Erika Mailman

A city unlike any other and immediately recognizable in photographs, San Francisco reigns supreme as a fun metropolis with offbeat choices of how to spend your time. If you’re an outdoor person, you have scads of hiking trails and water activities to pick from—and just walking our famously steep streets is an adventure in itself. If you trend towards quieter times indoors, you’ll love a contemplative afternoon exploring the many museums we offer. If a tipsy ramble through the city appeals, we have tons of great bars, including ones perched on rooftops for those exquisite city views. When you get hungry, there are a ridiculous amount of incredible restaurants (we picked out our 11 favorites last month, and there are 28 Michelin starred ones as well). There’s a fantastic zoo, some wild architecture, a park far larger than New York’s Central Park packed with tons of great things to do, iconic hotels and neighborhoods like Nob Hill, Chinatown and the Haight that each convey their own personality. Wherever your explorations take you, you're bound to have a memorable time with these things to do in San Francisco. May 2025: This month, we’ve added the Chainsmokers Block Party, a revival of the opera honoring our own Harvey Milk, a rundown of everything happening at Yerba Buena Gardens in May, Ferry Flicks at the Ferry Building and a magical new exhibition at the Walt Disney Family Museum. RECOMMENDED: 🎨 The best museums in San Francisco🛏️ The best Airbnbs in San Francisco🏨 The be

All across San Francisco, amazing restaurants beckon. In every neighborhood, small eateries abound, while larger places dotted over the city expertly handle crowds. Because of California’s orchards, farms and seacoast, a variety of ultrafresh ingredients find their way to menus and to your plate. Besides the 28 restaurants that have earned Michelin stars, a larger number do their magic of making diners appreciate the three times a day that we pause to fuel our bodies and delight our senses. Dishes can be plated so beautifully that “the camera eats first,” or they can be served no-nonsense–style to diners who ply their forks immediately. This list includes restaurants we’ve tried all across the city and of varied cuisines: American, Mediterranean, vegetarian, Italian, Indian, seafood, French, Argentinian and Chinese, among others. As for your culinary journey across San Francisco: Try new places, continue to patronize your favorites and incorporate restaurant visits into your weekly routine, if you can. By supporting our hardworking chefs and servers, we’ll ensure that they continue to thrive and keep making San Francisco a foodie’s paradise. April 2025: Time Out has reformatted its food and beverage features, so we’re starting our once-lengthy San Francisco list over afresh with 11 spots. We’re now also assigning star ratings to every venue: three stars corresponds to “good,” four to “great” and five to “amazing.” For more on our new policies, feel free to check out How we re

San Francisco’s museums reward people who like to spend time looking at art or historical objects. We have several world-class art museums and some fun collections that show how life used to be in the area before the Gold Rush brought the population up explosively. But if you’re willing to do a deep dive, you’ll find even more museums that pinpoint fascinating and specific topics. For instance, we have one of only two museums devoted to Walt Disney the man (the other is in his hometown of Marceline, Missouri). Our Cable Car Museum lets you actually see the huge circulating mechanisms that drive the cable cars. Right by the waterfront, the Musée Mécanique has a warehouse full of turn of the century dioramas, which you can animate by feeding them a quarter, while the Cartoon Art Museum, the Beat Museum and the Wells Fargo Museum each provide an insider’s look at a microtopic. Want to get hands-on and feel your way through some science? There are several places to do that, including the Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park and the Exploratorium along the Embarcadero. Here’s our list of the very best museums in San Francisco. Prices given below are for general admission; special exhibitions usually involve a separate upcharge. Many are free or discounted for San Francisco residents, and many have monthly free days or pay-what-you-can days. We totally recommend looking into NARM membership; some of these sites belong. RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in San Francisco🍽️ The

Often, a train takes you where the freeway doesn’t, giving you spectacular views you can’t see otherwise. You roll through the countryside where herds of elk graze or go through back regions of national parks with a vantage point all your own. While the train lets you doze off, read a book or scroll your phone (so long as Wi-Fi works) because someone else is at the wheel, odds are you’ll instead be glued to the window, unwilling to miss a single picturesque thing that floats by. But not all trains are created equal. While some traverse uninteresting corridors, others earn the title of a “scenic” railway. We’re most interested in those, and the chance to make the journey just as enjoyable as the destination...or maybe the train ride really is the destination. That’s especially the case with trains that focus on luxury. Here’s our list of the most scenic train rides across the United States. (Unless otherwise stated, prices below are for one-way travel).

