Welcome to the avenues. Forty-eight of them, one after the other. Tightly framed by the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Golden Gate Park, the Richmond district is within easy access to anywhere in the city. The neighborhoods main arteries, Geary Boulevard and Clement Street, parallel each other east and west, just one block apart. All manner of shops serve lively Clement Street. Green Apple books is widely known as one of the cities great overstuffed bookstores, and Heroes Club offers the latest in robots, lobster guys, Godzilla’s, and female heroine scale models. Lincoln Park, out at Land’s End, is home to the renovated California Palace of the Legion of Honor art museum, as well as a fantastic 18-hole golf course.

Mountain Lake Park: There are almost as many ducks as there are people at this little neighborhood park, situated right underneath the Park Presidio ramp that heads straight to the Golden Gate Bridge. You'd think the roar of traffic would deter people -- like chess players, for instance -- from visiting, but the park attracts them, as well as throngs of joggers and dog walkers.

Golden Gate Park: You can drive into the park on 8th or 10th avenues or at Arguello, but when you're as close as the Richmond, why not just walk? Stow Lake, the museums and the Japanese Tea Garden are all an easy, pleasant amble from the Richmond.

The Presidio: The Presidio, now a national park, was the longest-lasting continuously used military post in the United States, and it boasts military buildings dating from 1848 in a variety of styles, from Spanish Colonial to Georgian. It's also home to many native California plant species, and some rare birds and animals. Joggers and dog walkers can follow portions of the marked Bay Area Ridge trail or discover secret tracks through the cypress and eucalyptus trees. The Presidio is accessible by car from Arguello or Lombard streets, Marina Boulevard or 25th Avenue, or you can get through on foot or by bike at 14th or 15th avenues.