then an order of oysters beurre blanc - just the ticket on a chilly day.

You certainly have an action-packed weekend planned. One thing - if you are at Muir Woods in the afternoon, don't leave it till too late in the day. Those woods are DARK by 4:30 or so this time of year.

Have fun and welcome!

Stick to an Italian restaurant, they often serve GREAT steaks.

Thanks you two, I was in SF in August and we did eat at Harris'. To be honest, it was a great disappointment.

I've read about the chowder and we couldn't decide on vietnamese or seafood. I've never had viet food, and everyone raves about the Slanted Door. We'll see what our food-mood is when we arrive.

Clarksgirl...think I will stick with an Italian place...looking into 4 around North Beach area.

Is the fog as bad in November as it was in August?

Hey here's a tip. If you are driving back from Calistoga to SF you will neeed to travel Hwy 101 South. In corte Madera there's a place called Marin Joe's. It is nothing fancy..lots of red banquets, formica table tops etc and the very best in steaks. Try their oniion rings as well. You can get a variety of things from pasta to grilled fish to lamb chops,steak etc. I think they open at 5 pm. Valet parking for tip alone. You can see how Marin ate before peacock feathers and hot tubs

dear love7220,
The fog "season" is over by September. You might get cloudy days or high overcast or mist along with rainy days, but the specific fog pattern of our summer does not occur outside our season. Right this minute it is a clear, cool glorious morning in downtown S.F. We had a brief but intense rain and hail session on Wednesday, which cleared out the air - temps this weekend are supposed to be in the mid to high 60's.

Sorry you did not like Harris' - it's been a while for me (it's where I take the carnivores in my family when they insist). For Italian, two places I've been to this year get my vote:

A16 - on Chestnut in the Marina. Neapolitan style, wonderful thin pizzas and good desserts.

Incanto - on Church St. near 30th - very untouristy, nice neighborhood. Incanto's wine list is incredible and the food was terrific - I can't wait to go back.

Yes, lunch at Wappos is a good thing! www.wappobar.com to view menus. They have a very nice salmon on foccacia that is delish and save room for their desserts.

Let me know how hou like Stomp, it took the place of Catahoula's, a place we really liked. Clos Pegase is a very nice winery with beautiful art work. The tram ride is also fun at the Sterling Vineyards around that area.

Enjoy SF, a member of our family is going on a shopping outing with our church this weekend. Sounds like lots of fun. ***kim***

I second Incanto--though I'm biased as it's 2 blocks from my house. If you're staying downtown and decide to go to Incanto, just hop on the J Church; the views downtown as your ride through Dolores Park are very nice.

Enjoy yourself. It's sunny but chilly right now.

I LOVE San Francisco. I just can't say enough good things about it. I've probably been there five or six times .You'll love it. My advice in general: take some time to WALK around the neighborhoods - Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach. Go up to Coit Tower, for a spectacular view. Sounds to me like you've covered your bases with the great, trendy restaurants. (I'm totally jealous!) If you would like to balance these out with something a bit more traditional (especially since you mentioned Italian) I would recommend the North Beach Restaurant. The food is unpretentious Northern Italian. The atmosphere is great. You will feel transported back to the 40/50's era of dining. Casually elegant. Waiters who have been working there for decades. Friendly and charming. Just a completely different dining experience. Retro without trying to be. The real deal. AThen maybe stroll around after dinner, lots of cool places for dessert, after dinner drink, coffee. I hope you have a fabulous time!

Just back from SF.....had a wonderful long weekend. Didn't want to board that plane to come home.

We didn't make it to Stomp but did eat in North Beach at Mona Lisa....it was fantastic and the waiters were just adorable with their authentic Italian accents. After dinner we found a place called the Saloon and listened to a great blue's band. Very diverse crowd.

The weather was gorgeous when we arrived Friday, our Saturday was spent in lines for ferries/trolleys/etc. The city was a little too crowded in that area for me...(ferry bldg and pier 41)

We ate at the Hog Island Oyster bar instead of Slanted Door and the clam chowder was incredible, especially with the chill in the air.

My fourth trip to SF and keep wanting to go back to do things didn't get to do on previous trips.

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions. Wish I was still there......but have some great pics.