My perfect day in San Francisco would have to be a Saturday so it could start out with a trip to the venerable Ferry Building Farmers Market on the Embarcadero.  I could spend all day perusing the selection of produce at the stalls outside, dreaming of jam and pickles I’d spend my day cooking.

You won’t be alone at the market on a nice day, so get there early to get a good spot in the lines. Blue Bottle Coffee has two kiosks, one in front and on the right side. It usually seems like the B-team is out front, so brave the longer line; it *is* worth it. On a warm day, the iced coffee is magical, on a cold day, the mocha is luxurious, and the espresso is wonderful every day of the year. Make haste behind the Ferry Building itself, to the far back corner facing the Bay Bridge. There you’ll find Primavera’s tamale stand. Get there early before they run out of their specials that change every week – maybe Oaxacan gorditas with pulled pork, radish, and queso fresco one week, maybe chilaquiles with scrambled eggs and black beans the next.

Next order of business is to bide your time until you’re hungry again, so head to the Mission. Valencia Street between 16th and 23rd is lined with little locally-owned boutiques for furniture, clothing, and such.  I’ve had to impose a rule on myself for visits to Aquarius Records: 15 minutes or as long as it takes to fill one hand with CDs, whichever comes first. Any more and things could get out of control – their selection of obscure indie rock, noise, metal, and oddities is rich and carefully curated.  The staff is super knowledgeable, but I’ll admit it’s not the friendliest place in the world.  Since you’re on Valencia anyway, you can’t resist swinging by Paxton Gate.  My boyfriend describes it as set dressing for serial killer lairs – it’s full of taxidermy, carnivorous plants, bell jars, and handcrafted creepy nature-themed jewelry.  All without crossing the line into black-velvet-and-spiderwebs!

Now you must be hungry, so head west on 18th to Guerrero. On the corner is Tartine, arguably the best bakery in San Francisco. Yeah, the one with no sign and a huge line outside. If you’re not in the mood for a lemon cream tart, quiche made with crème fraiche, a candied-orange-studded cinnamon roll, or a meringue cookie with cacao nibs, you should probably go down another block to the Bi-Rite Creamery. There you can get a pumpkin ice cream sundae with crumbled gingersnaps and blueberry compote, or a simple scoop of honey-lavender. They make their own ice cream, cookies, and toppings, which they also sell from their grocery across the street.  There you can also find a nice vinho verde, gruener veltliner, or other sunny day park beverage, which the cops will look the other way while you enjoy with your sweet-or-savory treats at Dolores Park around the corner.  It seems like half of San Francisco will be sprawled out on the grass there on sunny weekends, soaking up as much heat as they can until the fog starts rolling over the hill.

Once that happens, dash across town to Land’s End, just below the Palace of the Legion of Honor.  The trail head has a stunning view of the Golden Gate bridge and the Marin headlands beyond.  There’s a well-marked trail there that follows the cliffs along the coast to the mouth of the Bay.  I love the wind-swept witchy trees and the seals sunning themselves on the rocks below.  Follow the trail and it’ll spit you out at the ruins of the Sutro Baths at Point Lobos, a fantastic spot to watch the sun set over the Pacific.

If your friends aren’t having a bonfire on Ocean Beach that night (a short walk down the beach from the Sutro Baths), you’ll have to head back to the east for dinner.  Since it opened last spring, my perfect days have wound down at Beretta back in the Mission.  Order a Hemingway, (white rum, lime, cane syrup, maraschino, & grapefruit peel) and you’ll know why.  The open, relaxed atmosphere is great if a friend wants to meet you for a drink then split before everyone’s main courses come out.  Most importantly, the food is outstanding.  From the locally-made salumi from Boccalone, to their perfect pizzas, to their caramelized grilled Brussels sprouts, everything I’ve had there is great.  Save room for the panna ice cream with olive oil and sea salt, you won’t believe it.

After all that, you’re probably ready for a quiet drink at a nice cozy dive bar, so walk around the corner to the Latin American Club.  The Make-Out Room across the street or the Lone Palm a block up are great alternatives, both wonderful, laid-back bars, but the LAC has one of my favorite beers, Marin IPA, hoppy, bitter, and floral – and around 7% alcohol so be careful!  They’ve also got Sudwerks Pilz for those of you not keen on the sulfurous deliciousness.  If you’re lucky, and you can stand to eat another bite, the Tamale Lady might stop by.  She drags around a cooler-on-wheels shouting “tamales!” so she’s pretty hard to miss.  Four bucks will get you one of the tastiest things you’ve eaten all day.  Which is saying a lot.

Lulu LaMer is a video games producer and part-time food geek living in San Francisco.

{My Perfect Day is a weekly Tidepooler series that reveals the most wonderful and interesting places in cities and towns around the world, as shared by the people who live there}