It's there as the bus pulls up outside our quaint hotel and it's there loud and clear one morning when we hire bikes and take a windswept ride across the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

I soon discover the American city is just like the hit song – once it gets in your head, or your heart for that matter, it doesn't seem to go away. And what better way to see the "real" San Francisco than a brunch drag show called "Sunday's a Drag" in one of the city's most opulent hotels.

We arrive at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and step back in time. The doorman greets us in a striking red footman uniform and we are ushered into a decadent lobby. A quick elevator ride and we arrive in another world – Harry Denton's Starlight Room. It has been re-created to look like a 1930s nightclub – it doesn't disappoint.

We step out on to a black granite floor and are whisked through the doors under crystal chandeliers, past red velvet curtains to our plush velvet booth.

Waitresses in black evening gowns serve cocktails which are eagerly consumed by the crowd, even though it is barely 11am.

A buffet brunch is spread out but is soon forgotten as the host of the show, Donna Sachet, steps on to the stage, a vision of platinum blonde hair and sequins.

Donna and "her girls"
The next 45 minutes are a blur of feathers, tight dresses, buxom bodies and tacky songs.

Donna and "her girls" lip-sync their way through brunch to the delight of the audience, while a Britney Spears look-alike keeps everyone guessing "is she or isn't she?".

It's hard when in San Francisco not to walk with a spring in your step like Donna and the girls. Later, I venture out from my hotel to explore. Cable cars, an institution since the early 1870s, rattle down the main streets, with locals and tourists hanging from the doorways. From a distance, we catch a glimpse as Hollywood actress Jamie Lee Curtis goes whizzing by on the back of one.

After taking pictures at Lombard St, the crookedest street in the world, we join the throng of passengers and jump on board a packed passing cable car. I cling to the pole until my knuckles turn white and my hand aches as we fly down a hill.

Back in the city, I step out to explore my surrounds. Starbucks can be found on nearly every corner. However, it is nice to see that traditional kitsch American diners, like Betty Boop's Diner, where a life-size Betty impersonator greets guests outside, still remain.

As we walk around the city, it astounds me how many people we see begging or camping out asleep in a doorway. The town governor is trying to address the issue and locals tell me it is working. At one coffee shop, an inventive man in tattered clothes holds the door open for me – his other hand clutches a dirty coffee cup hoping for some spare change to fall his way.

Make like the Birdman at Alcatraz
But for many tourists, discovering the city comes a distant second. Many are here to visit Alcatraz island, the No 1 tourist destination. A 10-minute ferry ride from the harbour gets you there.

For an island which has such a notorious past, it's surprisingly calm and picturesque, with great views of the bay, the bridge and boats. Tourists line up patiently, waiting for the next ferry to whisk them across to the island. Diehard fans even stay overnight in prison cells. About 1.4 million people a year visit the former jail, made famous by the movie Escape from Alcatraz. The prison, which once housed notorious criminals such as Al Capone, George "Machinegun" Kelly and Arthur "Doc" Barker, is surprisingly quiet as hundreds of tourists wander around engrossed in the audio tapes which tell stories from the past.

Others take photos of their friends inside cells or head to the former exercise yard.

The island's history dates back to 1775 when Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala became the first to sail into what is now known as San Francisco Bay. His expedition mapped the bay and named one of the three islands Alcatraces.

Its most famous use was as a prison. However, it was first used by the US Army, which built a fortress at the top of the island.

In 1933, the island was then taken over by the US Department of Justice for use by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

It was thought it was impossible to escape from Alcatraz because of the cold temperature of the surrounding waters, the strong currents and the distance to shore (1.6km to 2km).

Shop til you drop in Union Square
Back in town, I make a beeline for Union Square, the heartbeat of the city. The square was created in 1847 as a public plaza and became a fashionable residential district. After the earthquake of 1906, it became known as the city's premier shopping district, a title it holds today.

The four sides of the square are dominated by department stores and fashion boutiques such as Victoria's Secrets, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany and Co and Macy's. It is also known for its upmarket hotels and theatres.

But if retail therapy isn't your thing, San Francisco is a delight for outdoor lovers. Walk, jog, catch a cable car – the choice is yours. Harbour cruises, which go under the majestic Golden Gate Bridge, provide tourists with a different perspective of the city.

Out of town ... a little way
About 13km north of the city across the bay is a tiny seaside community called Sausalito, which means little grove of willows.

Get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, stop for an ice cream and explore this quaint Mediterranean-style town and its cute shops before catching the ferry back to Pier 41 at Fisherman's Wharf. On another morning, we make our way to the markets. The Farmers Markets at the Ferry Building, Ferry Plaza, are held along the foreshore every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. We visit the Bistro Boudin at the wharf. I tuck into the crab and corn chowder served in a sourdough bread roll, a specialty bread around here. Next stop is the adjoining museum and bakery to take a trip back to San Francisco's past.

In 1849, when the Boudin family opened the bakery, the area was just a bunch of tents and shacks, a tiny Mexican hamlet on windswept sand dunes. During the gold rush of 1849, the city's population soared from 800 to 25,000 and by 1858 it had reached 55,000. French immigrants were drawn to the city and the Boudin family was among the early arrivals, opening the bakery in 1849. Demand for construction soared until the gold petered out in 1855.

Miners abandoned their dreams and the economy plummeted. A few years later, a silver bonanza returned San Francisco to good times and the city became one of the nation's leading banking capitals. Mansions and luxury hotels sprung up across town.

In 1906, the city experienced one of the worst natural disaster in American history, the San Francisco earthquake (measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale). It destroyed more than 25,000 buildings, left 250,000 people homeless and killed more than 700 people.

Aftershocks from the earthquake lasted less than a minute but set off a fire that raged for three days. When the earthquake started, Louise Boudin scooped the "mother dough starter" into a bucket, thus saving the business. A portion of the original sourdough is still used to make the bread today.

The author travelled to the United States as a guest of San Francisco Convention and Visitors Authority. For details, phone (02) 9361 0660 or visit sanfran@gate7.com.au

GALLERY



VIVA LEGO VEGAS

A THEMEPARK in California has recreated the famed Las Vegas Strip from more than two million pieces of Lego and more than sixteen thousand hours of labour.