Zoos provide an amazing chance to connect with wildlife and develop empathy. Who can’t be moved to protect wildlife after watching newborn lemurs energetically play with each other? Or after seeing the placid stare of a tiger or pop-up nature of the prairie dogs? Zoos let us see animals that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to see without traveling across the world, and most zoos do their best to provide habitats that give animals humane treatment and a safe place to roam with as much space as possible. Often, the funds raised by zoos can pay for captive breeding programs that protect endangered species. There are even some species that are extinct in the wild but still living within zoos, such as the Przewalski's horse (can be found in the San Francisco Zoo, among others), Père David's deer (can be found in the Bronx Zoo and others) and the Guam kingfisher (can be found in the St. Louis Zoo and others). Here are the best zoos in the U.S. RECOMMENDED: ⛰️ The best outdoor adventures in the U.S.🌍 The best camping in the U.S.

San Francisco’s got a lot to offer families. Besides the usual fun things you’d expect in a city of a certain size (a wonderful municipal zoo, great science museums), San Francisco has some things you can only do here: ride the bright red cable cars, visit a pirate supply store, walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and watch 1800s animated dioramas spring to life. There are plenty of vantage points to show your kids the incredible beauty of the bay, including the Presidio Tunnel Tops with 14 acres of playspace with the backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge for every cartwheel and Frisbee toss. And while at the end of the day mom or dad might want to slide into a chair for a Michelin-starred restaurant experience, here is our list of best cheap eats to make this family vacation more affordable. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in San Francisco  

There’s a reason people travel here from all over the world. We have incredible views, world-class dining, diverse neighborhoods, a park in walking distance from every home, hiking trails overlooking bay and ocean waters, spectacular museums and stunning architecture. A bridge or underground BART train leads you to the fabulous towns of Oakland and Berkeley, or you can take a ferry or the Golden Gate Bridge north to beautiful Sausalito and the wine country cities of Napa and Sonoma. Heading south, you’ll find San Jose and other tech cities. The entire Bay Area welcomes you with memorable experiences like kayaking, visiting brewpubs, tasting your way through Michelin-starred restaurants and perching on a rooftop bar to fondly regard the picture postcard vista below you. Here are a few of our don’t-miss activities to make sure you really get the best of the Bay Area. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in San Francisco

Here in the City by the Bay, there’s always something cooking, whether it’s a jaunt across the elevated playspace of the 14-acre Presidio Tunnel Tops, taking an urban hike across the Golden Gate Bridge, celebrating gay culture in the Castro neighborhood, dancing yourself into a frenzy or chilling to incredible music. There’s always a festival of some sort unfolding, and one of the best things is that many of these events are free. We’ve put together our picks for the best things to do in San Francisco this weekend (you can check the website for each event for further details). Now: Grab that weekend by the horns! RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in San Francisco

A train is already a luxurious thing as we sit back and let someone else whisk us past beautiful landscapes and drift into a lulled sleep. But some trains make the experience even more extraordinary by offering little touches to upscale the ride. That may be special food delivered to your seat, a glass of champagne to sip, velvet upholstery, huge windows that open up the view or service that adds that extra level of indulgence. Here is our list of the best luxury train rides in the U.S., plus some extra information about what to expect for travel time and pricing. RECOMMENDED: 13 weird and funky train rides to experience across America

A romantic restaurant isn’t a tall order. We just need some flattering lighting, a space quiet enough to hear each other and food that feels special in some way, either because it’s beautifully plated or because it tastes so good it’s a great precursor. A restaurant doesn’t have to be expensive to be romantic—it just has to have a certain warm, intimate vibe that mirror how the diners are feeling. Here are our 16 picks for the most romantic restaurants in San Francisco. RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in San Francisco🏛️ The best museums in San Francisco🍽️ The best restaurants in San Francisco🏨 The best hotels in San Francisco  

Breakfast: It all starts with coffee, but after that it can go a number of different directions, all of them delicious if it’s San Francisco. You might be after a tower of pancakes or a full plate of shakshuka, dashing in for a bagel or luxuriating over some perfectly plated French confection. Whatever it takes to get us going in the morning—eggs, bacon, mimomas—we’re grateful for the chance to sit down with family and friends with a bite to sustain us. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in San Francisco

Time spent in nature is always healing, but you can also find equal pleasure in traversing city streets. Whatever your favorite type of hike—on a sinuous path above oceanside cliffs, through a historic part of town, over the span of a very particular bridge or in rustic meadows where you can almost forget you’re in a city—you’ll find it here. And while San Francisco is famous for being steep in certain parts, you’ll always be able to find a relatively flat hike if that’s more your style. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in San Francisco

