4 Best Sights in The Bay Area, California

Shops, minor historic sites, restaurants, recreation, and the venerable Yoshi's (510 Embarcadero W) jazz club line Jack London Square, named for the author of The Call of the Wild, The Sea Wolf, and other works. London, who was born in San Francisco, also lived in Oakland, where he spent many a day boozing and brawling in the waterfront area, most notably at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon (48 Webster St., at Embarcadero W). The wonderful little saloon has been serving since 1883. Next door is the Klondike cabin in which London spent a summer in the late 1890s. The cabin was moved from Alaska and reassembled here in 1970.

Weekends at the square are lively, with diners and drinkers filling the many outdoor patios and bars, and shoppers perusing Sunday's farmers' market, from 9 am to 2 pm. Catch a movie at Regal Jack London (100 Washington St.), sample local wines at Rosenblum Cellars (10 Clay St.), play some bocce in Plank's beer garden (98 Broadway), or plan an adventure with California Canoe & Kayak (409 Water St.).

Mill Valley locals congregate on weekends to socialize in the coffeehouses and cafés near the town's central square, but it's buzzing most of any day of the week with the lunchtime crowd, tourists, and Marin residents running errands. The Mill Valley Depot Café & Bookstore at the hub of it all is the place to grab a coffee and sweet treat while reading or playing a game of chess. Shops, restaurants, and cultural venues line the nearby streets.

With its laid-back restaurants (including Half Moon Bay Brewing Company) and waters full of fishing boats and sea lions, the harbor is a nice place to wander, and you can pick up shoreline trails at nearby Pillar Point.

The landmark Plaza Viña del Mar, named for Sausalito's sister city in Chile, marks the center of town. Adjacent to the parking lot and ferry pier, the plaza is flanked by two 14-foot-tall statues of elephants, which were created for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition World's Fair held in San Francisco in 1915. A picture-perfect fountain here is great for people-watching.