Brenda Joy Johnson, C Ht.

Golden Gate National Parks' beaches are among the area's most popular destinations for beach lovers. Ocean Beach most definitely falls into that category. The beach stretches three miles along the western side of the city from Richmond to Sunset. This beach perfectly exemplifies the untouched outdoor beauty of the western part of San Francisco as it looked before it was fully developed. When you take that fact into consideration, Ocean Beach is even more alluring, as the inviting sandscapes and sound of the waves will draw you in, whether the season is warm or cool. In the latter case, you can choose to warm up by grabbing a coffee or latte at Java Beach coffee shop.

People who love books love Litquake, the yearly literary festival held every fall in San Francisco. Renowned authors are on hand for lectures and book signings, and interesting panels, workshops and parties are also part of what makes Litquake such an essential event for both readers and writers of all backgrounds. One of the highlights of this event is the three-hour Lit-Crawl through the Mission District that features stops at galleries, bookstores, bars and cafes.

Sure, you can hang with the best of them, but can you hanglide with them, too? If not, take some time to let the pros at Airtime of San Francisco guide you and prepare you for some hangliding fun. They offer instruction as well as tandem paragliding so you can be airborne in no time to catch some spectacular views and high levels of adrenaline as you experience this extreme sport.