The feeling I get when I walk into many bookstores and libraries is not unlike my experience walking in a quiet forest, an art museum, or summiting a dune and getting my first glimpse of the ocean. I’m not sure what elicits the exhale, the slowing of breath, and the comfort I feel in each of these places, but I am grateful for it.

In the summer issue of their newsletter, Three Lives & Company (West Village, NY) talked about their favorite bookstores. I was surprised to see two Bay Area bookstores mentioned: Christopher’s Books and Point Reyes Books. Reading about their favorites got me thinking about my own.

Visiting bookstores and libraries is always at the top of my list when I travel. I thought it might be fun to pull together some of my local favorites for those of you who feel the same. I also included a few restaurants, hikes, cafes, a spice shop, a park, a couple museums, and a farm stand. You can reference this idiosyncratic travel guide when you’re planning your next trip to the Bay Area.

Bay Area travel advice:

Don’t forget to dress in layers!
Carry water.
Be adaptable. Things don’t always work out as planned, but sometimes what actually happens is even better than the plan, or at least makes a good story.

I prefer quiet weekdays for most of these spots. But if you prefer a buzzing atmosphere, Saturday is for you! Also, if I could have it my way, I’d break up these visits into multiple days, or even weeks. That being said, I know sometimes there are time constraints, and letting go of perfection is the best idea.

SAN FRANCISCO

If you only have time to visit one book space in San Francisco, make it the poetry room in City Lights Bookstore. City Lights is a North Beach institution. They have many types of books, but it is their poetry selection that stands out. It is the largest selection of poetry I’ve ever seen in any bookstore. The poetry room is a magical space. If you’re lucky, the windows will be open and the rocking chair will be available. If you’re really lucky, you might get to spend a little time in there by yourself. It’s a space you will not forget. Take your new book next door to Vesuvio Cafe, go upstairs, and find a spot by a window. (Yes, it is a bar, but they also serve several non-alcoholic beverages.)

I often pass the magnetic Browser Books (now owned by Green Apple Books) and feel a tug to go inside, whether I have time or not. They’re on Fillmore Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. I’m not sure who curates the rotating sections in the front of the store, but I almost always find multiple interesting books when I’m only a few steps into their entryway, before even heading further back into the store.

During my last visit I finally asked about the small hole in their front window. For years I’ve been wondering if it is a bullet hole, but I get lost in my book browsing and forget to ask. They believe it is a bullet hole. It was there when they moved to this location in 1989! The space used to be a butcher shop, which is difficult to imagine. They’ve been told (but have not verified) that the bullet was shot from inside the store. If you stop by, check it out. There are zero radial cracks around the bullet hole. Besides the small hole, the window is in great shape. Mysterious.

If you’re hungry, there’s a casual little Vietnamese place, also on Fillmore, called Bun Mee. The tofu banh mi sandwich is delicious, but I almost always choose the rainbow salad. I tried vegan nuoc cham sauce instead of salad dressing on it one day and never turned back. My favorite spice shop, Oaktown Spice Shop (Umami Salt!), is also only a few steps away.

Next, you might head to Forest Books in Japantown, where the owner believes in slow, careful browsing, curates a collection of overlooked versus popular books, and sometimes hosts meditation sessions. If it’s Thurs-Sun (always check the hours), you could walk over to Song Tea and Ceramics and browse the sweet little shop. I need to get over there for a new canister of carrot tea.

Or you could visit the nearby Alta Plaza Park, find a bench, and take in a spectacular bay or city view. (Or both.) Fun fact: The stairs on the south end of the park are where they filmed (without permission) the comical car chase scene in the 1970s film What’s Up, Doc? starring young Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. You can still see where the damage to the stairs was patched.

Presidio Branch Library is not too far from the park. This branch has been in its Italian-Renaissance building since 1921. It is the setting for Richard Brautigan’s fictional library for unpublished manuscripts. If you’d like to learn more, go down to the lower level of the library where they have a small display with more about Brautigan.

Are you in the mood for a donut and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge? From the park or library you can walk toward the bay. Pac Heights (local slang) is a beautiful neighborhood. Stop at every intersection and do a 360 degree turn for views in every direction. The marina location of Dynamo Donuts is a tiny hut with a terracotta tile roof, right where Baker Street meets the bay. They have a fabulous chocolate-spice donut that just happens to be vegan.

If you’d like to get closer to the ocean, and are wearing hiking-friendly shoes, you can head (maybe in a Waymo) to Eagles Point Trailhead (916 El Camino Del Mar) to hike the Coastal Trail in Lands End. You’ll be moving toward Andytown Coffee Roasters at 800 Great Highway.

