Ah Lin Restaurant: Best Chinese Food Delivery

Ah Lin Restaurant in Pacific Heights is the best Chinese food delivery in town. I've tried numerous Chinese restaurants and this one is clearly the best. The Wok Shop on Sutter and Franklin is a close second but their crab puffs don't even come close to the delicious flavors of Ah Lin.

Ah Lin is run by a husband and wife who seem to never have a break and literally are at the restaurant from open to close everyday. In addition to delivery and take-out, Ah Lin has a very nice dining room if you want to eat at the restaurant. They offer beer and wine and the service is fast and friendly. Ordering take-out and delivery is easy over the phone or online. I prefer online, so that I can type in any modifications I want to the dishes, which is never a problem. Plus if you order online, you can take advantage of the online coupon offers: one free soda or Thai ice tea for orders of $15 or more; free order of egg rolls or green onion cakes for orders of $30 or more and free wonton or hot and sour soup for orders of $40 or more.

My favorite dishes at Ah Lin are the Mongolian Beef and Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce. The appetizers at Ah Lin are also the best in the city. The crab puffs and dumplings are homemade and bursting with flavors. The egg rolls although offered in chicken, vegetarian or shrimp are really only available in vegetarian so keep that in mind if you order online. Also, the owner makes her own spicy mustard which is one of the reasons this restaurant is so highly rated. No more packaged preservative filled sauces!

The quality of the food can't be beat. Next time your looking to order Chinese food delivery give Ah Lin a try.

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor: A San Francisco Museum

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor is located in Lincoln Park in the northwest part of San Francisco. The building alone is a work of art as it's a three-quarters scale imitation of the Hotel de Salm in Paris. An interesting piece of little known history is that the Lincoln Park Golf Course that surrounds the museum was once the site of the Golden Gate Cemetery. The bodies were moved down to Colma, CA in 1908 when the cemetery was closed; however, in the 1990s when the city was doing seismic retrofitting of the surrounding park, coffins and skeletal remains were still unearthed. Very cool history for a very cool spot in the city. Also, the beautiful historic building is a popular backdrop for couples taking their engagement pictures as well as day-of pictures with their wedding party.

The name is used for both the museum building and the collection it houses. The Legion's collection spans more than 6,000 years of ancient and European art. Some of the collection highlights and my favorites are: St. John the Baptist by El Greco (1600), The Trotting Horse by Edgar Degas (1881), and Waterlilies by Claude Monet (1914). The museum has a variety of classic and innovative traveling exhibitions. I've seen a traveling exhibit of beautiful Cartier jewelry and works from the Louvre and Museum de Orsay.

Currently the Legion is showcasing Pulp Fashon: The Art of Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave. de Borchgrave creates fashion literally out of manipulating paper. The exhibition features masterpieces of intricate paper clothing inspired by early European paintings or from famous museum pieces from around the world. The exhibit is somewhat of a history of fashion from such famous individuals as the Medici family, Elizabeth I, Marie-Antoinette and Christian Dior, and Coco Chanel, to name a few. The pieces are literally amazing and its mind boggling how she was able to create these extraordinary pieces of clothing (and shoes) out of paper. The Legion is the first American museum to dedicate an entire exhibition to these works of textile art.

The exhibit costs $15 for adults, $12 seniors, $11 for kids 6-17 and college students with ID. The museum is open from 9:30am to 5:15pm and has a delicious cafe with outdoor seating.

Coit Tower: Best Views of San Francisco

 The best place for a panoramic view of San Francisco is Coit Tower located in Telegraph Hill. This little gem should be on every visitor and local's must see list. The 210-ft tower is located in Pioneer Park at the top of Telegraph Hill and can be seen from most neighborhoods in the city. The tower was built with money donated by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a wealthy and eccentric socialite, after her death 1929. Lillie was a big fan of the city's firefighters (like most ladies) and probably would have become one if she wasn't a woman born in the 1800s. Its rumored that she was a woman born before her times as she often wore pants and smoked cigars. Oh good heavens! After her death, she wanted to honor the city and its firefighters by building a monument to beautify the city. Although Coit Tower looks like a fire hose nozzle, the original designers say this is just a coincidence. Her money was also used to build a monument of three firefighters carrying a woman. To this day, Lillie is the patron saint of San Francisco firefighters.

Coit Tower is easily accessible by bus, car or on foot. The topography of the street up to the tower is only one lane so cars must get very close to the hill's edge in order to allow buses or other cars to pass plus there are only 10 parking spots that fill up fast. Often times the "car line" to Coit can wind all the way down to the bottom of the hill. Also watch out for random joggers, there aren't any sidewalks and they often run out in the middle of the road like they own the place. You can also take the 39 MUNI bus to the top of Coit for only $2, leaving every 20 minutes. To walk up you take the steep Filbert Steps, a hodge-podge of wooden and concrete steps, it's strenuous but only a 20 minute walk. I recommend MUNI or walking, driving makes the trip a headache.

Once you reach Coit Tower, you can enjoy Pioneer Park at the base. The park is teeming on the weekend with tourists but during the week it's quite peaceful. The park is also a popular spot for yoga, meditation and various urban boot camps.

Inside the tower are 26 intricate murals, the most famous being by Diego Rivera (Frida Kahlo's husband). The murals depict scenes from the streets of San Francisco, a car crash, a pickpocket, labor march and some controversial "leftist thinkers" to name a few. Tickets to the top of the tower cost $5. Its a 26-floor elevator ride to the top of the tower and it's completely worth being squished in the old-school elevator for a few minutes.

At the top of the tower you will have some of the most spectacular panoramic views of San Francisco. Some spots you'll see are: Sausalito, the aquatic park, the Bay Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, downtown San Francisco, Alcatraz, Treasure Island, Angel Island, a bunch of San Francisco neighborhoods and their cool rooftop gardens and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Next time you are in San Francisco or want to do something "touristy" on a clear day, take a trek up Coit Tower and enjoy the spectacular views!