Just outside the station begins a 400-foot painting, known as the Duboce Parkway Mural, that depicts a bike journey through the entire city, from downtown by the Bay to the sand dunes of Ocean Beach. Walking it is like a journey through the city.

On the street in front of this lively cafe is a mysterious ring of bricks. It's not merely decorative, but indicates the location of an underground cistern that, together with 171 similar sites, holds some 11 million gallons of water. These cisterns provide a water backup in case of an earthquake, as happened in 1906, when fires demolished most of the city.

The giant bronze bunny sculpture marks the entrance to the otherwise under-the-radar Haight Street Art Center. Ring the bell to be let in, and you’ll find dozens of historic, psychedelic concert posters. The collection rotates—and often closes between exhibitions—so you could see anything, from signs for Detroit’s historic Grande Ballroom to every official Pearl Jam concert poster.

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church has seen a lot in its 120+ years: two earthquakes, Vietnam War protesters, the Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program, and more. But now the building holds an entirely different kind of spiritual service, opening its doors every weekend to roller skaters of all ages and creeds.

Record collectors can find a lot to love in Haight-Ashbury, but one of its vinyl institutions, Jack’s Record Cellar, is almost unknown. That’s because almost all the time, it looks like it has been abandoned. The store opens only on Saturdays from 2 to 7 p.m., and even those hours aren’t guaranteed. But it's worth seeking out for the collection of 78s and the wisdom of owner Wade Wright.

Look closely as you wander the tree-lined paths of the city’s earliest park, and you’ll find traces of some of San Francisco’s past residents. When the city's cemeteries were moved in the first half of the 20th century, many of the surplus tombstones found a second life, including as path liners in the park.

Since 1976, Bound Together has ensured that the Bay Area never lacks anarchist literature. Three shelves devoted to prominent anarchists including Emma Goldman and William Godwin form the heart of the humble, one-room shop. Other intriguing sections include “unjustly forgotten memoirs” by hobos, criminals, and misfits; voluminous volumes on drugs; and a selection of more mainstream books, the sale of which supports the Prisoners Literature Project.

At the famed intersection of Haight and Ashbury (where the Grateful Dead once posed for some famous photos) is a clock that's no good for telling the time, since it's set permanently to 4:20, a reference to cannabis culture. It draws crowds on April 20.

There are several ways to organize books, but at the bookstore–cocktail bar The Bindery, the volumes are ordered by publication date. The effect is a tour through history—mainly Western—from religious texts and epics to postmodern novels and young-adult fantasy, with longer stops at World War II and the counterculture 1960s and 1970s.

If you didn't look twice, you would think that this is just someone’s garage. Tucked unassumingly on a residential street, Free Gold Watch is one of the few arcades in San Francisco, featuring more than 50 pinball machines and a screenprinting shop in the back.