What is it? An Argentinian steakhouse in the heart of the Mission. Why we love it: The ojo de bife Argentino rib eye (100 percent grass-fed) was supremely buttery in texture, and the wild mushroom sherry sauce had us trying to soak up more with each forkful like a sponge. The pollo skewer with perfectly blackened corn and aji amarillo almost surpassed the steak for me, but we also loved the yuca fries with rocoto aioli—and we had fun moderating our evening with the “sin licor” mocktails, an agridulce citrus beverage and a tutti frutti sweet one. Though I didn’t have room for the empanada options, I’d certainly try them next time. The décor is atmospherically dim and dominated by some fearsome underlit bull head statues, while beautiful chandeliers and metal fixtures that mimic wagon wheels adorn the ceilings. Time Out tip: Arrive before your reservation and head to El Techo, the bar perched on Lolinda’s rooftop, for excellent city views. Also, as much as we love the colorful vibe of the Mission, the homelessness crisis may make visitors feel uncomfortable after dark, so consider that when planning your reservation and parking or transit plans. Address: 2518 Mission St, San Francisco, 94110 Opening hours: Tue–Thu 5:30–10pm; Fri, Sat 5:30–11pm; Sun 5:30–10pm Expect to pay: For a few pequeños (littles), a 12oz rib eye, a beverage and a dessert, you’ll pay around $85.

What is it? A Chinese dim sum house in Ghirardelli Square, halfway between Fisherman’s Wharf and Fort Mason. Why we love it: Aesthetics rule the day here. The “palette” of the name refers to the plate you receive, shaped like an artist’s palette with five wells to hold differently colored sauces. One of the standout dishes, a xiaolongbao sampler, also evokes admiration with five soup dumplings arranged beautifully with their dough colored red (beets), green (spinach), yellow (turmeric), black (squid ink) and white, with various fillings. The taro puff black swan with a delicate cracker neck “floats” on an edible flower strewn plate, while the hot and sour soup is classically delicious. I indulged in an espresso martini and the Portuguese egg tart, while also stealing bites of my daughter’s mango pudding supreme with popping boba, coconut and fresh mango. Above you, large red lanterns glow with Chinese characters for the names of the food, including BBQ pork bao and pork soup dumpling. General manager and part owner Dennis Leung has created a beautiful space, where large red lanterns above you glow with Chinese characters that correspond to the names of the dishes. Make sure to make a pit stop at the bathroom, too, so you don’t miss the beautiful mosaic tiles in the hallway. Time Out tip: It’s housed in the same square as the iconic Gold Rush chocolatier Ghirardelli, and we’d also recommend a pre- or post-meal walk down the hill to the free, ship-shaped Maritime National Histo

What is it? A Mediterranean restaurant housed in a former army barracks in the Presidio. Why we love it: Billed as “modern Eastern” rather than “Middle Eastern,” Dalida comes from husband-and-wife chef team Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz. The flavors here stretched our palates and made our eyebrows rise—even the hummus had some extra zing sitting under the Cypriot lamb chops wrapped in ground lamb and caul fat. Our family’s favorite was the Breaking Bread dish with round tins of spreads accompanied by chubby pita (baked in-house every five minutes). The cocktails were a highlight, served in fun vessels like a miniature silver tankard or with tall, glass-height ice cubes ordered by mail. Stay for dessert and you may catch some Top Chef magic with pistachio three-ways baklava and the sour cherry Maraş ice cream that chef Laura made for one of the show’s challenges. The interior’s muted lighting comes from rice paper chandeliers, and there’s a beautiful mural of trees in bloom. The historic building’s high ceilings really open up the interior, but that does mean the acoustics are rough for conversation.  Time Out tip: If you want to make a night of it, book a room at the Lodge at the Presidio, just a four-minute walk away. Address: 101 Montgomery St, San Francisco, 94129 Opening hours: Tue–Fri 11:30am–2pm, 5–9pm; Sat, Sun 11am–2:30pm, 5–9pm Expect to pay: The chef’s menu is $85. Otherwise, you can expect to pay about $100 per person for appetizers, entrée, a vegetable dish and a few c

What is it? A two Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in the Fillmore, helmed by chef Srijith Gopinathan. Why we love it: The food here is exquisite with many moments that’ll leave you closing your eyes to exult. Among every beautiful thing we ate, our favorite was the rasam poori with passionfruit, mint, sprouted chickpea and radish: It’s a delicate fried puri sphere into which you spoon a bit of soup and eat in one frisson-filled mouthful. For cocktails, the winner was the turmeric spritz with marigold amaro that was so light and fruity it provided perfect accompaniment. As far as a bit of refreshment, don’t fear that the dishes will be too spicy; everything was perfectly spiced to make lips tingle but not overwhelm the tongue. Plus, the interior is insanely pretty with macrame lighting features, two rooms delineated by changes in flooring (blonde wood to button tile) and an indoor gazebo marked by twining ivy. Muted brick, a two-story wall of cubbies holding amphoras and wicker furnishings lend an air of museum-like elegance. Time Out tip: Ask your server to identify which menu items are unique to Copra (or at least the most innovative) and order those. Address: 1700 Fillmore St, San Francisco, 94115 Opening hours: Mon–Sun 5–10pm; brunch Sat, Sun 11:30am–2pm Expect to pay: Brunch is surprisingly affordable for a spot carrying two Michelin stars. If you order several “littles” and a main with a few cocktails, you’ll walk out paying around $90.

