10 Best Healthful Activities in San Francisco

Ask San Francisco residents what they love about the city by the bay, and many will tell you it's that "daydream" is an active verb here. Unbelievable views encompass an eclectic urban skyline, ocean, and mountains; flowers bloom year-round in 229 public parks; and artists touch up the more than 70 vibrant murals that decorate Mission District streets.

1. Start your day out right: Enjoy an authentic dim sum brunch in the outer Richmond district at Ton Kiang. Diners summon servers who navigate carts like gourmet bumper cars, plying such treats as elegantly folded rice paper dumplings packed with minced leek, shrimp, and fresh bamboo shoots.

2. Pause for a breath of fresh air: Golden Gate Park is carpeted with exotic flowers 365 days a year, but at 3,000 acres, it's easy to lose your bearings. Start at the M.H. de Young Museum, a copper-clad building gradually oxidizing to match the park's green color scheme. The museum features arts and crafts from Africa to contemporary California. Visit on Sundays, when the park is closed to traffic and you can easily stroll past jazz trios, waterfalls, and grazing bison (the first domesticated herd in America).

3. Enjoy the view: Diners at James Beard Award–winning Gary Danko are often captivated by the panoramic scene of the sun setting over the Golden Gate Bridge through the restaurant's smoked glass picture windows–that is, until their attention is diverted by scene-stealing dishes. Scallops and striped bass are obvious choices here within view of the Pacific, but don't overlook the Sonoma duck breast with a compote of California rhubarb–at the peak of its sweet-tartness in August. As you head for the door, the California-casual-but-always-attentive staff will send you off with miniature chocolate cakes for sweet San Francisco dreams.

4. Make your stay smarter: The Orchard Garden Hotel (415-399-9807) is the fourth hotel worldwide to earn Silver Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification for its health-conscious, energy-wise design, with Bay breezes instead of recirculated A/C cooling the building and a keycard energy control system that powers down all but one outlet (available to charge cell phones and laptops) upon leaving the room.