Be dazzled in Pacific Heights

EXPLORE
On a clear day, let the shimmering bay draw you down the Lyon Street steps and through the eucalyptus-scented Presidio to Crissy Field, where you’ll join a migration of cyclists, joggers, and dogs all headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge. The Warming Hut ($; Building 983, Marine Dr. at Long Ave.; 415/561-3040) is a sunny cafe next to a pier that makes a scenic perch for watching sailboats glide by.

SHOP
No matter which direction you walk from the hotel, you’ll stumble upon a strip of one-of-a-kind boutiques that think way outside the department-store box. Head four blocks north, and you’ll hit Union Street; five blocks east, and you’ll find Fillmore Street. And a few blocks south, Sacramento Street in Presidio Heights, which harbors some seriously upscale consignment stores. Places like Goodbyes Consignment Shops (3464 and 3483 Sacramento St.; 415/674-0151 or 415/346-6388) are packed with your temporary neighbors’ castoffs, like that John Varvatos shirt he wore only once and the like-new Coach purse that proved to be just one too many in her closet.