What is it? A contemporary American restaurant carrying one Michelin star in the Fillmore. Why we love it: On a quiet street near the edge of Japantown, 7 Adams bustles with attentive waitstaff, crazy-skilled chefs and blissed out diners. Behind the chef’s counter, there’s gorgeous backlit mod-shaped embedded wall compartments holding plants, stemware, candles and a miniature statue of the Michelin man petting a dog. Chef owners Serena Chow Fisher and David Fisher have created a space where the vibe is relaxed and down to earth, even though the exquisite food could easily deserve a snooty air. We especially loved the starter of hokkaido scallop crudo with koji kosho, pepita and pixie mandarin and all the mains, and lost our minds over the winter citrus dessert (pistachio cake, lemon curd and blood orange ice cream—intensely succulent and vibrant) and the salted malted s’more with chicory pastry cream. Time Out tip: A 20 percent service charge is automatically added to the bill, so you can relax about tipping. Address: 1963 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115 Opening hours: Mon–Thur 5:30–9pm; Fri, Sat 5–10pm; Sun 5–9pm Expect to pay: The five-course tasting menu is $87 per person, while the chef’s counter (six people only) is 8 to 10 courses for $157 per person.

What is it? A French bistro with bright vibes at the Embarcadero. Why we love it: Everything’s at bar level here, so you feel elevated and light while you indulge in French favorites “from Paris with love,” as the menu says—a nod to charming owner Kais Bouzidi’s Parisian roots. Plants are embedded in the mesh liquor cabinet that hovers above the bar, which itself is a beautiful wooden statement piece with carved out embeds for your knees. The croque monsieur was a fantastic confection of layers of thin ham, pickle and béchamel sauce: It was a “fondue with bread” in one gooey unit. We also loved the madeleines plate with anglaise and chocolate sauce. For a refreshing drink that’s adorably photogenic, try the citron pressé: fresh lemon juice and a separate cute vessel of housemade lemon cordial. Time Out tip: Absolutely make reservations in advance; the walk-in party ahead of us was turned away. Address: Pier 3, the Embarcadero, San Francisco, 94105 Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11:30am–2pm, 3–10pm; Sat 11:30am–3:30pm, 5–10pm; Sun 11:30am–3pm Expect to pay: If your brunch includes an hors d’oeuvre, a main, a beverage and dessert, it will run about $60.

What is it? An Italian eatery in the Russian Hill neighborhood with a parklet out front Why we love it: The menu is so full of great options I had pasta twice (and I’m glad I did, because the agnolotti was a true standout, and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the fettuccine blackened by squid ink and accompanied by generous lumps of Dungeness crab). Even though we were stuffed, the delightful server—chef Anthony Florian has assembled an amazing team with great wine guidance—wouldn’t let us go without trying the chocolate budino served in a mason jar: We’re glad we relented to the peer pressure. Time Out tip: Request a seat in the back dining area if you would like a quieter space for conversation. Address: 1896 Hyde St, San Francisco, 94109 Opening hours: Sun–Thu 5–9pm; Fri, Sat 5–9:30pm Expect to pay: About $140 per person if you indulge in antipasti, salad, pasta and secondi with a few glasses of wine.

What is it? An American restaurant inside the Beacon Grand hotel in Union Square Why we love it: Want bountiful proof of why the food scene in San Francisco is so great? Look no further than the California market salad, with mixed greens in a citrus vinaigrette we adored, along with Point Reyes blue cheese, candied pecans and tender slivers of tangerine. Other dishes we loved were the wild king salmon with thinly shaved fennel, radish and cucumber in a dill vinaigrette, as well as the hand-rolled spinach and mushroom canelloni dotted with morels. Make your lunch truly inspiring by pairing it with the Spring Sour mocktail—bright and fresh enough to power through the day. Here for business? The prix-fixe “executive lunch” is only $28 Monday through Friday. Time Out tip: Venture into the side chamber and look up: The painted ceiling and ornate grillwork on either side of the pedimented door are impressive. Want to fully appreciate the opulent architecture and décor of this 1928 beauty? Elect to spend the night (you should). Address: 450 Powell St, San Francisco, 94102 Opening hours: Daily breakfast 7–11am, lunch 11:30am–1:30pm, dinner 4–10pm Expect to pay: For brunch with a salad, salmon and mocktail, close to $70.

