If there are two Top Things I love in this crazy world that both start with an S, they would be San Francisco and Shopping. Which is why, when the San Francisco Visitors Bureau offered me one of their patented Stay & Shop SF packages the weekend before I was due back in California, I sure as hell changed my plane ticket double-quick-like. What to do? What a question. Having lived only 1.5 hours out of the city for a third of my life, I’ve come to know this city and its multifarious wiles like a good friend. And while I know I have barely scratched the skin of its numerous diversions and plan to dig deeper on this trip, here are a few of many unmissable places I get homesick for when I’m away. The Park Chalet. This opulent little glass building is one of San Francisco’s little secrets. While easily accessible on Hwy 1 at Ocean Beach where it meets Golden Gate Park, its entrance is dwarfed by the decadent Beach Chalet and its back is hidden by eucalyptus and cypress trees, sheltering a little garden where you can grab a handcrafted beer and lounge in an adirondack, if indeed you are required to wait for a table. I can never resist the fried brie or the chopped salad. In fact, I need it in my face RIGHT NOW. Telegraph Hill. A magical land of Escher-worthy stairs, blossoming vines, towering trees and flocks and flocks of emerald green parrots. Worthy of a much decorated documentary, Telegraph Hill is the most scenic climb in the city and ends at zephyr-swept, mural-drenched Coit Tower, my favorite place to bask, nap and tune into the woosh of the sea breathing through the leaves. Taqueria Cancun. Any purist, tourist, local, keener, hipster or otherwise will tell you, this is the only place to get a burrito in the mission district. Why? They slice almost an entire avocado onto every veggie burrito and then grill the outside to crispy, chewy perfection. Oh, my tummy. It yearns. There is also incredible shopping throughout SF, the heart of it near my hotel in Union Square… but while the San Francisco Visitors Bureau was kind enough to house this pauper in a palace for the weekend, the majority of my shopping will be of the window variety. I’m not complaining, no sirree. The windows around this area during the holidays are spectacles of extravagance eclipsed only by the city itself. Included in the package too, is a $50 gift certificate to Westfield Center. And of course, on my itinerary a stop at a secret, epic thrift store, the location of which I have sworn to secrecy. These things are only the beginning of what makes my heart go pitter pat over this city, but over the next few days, I’ll continue this love poem. Thanks again to the SFVB for this opportunity!