“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Dorothy’s canny take on Oz is the official tagline for San Francisco. (Watch for it everywhere.) Born during the Gold Rush, the City by the Bay has been home to the Beat Poets, Gay Pride and the Summer of Love. Part hip, part hippie, it’s a free spirit - in love with its own over-the-top wackiness and bent on celebrating its crazy quilt of cultures and alternative lifestyles. And its Golden Gate setting wows the most jaded traveller. Only seven miles across, the thumb-shaped peninsula begs to be walked (seven hills and all). Disengage from the throngs at Fisherman’s Wharf to discover hidden alleys, unexpected views, one-of-a-kind shops and gourmet restaurants.