What is it? A contemporary Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in the SoMa neighborhood, housed in the Intercontinental Hotel. Why we love it: Everything on chef Dennis Efthymiou’s spring tasting menu was geared to surprise visually and tastewise. Each course arrives in a unique vessel: a duck foot stand for the quail Scotch egg amuse bouche, or a “meteorite” (as the server termed it) that held beautifully plated dessert components. Our favorite dish was startlingly realistic-looking strawberry sculpted out of white chocolate and stuffed with truffle mousse, served with elderflower and basil ice cream and a Kalamata olive shortcake. I started with a passionfruit margarita and switched to a suggested Riesling to pair with the Spring Awakening course, which was a literal miniature garden with tiny spears of white and green asparagus “planted” alongside tendrils of pea appearing like plants meeting the sun. Time Out tip: The tasting menu consists of 11 courses, many of which have multiple components. Come with an appetite—like “I haven’t eaten in months” levels of hunger. If you book a room at the Intercontinental, you’ll have an easy elevator ride up to a spectacular panoramic city view as your digestive system works on the issue at hand. Address: 888 Howard St, San Francisco, 94103 Opening hours: Thu–Sat 5:30–9pm Expect to pay: The spring tasting menu is $175 per person with a $115 wine pairing.

What is it? A vegan eatery in Cow Hollow with a parklet on Union Street. Why we love it: In a world trying to adopt more sustainable practices, a vegan restaurant so great that omnivores won’t miss meat deserves notice. The interior at Wildseed has bright white walls adorned with modern art. When you open the completely plant-based menu, the first thing you’ll see is a list of what fruits and vegetables are in season that month. That’s not just something worth appreciating on paper: The chilaquiles with vegan “just egg” and coconut queso were gobble-quality, and the Wildseed burger made with a mushroom and spinach patty, vegan chipotle aioli and tomato chutney (and added-on tempeh bacon) was a fortifying delight. Time Out tip: The grapefruit mimosa comes in a pretty vessel and makes brunch happier. Address: 2000 Union St, San Francisco, 94123 Opening hours: Mon–Thu 11:30am–9:30pm, Fri 11:30am–10:30pm, Sat 11am–10:30pm, Sun 11am–9:30pm Expect to pay: About $70 per person if you have a small salad, brunch item, dessert and a few mimosas.

What is it? A seafood restaurant on the second story of Pier 39. Why we love it: You can count on 100 percent sustainable seafood at this busy waterfront spot with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the bay. The clam chowder literally has “award-winning” in its name, and you can order it (as one does here) in a fresh house-baked sourdough bowl. We tried the dual lobster tails (oven roasted with seasonal vegetables), the Petrale sole (pan seared with a pesto cream sauce) and fried scallops, served with roasted jalapeno aioli. The cocktail game is wonderful here with drinks named for local landmarks, like the Alcatraz Escape and the Spicy Mission Margarita. For land-favoring folks just “along for the ride,” there are also sandwiches, steaks and pasta. Time Out tip: Try to sit at the farthest end of the restaurant, where you’ll be able to catch the best view of the sea lions pushing each other off the docks. And if you love flowers, TulipMania is at Pier 39 throughout April with 20,000 tulips in bloom. Address: Pier 39, San Francisco, 94133 Opening hours: Daily 11am–9pm Expect to pay: Seafood mains run $29 to $56, while the clam chowder in sourdough is $16. House specialties include cioppino at $42 and a whole Dungeness crab for $64. Cocktails are $14 to $17.

What is it? A seafood restaurant on the second story of Pier 39. Why we love it: You can count on 100 percent sustainable seafood at this busy waterfront spot with floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the bay. The clam chowder literally has “award-winning” in its name, and you can order it (as one does here) in a fresh house-baked sourdough bowl. We tried the dual lobster tails (oven roasted with seasonal vegetables), the Petrale sole (pan seared with a pesto cream sauce) and fried scallops, served with roasted jalapeno aioli. The cocktail game is wonderful here with drinks named for local landmarks, like the Alcatraz Escape and the Spicy Mission Margarita. For land-favoring folks just “along for the ride,” there are also sandwiches, steaks and pasta. Time Out tip: Try to sit at the farthest end of the restaurant, where you’ll be able to catch the best view of the sea lions pushing each other off the docks. And if you love flowers, TulipMania is at Pier 39 throughout April with 20,000 tulips in bloom. Address: Pier 39, San Francisco, 94133 Opening hours: Daily 11am–9pm Expect to pay: Seafood mains run $29 to $56, while the clam chowder in sourdough is $16. House specialties include cioppino at $42 and a whole Dungeness crab for $64. Cocktails are $14 to $17.

