arp: insect rights activist

It's a classic, but the Marin headlands have a bunch of places where just sitting and looking out at the golden gate is fairly accessible and gorgeous. If you're interested in going into the city, Golden Gate Park is a beautiful park in the city, that feels like you're outside of it. I really like Ocean Beach, on the west side of the park. The Conservatory of Flowers is there too, and it's a beautiful conservatory. I'm also partial to the views from Dolores Park on a good day. Idk what the weather is like rn, it might be a bit gloomy but that's SF for you. Honorable mentions: Lands end is gorgeous (you don't have to walk down to the bottom, the views from the cliffs are great), you're not too far from muir woods, the presidio is a nice open space with more expansive views (less nature).

There's a several good places to sit and paint plants in/around the "Conservatory of Flowers" and the "Botanical Garden" in Golden Gate Park, as long as you look up where to park ahead of time, don't leave anything in your car, and don't mind potentially paying for entry. (the park is free, but these attractions are only free for residents and maybe students and the elderly?)

There's also some good redwoods in Muir Woods, in various old growth areas even by Petaluma, and in the much larger redwood forest an hour and change south of SF. I did one of them (in the South) while I was recovering from a foot injury on crutches and the trail was something like a quarter of a mile and mostly flat.

If you want a really picturesque view of the bay, the city, and the golden gate bridge, there's some spots in Tiburon that are admittedly expensive for brunch food, but the views are among the best I've seen. There's likely other spots near there that are just as good and free, but may require a little more walking.

If you drive south of SF towards Half Moon Bay or Pacifica, there's often beaches with various wildflowers you could stop at as well, this time of year!

santa cruz is a very hit-or-miss city but a lot of the nature there is super beautiful. I used to run up and down westcliff drive when i went to school up there, but i'm sure it would be a lovely place for a leisurely walk! some of the beaches north of SC are also super gorgeous. congrats on the surgery and i hope the recovery goes swell!!!

Strongly recommend the Musée Mécanique if you're anywhere near SF! Small building but packed full of old arcade games.

The Oakland hills have a lot of parks where you can get really great views without much more than a walk to the edge of the road, huge panoramic views of the east bay and SF. The parking lot of the Lawrence Hall of Science has an unbelievable view (the hall is very nice too, if you like science museums for youths - see also the Exploratorium). Oakland Zoo is incredibly good and small but packs A LOT into its space, but does have some inclines so maybe not a great fit for you this visit but I thought I'd mention.

The botanical garden in golden gate park is lovely

If you feel like making a bit of a journey, Monterey Bay Aquarium is worth a visit and is not a tourist trap because it absolutely lives up to the hype.

The Mormon temple in Oakland is pretty nice to see, and the nearby Greek Orthodox dome is a real stunner

Lake Merritt is really nice, and the Grand Lake theater nearby was my favorite place to see a movie

I'm not sure if this still exists or if they destroyed it, but the Albany Bulb is a sort of wild and unpermitted sculpture garden made of found art and junk in a landfill by the bay. Might be gone now; it was always in danger.

Musee mechanique is super cool, BUT it's tourist central. IIRC there's a submarine behind it that can be toured, if you're into that

just thought I'd share a few east bay recs

Oh the Disney family museum in the Presidio is pretty cool

CuriOdyssey in San Mateo is a nice little combination of a zoo and Exploratorium, and overlooks the Bay. Do note that it is in Coyote Point Park which itself has a parking fee.

The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park is expensive, but it has a big observation tower that's free to enter. It has a great view over the park and into the surrounding city.

I liked going to Rodeo Beach next to Fort Cronkhite. Or Point Reyes if you haven't already gone. I think the suggestion to try places in the Marin Headlands is a very good one. Point Bonita is nice and if I remember right has good views from right near the parking lot.

If you end up going to the Santa Cruz area, try to take Highway 1 for a portion of going there or back, I love stopping there and just facing into the ocean wind.

In the east bay, Grizzly Peak Road is a windy road on the west side of the hills that has beautiful views of the bay and cities. I think they have put logs in a bunch of the turn outs to discourage teens from smoking/making out up there. But there are still some spots if you can find them. Definitely fills up around sunset, but most of the crowd is locals as far as I can tell.