You plan a trip to San Francisco with certain expectations: cable cars, Chinatown , the Golden Gate Bridge , pastel Victorian homes fronting steep, lawnless streets. But what's surprising about San Francisco is that it's all so unfamiliar when you arrive. The bell of the cable car sounds different when you're actually onboard, rounding a corner that goes both abruptly up and sharply to the left. The bell rises above the ratcheting of the cable and the babel of languages, as distinct amid the clamor as a foghorn floating through the early morning mist. In photos, the hills of San Francisco merely provide its setting; in person, there's nothing ordinary about this roller-coaster landscape, its lively residents and abundant attractions.

Sights -- Golden Gate Bridge; a cable-car ride over Nob Hill; Golden Gate Park; Fisherman's Wharf; a ferry ride to Sausalito or Alcatraz; the "postcard row" of Victorians at Alamo Square.

Museums -- Asian Art Museum; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; California Palace of the Legion of Honor; California Academy of Sciences; Cartoon Art Museum.

Memorable Meals -- Breakfast at Sears Fine Food; lunch at Tommy Toy's; vegetarian lunch at Greens at Fort Mason; dim sum at Ton Kiang; dinner at Fournou's Ovens.

Late Night -- Cocktails at Nob Hill's Top of the Mark for a sky-high view of the city at night; Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Fugazi; jazz at the Cafe du Nord; dancing at Harry Denton's; a nightcap at Moose's.

Walks -- Walking in Golden Gate Park; hiking across the Golden Gate Bridge; strolling anywhere along the 10-mi/15-km coastline from the Embarcadero through the Golden Gate Promenade (in the reclaimed Presidio); shopping around Union Square; exploring the smaller streets and alleys of Chinatown; climbing a garden-lined stairway to Coit Tower.

Expect a moderate climate in San Francisco, where cool summers and mild winters almost blend into one. Temperatures in the city seldom rise above 70 F/21 C or fall below 40 F/4 C. Morning and evening fog is common during summer months but rarely remains through the day. (Little or no rain falls from June to September.) Winter average maximum temperatures are in the high 50s F/10 C and only drop to the upper 40s F/4 C at night. Rain showers can be common November through March. The weather in San Francisco literally varies from neighborhood to neighborhood -- it may be sunny and pleasant in one area and foggy and cool in another. No season is really out of the question for a visit, though September and October are the warmest and driest.

Nearby Marin County enjoys similarly moderate weather, although its location, sheltered from the cool ocean winds, keeps it warmer and sunnier than San Francisco (it's also cooler at night). Expect temperatures to reach 85 F/29 C in some Marin County communities. The summer-morning fog or cloud cover usually clears well before noon.

Traveling about this compact city can be efficient, convenient and -- if you ride one of the original cable cars -- fun. Many San Franciscans prefer public and commercial transportation to the hassles of driving. The city's infamous hills and lack of parking spaces aren't impossible obstacles to overcome, but why burden yourself with these challenges when you have so many better options? Public transport is quick -- once it comes, and when you're close to Market Street. Traffic during rush hours is a challenge even for the cabdrivers, so always allow extra time in your planning. As the main corridors accessing San Francisco, the bridges can often be a bottleneck during high traffic periods and are then best avoided.

San Francisco is a city for walking, whether for fun or getting around on business. But beware of those scenic hills: Never cross against a light, even if there's no traffic in sight. The hills obstruct your view of oncoming traffic (and beat cops on bikes issue fines for jaywalking). Some of San Francisco's streets are so steep that sidewalks can be stairs (in fact, some hills are even too steep for cars and can only be scaled on foot). Sometimes a short walk up a steep street isn't worth the exhausting effort; it might be better to ride a cable car, call a taxi or use a courtesy car provided by the nicer hotels.

Many of San Francisco's famous attractions, including North Beach, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and Union Square, are in its northeast quadrant. Golden Gate Park is in the city's northwestern section. Exploring the city involves navigating a maze of one-way streets and restricted parking zones. Cable cars, buses, and trolleys can take you to or near many attractions.

San Francisco has a tremendous variety of evening entertainment, from ultrasophisticated piano bars to come-as-you-are dives. Casual dress is the norm except at hotel lounges, for which you might want to dress up a bit. State law bans smoking in any indoor place of work -- including all bars and clubs. The cover charge at smaller clubs ranges from $3 to $10. At the larger venues the cover may go up to $30.

Prices are per person for a main course at dinner.

San Francisco has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States, and nearly every ethnic cuisine is represented, from Afghan to Indian to Vietnamese. Selecting some 120 recommended restaurants is a next-to-impossible task. We have chosen several restaurants to represent each popular style of dining in various price ranges, in most cases because of the superiority of the food but in some because of the view or ambience.

The areas of town most frequented by visitors have received the greatest attention. This has meant leaving out some great places in the more distant districts, such as the Haight-Ashbury, the Sunset, and the Richmond. The outlying restaurants that are recommended were chosen because they offer an experience not available elsewhere. All listed restaurants serve lunch and dinner unless otherwise specified.

Most upper-end restaurants offer valet parking -- worth considering in crowded neighborhoods such as North Beach, Union Square, and the Civic Center. There is often a nominal charge and a time-length restriction on validated parking.

Smoking is banned in all Bay Area workplaces, including restaurants, bars, and supper clubs.

From fringe fashions in the Haight to leather chaps in the Castro, San Francisco's distinctive neighborhoods offer consumers a bit of everything. There are ginseng health potions in Chinatown, fine antiques and art in Jackson Square, handmade kites and kimonos in Japantown, and bookstores throughout the city specializing in everything from beat poetry to ecology. For those who prefer the mainstream, there are high-end boutiques on Union Street and fine department stores in Union Square.