Remember that teacher who always said, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail?” That is accurate with Live Nation’s $30 Ticket to Summer promotion. If you don’t think ahead and purchase tickets at this amazing price, you might see a less likeable amount or be priced out altogether (last year, this promotion was for $25 tickets, so already things are gaining in price, and somebody's probably gonna figure out a way to put tariffs on this). Ticket sales open in about a week, so you have no excuse not to gather up your friends’ summer work schedules and find a bunch of dates that work for all of you! What is Live Nation’s $30 Ticket to Summer? Live Nation is presenting $30 tickets to more than 1,000 summer shows at venues in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the website to see the full roster of artists and select a show. Then scroll down to select the category “$30 Ticket to Summer,” add the ticket to your cart and checkout. When do $30 tickets go on sale? They open on May 21 at 10am local time wherever you are, but T-Mobile and Rakuten customers get a little bit of an edge with a 24-hour head start. They can purchase starting at 10 a.m. local time on May 20. What artists are participating in Live Nation’s $30 Ticket to Summer? +Live+ & Collective Soul Avril Lavigne Barenaked Ladies Big Time Rush Billy Idol Cody Jinks Coheed And Cambria Counting Crows Cyndi Lauper Dierks Bentley Dispatch The Doobie Brothers The Driver Era Goo Goo Dolls Hauser Halsey Hardy James Taylor Keith Urban Kesha

The prestigious Prix Versailles recognizes beautiful architecture and design all over the world at an annual awards program held at UNESCO for the last 10 years—and two U.S. museums show up on its list of the World’s Most Beautiful Museums, released earlier this month. The list each year focuses on new or recently renovated structures. Museums showcase beauty, so it's always wonderful when the building itself is a piece of art. It enhances the visit and makes you feel like you are entered a hallowed space. The list is short, with only seven museums on it this year. While we admire the architecture of the Saka Museum in Bali with steel and glass providing a beautiful counterpoint to the ancient artifacts inside and are thrilled to see the Grand Palais in Paris finally emerge from four years of work, it’s really the two U.S. museums that catch our attention. Photograph: DLR Group/Kevin G ReevesThe Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio In Ohio, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has won a spot on the list. As recently renovated by the DLR Group, its architecture showcases Northeast Ohio’s geological history and especially its historic glaciers, which formed the Great Lakes. The glaciers’ flow is interpreted at the museum with “flowing white alluvial forms in a single, continuous concept to unify the various parts of the facility,” says the Prix Versailles statement. The original museum is a century old, and its collections tell the story of the life of Earth, back t

Each year, Airbnb rolls out adjustments to its services, tweaking things to improve them and adding new components—a great example would be last year’s ban on indoor cameras in all its Airbnbs across the globe. This year’s 2025 Summer Release adds three new components to what Airbnb offers. Find services while you travel The first is Airbnb Services, a new way to book services while you’re traveling (right now, just in 260 cities as the program starts). Maybe you’ve booked an Airbnb to attend a wedding and would like to connect with a hair stylist, or you’re looking for a local photographer to document your family’s vacation. There are 10 categories of services you can book through the app with licensed service providers that have been vetted by Airbnb and have at least 10 years of experience. The categories are chefs, photography, massage, spa treatments, personal training, hair, makeup, nails, prepared meals and catering. The services can be delivered right at your Airbnb, or you can even skip the overnight component and book the services at your home. Book exclusive experiences around the world The second is Airbnb Experiences. This is akin to the kind of package a hotel might put together for you and list on its website. It can be a private shopping experience, a chance to make a meal with a chef in their restaurant kitchen, a hot air balloon ride, anything across a vast number of categories, such as food and drink, history and culture, fitness, nature, art, and design. T

One of summer’s most recognizable sounds—along with lawn mowers and the clinking of ice in your porch beverage—is the song of the cicadas. The comforting (to some) buzz is found in southern states and in New England. These cool insects have the same lifespan as many dog breeds (13-17 years), and it’s the males who make these passionate mating calls, which can reach 100 decibels—the same as a motorcycle or hairdryer. This year, something unusual is happening in the cicada world: the Brood XIV class will be seen for the first time since 2008, as reported by USA Today. These guys are kind of broody, kind of pompous like Louis XIV… and they’re the second-largest periodical cicada brood, appearing for their fans every 17 years. That means high school juniors may have their first chance to see this Brood XIV class, so long as they live in one of 13 states. Those states where we can expect to see these rare singers are, in alphabetical order, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Of these, Kentucky and Tennessee will see the most. Much like Cape Cod’s Sharktivity app, which tracks sightings of sharks, there’s a Cicada Safari tracker where you can report and post photos of cicadas you come across. Once cicadas show up, you’ll have about six weeks of enjoying their lively show tunes, but by July, the only signs of them will be their exit routes, the holes they bore in

