Best for a city stroll: Golden Gate National Rec Area, California

Knockout views. Appealing mix of people. Good coffee. Crissy Field gives you everything you love about San Francisco in one scenic package.

A historic Army airfield transformed into a native plant–lined beach oasis, Crissy draws jogging moms with strollers, kitesurfers, picnickers, dog walkers, cyclists, fishermen, and 8-year-olds letting the cool bay water lap their toes. All this and the Golden Gate Bridge looming gracefully, plus lattes, baked goods, and book browsing at the Warming Hut.

Don’t miss: Let’s Be Frank’s superior grass-fed beef hot dogs from the cart just outside the Warming Hut on weekends.

Get there: From downtown S.F., take Marina Blvd. to Baker St., where it turns into Mason St., then follow it west (along Crissy Field) to parking; nps.gov/goga or 415/561-3040 (Warming Hut). –Peter Fish