Looking at the Embarcadero waterfront today, one of the most pleasant sights in San Francisco, it’s hard to believe that it was until recently a wasteland covered by a noisy freeway. In 1989, the earthquake happened, the freeway came down, the palm trees went up, the 60-foot Claes Oldenburg bow and arrow sculpture struck home, and a new center of urban bliss was born. If you bike, rollerblade, or jog, take to the path that runs along the water from AT&T Park, past the Ferry Building Marketplace, all the way to Pier 39. On Saturday mornings, the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market at the Embarcadero is a wonderful way to eat, relax, and catch some sun. Though the view faces mostly east, you can still catch the glow of the sunset as you round the horn after the Ferry Building.

Photo: Flickr/WallyG