A small, European-flavored city ringed with pristine bay views, San Francisco remains a relentlessly charming place despite its popularity with the rest of the country (and indeed, the world). While downtown still has the moody atmosphere of Hitchcock films and Hammett novels, outlying neighborhoods like Hayes Valley and the Mission District buzz with eclectic boutiques, excellent restaurants and impressive street art. Cable cars, perhaps the city’s most enduring emblem, still rattle up the steepest streets; Alcatraz looms across the bay as one of San Francisco’s most storied sights; and Fisherman’s Wharf remains a working waterfront, its docks still lined with fishing boats and crab vendors. The birthplace of California cuisine is also home to one of the finest gastronomic strolls in the country — the Ferry Building, where local farmers, artisan cheesemongers and top chefs converge under one roof.