(If you want to keep moving after your donut, but prefer pavement to dirt trails, you can skip Lands End, but still head to Andytown at 800 Great Highway. Call a car and have it take you to there. My ride from Dynamo Donuts this past Saturday took 23 minutes. Skip down to the text after the next photo.)

Are you hiking? Head west toward the visitor center, near Sutro Baths ruins. The visitor center is officially called Lands End Lookout and is on the cliffs above the ocean.

From there you just walk down the sidewalk as it follows the coastline. The road turns from Point Lobos Avenue into the Great Highway as you walk along the ocean.

At 800 Great Highway you’ll find a hidden surf cafe in a building across the street from the beach, inside a space called Ocean Plant. Once inside Ocean Plant, you can order a coffee or tea from Andytown (it’s a little confusing…Andytown is housed inside Ocean Plant). Settle in with your beverage and read, reflect, lean back and look up at the string lights, or find a well-positioned bar stool or chair, inside the cafe, or on the front deck, and look out at the ocean. (If the conditions are correct, you might see some surfers.)

About a mile away from Ocean Plant you’ll find the charming Black Bird Bookstore. You’ve noticed by now that our coast is not lux. It is rugged, often foggy and cool, and beside several lanes of traffic. Still, I recommend walking to the bookstore. You’ll walk south along Great Highway, on a path beside the traffic, but once you cross Lincoln Way everything changes. As you leave the traffic behind and enter Sunset Dunes, where only bicycles and pedestrians are permitted, you’ll feel your heartbeat slow down. You’ll hear the sound of the waves.

Don’t get too hypnotized. Keep your eyes open for a sign on the left that points to Black Bird. Turn left onto Irving Street. You’ll find Black Bird a few blocks down, on the right.

I love a bookstore with a small collection of books that still decides to dedicate generous space to poetry. I almost bought Tony Hoagland’s Turn Up the Ocean while I was there, but had a strong sense I might already own it. (I don’t. Oh well. Good excuse for another trip out there.) Peruse Black Bird’s friendly space, find a book that speaks to you, and take your purchase out behind the store into their cozy backyard for another break while you decide what’s next.

The tastefully designed Mollusk Surf Shop is across the street. My husband bought his favorite hoodie (with a big pelican on the front) there.

Ruth Asawa’s Permanent Installation—de Young Museum, 2026

If it’s not too late in the day, you might be up for a visit to the de Young museum to look at Ruth Asawa’s wire sculptures and take in another great view from the top of the tower. You do not need a ticket to the museum for either activity. Asawa believed art should be accessible to all and her permanent installation is housed in the base of the tower, where there is no charge for visitors. Going up to the top of the tower is also free.

You are probably feeling a little tapped out at this point. If you want to regroup in a smallish green space, Shakespeare Garden is just far enough off the beaten path to offer some peace and quiet. It’s across the Music Concourse from the de Young, and kind of behind the California Academy of Sciences’ outdoor eating area. You might have to look at one of the Golden Gate Park maps outside the de Young, and maybe get lost a couple of times, but if you’re determined you’ll find it.

(If you are not tired, you are in Golden Gate Park and there are many things to do. When I was there this past Saturday there was a concert happening in the Music Concourse in front of the de Young. You’re also near the Japanese Tea Garden, the Botanical Garden, and the Conservatory of Flowers.)

Maybe it is lunchtime. From the de Young, you are a five-minute car ride or eighteen-minute walk (the park can be confusing, you’ll probably need a map if you’re walking) to Yo Tambien Cantina. Best of Both Worlds is my favorite thing on the menu—a single tamal w/ crunchy slaw, brothy beans, salsa roja, pickled veggies, and chili oil. I order mine sans cheese and add avocado. Like many places in this guide, they are open limited days and hours, and they sometimes sell out of food. Get there early.

What will you do later? A relaxing sunset dinner beside the marina at Greens Restaurant can be a bit of a splurge, but also a nice treat at the end of the day. They also serve lunch, and brunch on weekends.

Maybe tomorrow you’ll visit the petite and welcoming Christopher’s Books, up on Potrero Hill. Take your book to Goat Hill Pizza (only a block away), order a slice of sourdough pizza, and read about their history. There really were goats on the property. Find the hoofprints in the sidewalk outside.

If you want to really dig in to San Francisco’s book culture, Christina, fiction buyer and business manager at Black Bird Bookstore, has a newsletter, Same Page SF, about local book events, as well as a website with a guide to San Francisco bookstores. The last time I looked there were forty-five bookstores, which makes me proud to be a San Franciscan.

MARIN COUNTY

Marin County, just north of San Francisco, offers lovers of bookstores, libraries, and wild northern California landscapes several gems.