Where can you find the best steak? A perfectly cooked steak is a thing of beauty, with its seared edges and pink-to-red interior oozing salty goodness onto the plate. Anyone can throw a steak on a grill, but it takes consummate skill to watch it and capture it at the exact right moment so that the flavor is sealed in. To ensure travelers find the best steak house in their destination, the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants compiles an annual list. It’s probably no surprise that the No. 1 steak restaurant in the world, Parilla Don Julio, is in Buenos Aires. Argentina is famous for its beef, which is free of hormone or antibiotic treatments and grazes on rich pampas grassland, which infuses its flavor into the meat. Argentina also created the “asado” barbecue method, where steak is cooked over an open fire. At Parilla Don Julio, there’s not just exceptional steak in-house butchering, grilling, and dry aging but also an impeccable wine program. The rest of the top ten list worldwide contains restaurants in cities ranging from Sydney, Australia to Madrid, Spain and beyond. But our interest is piqued by the fact that there’s a U.S. restaurant in the top 10: COTE in New York City. With a communal fire and Korean barbecue techniques, COTE also offers an in-table smokeless grill where guests can watch tableside grilling of USDA Prime, American wagyu and A5 Japanese Miyazaki. It’s a lightly theatrical experience that provides entertainment as well as a supremely prepared steak. There

Planning a trip and figuring out whether you can get away without getting a rental car? That’s a great goal—you save on the rental and parking fees and become a more grounded visitor using public transportation. Some cities make that easy with a great transit system that takes you everywhere you want to go and is easy to understand. Others? There may be a few stops, and not where you need them to be. A new study by Solitaire Bliss looks at the bus, light rail, subway, tram and train lines of the 30 largest U.S. cities and assigns each city a transit accessibility score—here’s what the study finds. San Francisco is the best-connected city, with the most train stops per mile (and per person) and the most bus stops per mile. That means that within the relatively small 47 square miles of the city, you can walk knowing that a transit stop will be within reach if your energy flags. There are 7.84 train stops per mile! As for buses, the city has 70.14 bus stops per mile. That’s kind of a wild statistic. San Francisco’s transit lines include MUNI buses and light rail, BART trains, vintage trams, and, of course, the famous cable cars. The next best city for public transit is Washington, D.C., with 1.11 train stops and 43.04 bus stops per mile, followed by Portland, Oregon, with 1.06 train stops and 24.88 bus stops per mile. And for the other side of things, the worst cities (of the 30 the study looked at) for public transportation are Jacksonville, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; and San

Aw shucks, you just had a wonderful meal, tipping your head back to usher a soft and succulent oyster down your throat—and now you’re left with a plate full of shells. What can be done with them? Fabulously, these shells can be recycled with the "Save Your Shucks" program based in California via the Wild Oyster Project. Oyster reefs need to be rebuilt; they are currently at a shocking 1 percent of historic levels. In the San Francisco Bay Area, baby oysters free swim in the bay but require oyster shells to settle on and grow. They seek out shells, and over time, oyster reefs, a collection of living and dead shells, form to protect the community. The Wild Oyster Project returns those native Olympia shells to the bay to help restore the delicate balance needed to help oysters thrive. It’s a cool sustainability measure; in the project’s words, “Let’s eat oysters to save the oysters!" I first learned about the project at the Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette in Marina, California. The associated hotel on the property, Sanctuary Beach Resort, participates in the Wild Oyster Project and also does small-scale recycling of the shells by setting up guests to do découpage projects on discarded and cleaned shells. Photograph: Erika MailmanDécoupage oyster shell made by author at Sanctuary Beach Resort So, how does it work? Restaurants all over the Bay Area keep a marked 5-gallon plastic bucket on hand to gather the shells, and project volunteers come by to collect them weekly or bi-month

If you haven’t noticed the massive woman in front of the Ferry Building on Market Street in San Francisco, take time to make the trek. We recommend going at night when her eerie lighting cycles through blue and purple. This incredible artwork—R-Evolution, a representation of a woman standing 48 feet tall—makes anyone passing by have to acknowledge her power and vitality as she stands poised, arms open and ready to spring (or maybe that’s just how we see it!). R-Evolution was first seen on the Black Rock Desert of Nevada at Burning Man 2015, and a foiled plan would have originally had her comparing heights with the Dewey Monument in Union Square. (That 85-foot statue in front of Macy’s is Winged Victory atop her column, reportedly modeled after Alma Spreckels, who gave us the Legion of Honor museum. But we digress!) However, fears that the statue’s weight would bring her down into the parking garage below Union Square prompted her venue change to the Embarcadero. Here’s a rendering of how she would have looked at Union Square. Rendering courtesy of RHAA Landscape Architecture & PlanningA rendering shows how the statue could look in Union Square R-Evolution is part of a triad of sculptures called The Bliss Project by Marco Cochrane and depicts “a woman, Deja Solis, expressing her humanity,” according to the press release. R-Evolution began as a hand-sculpted three-quarters life-sized clay figure. Using a medieval-era enlargement tool called a pantograph, Cochrane transformed

