Your brain automatically conjures up images of the burnt orange bridge and Alcatraz when you think of San Francisco. However, underneath the surface and beyond the tourist trail lies a cosmopolitan region full of twists
and turns.

The obvious sights to see are well worth taking in. The first day of my week-long trip to the Bay Area saw me travelling up from harmonious Half Moon Bay, a small farming town 50 kilometres south of San Francisco, to the Golden Gate Bridge.

A massive and overwhelming structure, there is enough cable on the bridge to encircle the globe twice. Walking right across takes almost an hour but the view, despite the fog San Fran is notorious for, is worth it.
From there you can take in the Golden Gate Park which plays host to the Japanese Tea Gardens and various recreational areas. The city's other most famous landmark is Alcatraz, the former high-security prison in the middle of the bay.

During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary known as The Rock logged no officially successful escape - 34 prisoners attempted to break out on 14 occasions but were either recaptured, shot, drowned or
unaccounted for.

Since November 2006 sightseers have been given an extra window of opportunity to see The Rock, (closed as a jail in 1963), with the introduction of the Night Tour.

The main audio tour with individual headsets allows former guards and inmates to guide you around the prison and then you can choose from a list of additional guided tours. We opted to go behind the scenes to the rarely viewed hospital in Alcatraz where Robert 'The Birdman' Stroud
was kept in solitary confinement for 13 years. A later talk on famous inmate Al Capone also proved interesting.

Later, a quick stroll along Fisherman's Wharf was enough for me. It was far too Disney-like and there were more beautiful sights in the city to experience. Further down the pier is Boudin Sourdough Museum and
Bakery where guests can see the famous bread being made, then enjoy a full-service dinner at Bistro Boudin.
Ceviche (shrimps in salsa with lime) is a very typical San Fran fish
dish and was followed by cioppino, an incredible stew of crab, mussels, shrimps and squid.

Any visitor to San Francisco must see Beach Blanket Babylon. Steve Silver's cabaret show has sold out every performance for 32 years and is the longest-running musical revue in history. The show has Snow White searching the world for Prince Charming and features multiple spoofs of popular culture which are continually updated. It is primarily known for its gigantic hats, some in excess of 10 feet wide by 10 feet tall.

For shopping San Francisco has all the typical mall stores a lady could want but the ultimate destination must be Haight-Ashbury, a district made famous in the 1960s during the hippie movement and where you can still buy tie dye ‘Peace’ t-shirts.

While there are some overpriced shops jumping on the bandwagon, the Haight still has a large number of vintage clothing and alternative wear stores with prices of some garments are less than half of that in the UK.

No trip to San Francisco is complete without a visit to the bohemian North Beach area, home to the Beat Generation and next door to Chinatown. Books can be bought from City Lights independent bookstore which Jack Kerouac used to frequent along with Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Michael McClure and other mainstays of the movement.

Kerouac also hung out at Vesuvio's Saloon across the street and famously cancelled a meeting with author Henry Miller to stay drinking there.

If it's food rather than booze you are into, diners in the Bay Area are
cheap and also the best destination for breakfast.
Huevos rancheros (eggs in salsa) sounds odd but tastes great. The food in Northern California is an incredible mix. Seafood and Chinese food are excellent but there is also a Mexican element.

Try Taquerias where you can get an array of takeaway Mexican food ranging from tomalleys to tacos. Burritos and fajitas are American creations and taste a thousand times better than anything you get in the UK.

Driving through San Jose, humming the famous track sung by Dionne Warwick, we stopped at the Winchester Mystery House.

The Victorian mansion was taken over by Lady Winchester after the death of her husband, who owned the Winchester Rifles company. As a widow she was convinced the spirits of people killed by the weapons would come
after her, so she added incomprehensible extensions and additional floors to her home.

Those on a tour of the 160-room house will see how it eventually
engulfed the bell tower and estate grounds as building continued at a
relentless pace.

Visitors will experience doors that open onto brick walls or eight foot
drops, windows in the middle of rooms, rooms with no exit and staircases that go to nowhere. A mind-boggling experience but one not to be missed.

Useful websites

Lisette Johnson visited California with Virgin Holidays (0870 990 4215).

Destination information is available from Visit California on 020 7257 6180 or www.visitcalifornia.com

Useful websites for San Francisco area attractions include :
www.boudinbakery.com
www.winchestermysteryhouse.com  www.parksconservancy.org
www.fishermanswharf.org
www.sanfranciscochinatown