Taking a mini-vacation from your vacation has never been so tranquil and gorgeous as a quick trip to Sutro Heights. Loaded with lovely gardens, statues, and breathtaking … views, Sutro Heights is right above the Cliff House and the Sutro Baths ruins. It's also reputed to be haunted! Views include the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate, and the Marin Headlands. Easy access to and from the airport via the Great Highway. [link]

Gorgeous, green, bison-friendly, and free to drive through, GG Park is a marvel. Drive by the American bison paddock to take in some real live wildlife, and if you're … quick, you may also catch a glimpse of a park coyote or two. A couple of good thoroughfares make this an excellent jaunt before heading back. [link]

Twins Peaks is perched at the southern end of the city, and it offers an absolutely stunning view of the entire city and points north. It's a fine place for a breather … and leg stretch. Night is even more stunning than daytime, but be sure to have an experienced guide to avoid getting lost. [link]

When the sun is shining, the Embarcadero is glorious (and it's just minutes from the airport). Get a history lesson from the plaques on the sidewalk, see the … ferries coming in, and marvel at the vintage street cars traveling along the F Market line. Spot a seal or two flopping about in the surf, waiting for some scraps from the crab fishers along the pier. Buy a coo beverage and wave goodbye as you speed back to the "comfort" of your flight. [link]

Grant Avenue is the oldest street in San Francisco (dating from the Gold Rush) and has been the center of the San Francisco Chinese community almost that long. Drive down … the main drag and take in the sights of glittering banners, squawking vegetable sellers, live chickens, and ogling tourists. Stop at a dim sum bakery for a quick snack to take on the plane; you'll feel like you're in Hong Kong without having to go through airport security again. [link]

Just a jaunt down the Great Highway on the edge of the city lies the former site of Playland at the Beach, a 1940s amusement park whose heyday was the time of the penny … arcade and the wooden roller coaster. The only thing left of that fair time is a pair of genuine Dutch windmills. They recently underwent extensive renovation by a Dutch master back in the Netherlands, and now they silently spin away under the fresh breezes off of Ocean Beach. Good for a brief picnic or a stroll in the greenery. [link]