BEST TIME TO GO
Fog is a fact of life in southwestern San Francisco, and its presence means the gap between the best time to go and the worst time can be narrow. The best advice is to bring a couple of sweaters along and just enjoy it, although, as in the rest of the city, your odds of hitting a sunny day are much better in September and October than during the "summer" months.
SIGHTS & CULTURE
San Francisco Zoo: Koalas, lions, meerkats, kangaroos, penguins, tons of primates and more. Finally open is the Family Farm, a project where children can have close encounters with wildlife. A new, larger education center allows more kids to enroll in classes on animals and conservation. Sloat Boulevard (near the Great Highway), (415) 753-7080.
Harding Park Municipal Golf Course: Eighteen holes, great views and dramatically lower greens fees than at private courses. Harding Drive (off Skyline between the Great Highway and Armory Drive), (415) 661-1865.
Lake Merced: This large urban lake, surrounded by parkland, includes options for walking, jogging, boating, fishing, golf (at Harding Park) and skeet shooting at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club. Bounded by Lake Merced and Skyline boulevards and John Muir Drive; for more information, call the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Dept. at (415) 831-2700.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music: Recitals and adult and children's classes in the musical arts. 1201 Ortega St. (at 19th Avenue), (415) 564-8086.