It’s the guilty pleasure road trip meal: a visit to McDonald’s. You know it will be (relatively) consistent and delivered quickly. However, the pricing isn’t consistent. It can be all over the map, literally. In different places across the country, you’ll pay more for that Big Mac, arguably America’s most famous burger. CashNetUSA used McDonald’s app to manually collect prices from 460 different locations across the country (three restaurants in the three biggest cities in each state and Washington, D.C.)—that intern deserves a raise—and average them to create a list of the cities where you can buy the cheapest and most expensive Big Macs. You’ll laugh: when I googled exactly what’s in a Big Mac to share with readers who aren’t familiar, a little commercial jingle from yesteryear started playing in my head: it’s “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickled onions on a sesame seed bun.” That special sauce is similar to Thousand Island dressing, and it should be noted that the bun is in three components. You can bite down on the most expensive Big Mac in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There, you’ll pay $7.29. And that’s not including the fries and shake. Prices have risen 141.4 percent for McDonald’s between 2019 and 2024, as reported by Newsweek, and the company has this year seen the steepest drop in sales in five years, as reported by People yesterday. Image: Courtesy CashNet USA Next is Missoula, Montana, where the same burger costs $7.25, followed by Seattle, Wa

The clock has been ticking on the REAL ID deadline—originally May 11, 2008—and nearly two decades later, it’s firm. This May 7, you will need to have a REAL ID if you are 18 years or older and flying domestically. If you’re not a driver, you’ll need the equivalent identification card. Applying for a REAL ID card is a fairly complicated process and may involve digging through a hard-to-find folder of documents. If you're not already underway, let this be your call to action! What is a REAL ID? It’s a way of standardizing the various state driver’s licenses across the country into a more unified document. The concept stems from increased security measures after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. It will have a star (or a star in a circle) on it to brand it from a regular driver’s license. What are the REAL ID requirements? According to the Department of Homeland Security, you’ll need to visit your state’s driver’s licensing agency website to find out exactly what documentation is required. At a pure minimum, expect to show documents with your full legal name, date of birth, social security number, lawful status and two proofs of address of principal residence. Of course, some states may have other requirements on top of this. You’ll want to check what’s required online before going in person; you don’t want to wait in the DMV lines twice. Can you get a REAL ID online? No. You need to show up in person. You can start the process of applying online and, in some cases, upload the required

The best way to feel like you’ve truly experienced a place is to spend time in its woods or other natural spaces: tramping along seaside cliffs, easing through moors and meadows or even walking briskly on an urban city route. Getting out of breath, pausing for water, moving on and finally reaching the end: it’s all exhilarating and memorable. Plus, you may get some incredible photos you can’t get any other way than on the trail. To help us find these experiences, Time Out has compiled a list of the best hikes in the world—and two of them are right here in the U.S. The top hike in the world is one you’ve probably heard of, the Camino de Santiago, a historic pilgrimage walk in northwest Spain. There are seven routes to get there, and the French Way, beginning in St. Jean Pied-du-Port, France, is Time Out’s pick. It takes a month to walk, so you’ll probably be relieved to hear that the first U.S. hike on the list is a mere two-day walk. That’s the 22-mile round-trip Kalalau Trail, No. 9 on the list. This walk starts in Ke’e Beach and stretches to Kalalau Beach in Kalalau, Hawai’i on the Napali Coast. Since it involves an overnight, you’ll have to secure a camping permit. Along the route, you’ll see beaches, crashing surf, rugged seacliffs and the 300-foot Hanakapiai Falls (that’s pretty great, but please consider that Yosemite Falls inside Yosemite National Park is the tallest waterfall in North America at 2,425 feet). The second U.S. hike on this list is Paria River Canyon in A

If you’re like a lot of us, you look forward to a bar visit on your vacation. It’s always fun to see seasonal or specialty cocktails on the list, and soaking up the boozy atmosphere and music can be elating. (Truth be told, we also love a great mocktail and staying sharp for the evening). So if you’re thinking of building a trip around visiting one of the continent’s best bars, we’re thrilled for you. Winners of North America’s Best Bars 2025 have just been announced, and 26 of those 50 are here in the U.S. There are also 14 in Mexico (including the No. 1 pick, Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City), eight from Canada and two from the Caribbean. The first U.S. bar on the list is Superbueno in New York, which was also No. 2 last year—way to hold strong! Jewel of the South in New Orleans rose from the No. 6 spot to No. 4. Overstory in New York fell from No. 3 to No. 6, taking over the Jewel’s former spot. Other U.S. bars in the top 10 are Sip & Guzzle in New York, showing up at No. 5 out of nowhere (it wasn’t on the list last year) and Kumiko in Chicago, rising to No. 10 from No. 19. Sip & Guzzle has an enormously interesting backstory, based on an 1874 contingent of Japanese samurai who came to New York, where bartender Jerry Thomas invented a cocktail specifically for the Japanese diplomat Tateishi Onojirou Noriyuki. Today in Tokyo, Shingo Gokan’s The SG Club imagines the kind of bar those samurai would have opened upon returning, and in a playful turn, Sip & Guzzle (with the sa