POINT REYES STATION & INVERNESS

Inverness Library and Jack Mason Museum, 2026

Point Reyes Books, located in downtown Point Reyes Station, is a big favorite of mine! It is absolutely one of those spaces I was referencing at the beginning of this newsletter—the ones that elicit an exhale, slow down your breathing, and offer comfort. You’ll be captivated by their carefully curated selection of books, but don’t miss the murals on their walls. If you’re in the area you might also enjoy a stop in the tiny Inverness Library, but be sure to check their hours first. They are limited. Shell Beach, also in Inverness, is a small, hidden treasure.

Abbotts Lagoon Trail is an easy hike with a boardwalk, bridge, and beautiful views. We’ve seen bobcats, coyotes, cottontails, snakes, river otters, and so many birds. It’s also where I took the photograph that became the cover of After the Sour Lemon Moon. (I’ve never seen the dunes covered in pink like that again.)

SAUSALITO

You don’t even need a car to visit Sausalito. A ferry—riding one is an adventure in itself—can take you there. Before you depart (or when you return), grab an oat milk soft serve cone at Gott’s Roadside in the ferry building. The Sausalito Public Library is near the marina, inside the Sausalito Civic Center, which has its unique art collection hung in the hallways. You can stop by Driver’s Market for a sandwich, salad, or my favorite—the Nepalese combo plate with palungo (spinach) saag and yellow daal (w/ jalapeños).

Sausalito has a boardwalk beside its marina. I like the way the wood planks feel beneath my feet. You’ll also see bright white (depending on date of last paint job) storage lockers with sky blue numbers painted on them for boats in the marina. If you keep walking straight, beyond the boardwalk, the bay curves and it will soon be in front of you. At the water, there is a big wooden bench I like to sit on and look for seals and birds. I’m not sure if the wabi sabi graffiti is still on the bench, but I hope it is. It always makes me smile.

Cross Bridgeway and turn right onto Caledonia. Driver’s Market will come up on your right. Continue past Driver’s until you see a park and playground on your left. The library and civic center are above the park.

MILL VALLEY

A stop in Mill Valley could be combined with a drive to Stinson Beach and Bolinas, or a trip to Point Reyes National Seashore. The Mill Valley Public Library is nestled in a grove of redwoods. It is a beautiful space to wander around, with its wood-beamed ceilings, large windows framing the landscape, fireplace, and outdoor deck cantilevered over the creek. The chrysanthemum and smoked tofu salad and the eggplant dish at nearby Mamahuhu make a great lunch. You might follow lunch up with a perfectly-balanced Cortado (to stay) at Equator Coffees.

STINSON BEACH & BOLINAS

The Stinson Beach Library is right in town. It has surfer magazines and local wildlife books, along with your usual fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc. There’s a quiet fenced-in outdoor space. And they always have a big puzzle in the works. They also have a local tide table propped up in the front window, so they’re offering community service even when the library is closed. Plus it’s near Parkside, with the most delicious loaves of sticky raisin walnut bread on the planet. Take one home and be sure to toast it. I like it drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Enjoy! My next book is set in Stinson Beach. (More on that coming soon!)

If you happen to live in the Bay Area, or visit on or before September 27th, there is a fabulous exhibition, All This Every Day: Bolinas Community Publishing in the 1970s, at the Bolinas Museum. Two of my instructors from San Francisco Art Institute, Jack Fulton and Bill Berkson, have work in the exhibition. There is a great catalog to read with information on each displayed work. Carry a copy with you as you walk around the exhibition. Plan to spend some time there. Let the magic sink in. Check their hours too! They’re only open Fri-Sun. Stop at Gospel Flat Farm Stand and take some of the freshest and most delicious vegetables with you.

You might have worried about me after my last issue of Observations. I was quite overwhelmed. But I’ve gotten my act together. I have a plan. All set. Onward! Also, thanks so much for the After the Sour Lemon Moon reviews I’ve gotten so far! Considering my own faulty memory, I know that was a big ask after so many years.

I’d love to know about your favorite libraries and bookstores. Please share so I can visit them if I find myself in your neck of the woods, or someplace you’ve traveled.

Happy book browsing, buying, and borrowing!

ABOUT OBSERVATIONS

Observations is a newsletter of sorts, kind of like an emailed blog post, or something that could be seen on social media, but perhaps a bit longer, maybe similar to sitting with a friend telling you some things she’s been thinking about, but a short story or poem could also appear, and I’ll send you updates about my writing. Basically, when the mood strikes, not too often, I’ll write something and send it to you, sometimes with a photo or two. If you have any questions or suggestions, send them my way. Thank you for reading.

Observations Blog