Arrive at San Francisco International Airport and follow signs for the SuperShuttle desks, which are located in the baggage claim area. A shared-van service will cost you $17 per person to your hotel in the Alamo Square Historic District, which is conveniently located equidistant from both the gay history of the Castro and the wild green spaces of Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach.

Drop your bags at Chateau Tivoli, a gay-friendly Victorian inn decorated in a rustic style with fireplaces and four-poster beds. Weekdays there is a healthy continental breakfast included in the price of your room, so have some fresh fruit and coffee before you start on the 20-minute walk to Golden Gate Park.

The Park has over 1,000 acres of public grounds, and is dotted with both natural features and Arts-themed attractions like the de Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. The Outdoor Adventurer will want to head for the western edge of the park, where a number of lakes and pools are interspersed with sports fields and hiking trails. Check out the fly casting pool or the archery range for a little sporty action. Many gay leagues hold their practices here, so you may stumble on a pick-up game of soccer or basketball.

Next you're off to famous Ocean Beach, a 3.5-mile stretch of white sand on the western edge of the San Francisco peninsula, bordering Golden Gate Park. Take an hour or so to explore the cliffs of the Sutro Baths, a late 19th-century swimming pool complex now in ruins, and home to a variety of coastal wildlife. If you're lucky you'll see grey whales breaching the water just off the cliffs.

From here you can access the trail head of the Land's End Trail, an easy-to-moderate hike with excellent Golden Gate Bridge views and a number of charming details, from fields of wildflowers to a Zen-like labyrinth of grey stones. Be sure to take a light parka or sweater, as the weather is very changeable and the sea air chilly.

Now that you've worked up an appetite, make your way back to Ocean Beach for sunset, and dinner at Cliff House Bistro, an organic restaurant serving fresh seafood in a dramatic glass-enclosed dining room with views of the Marin coastline, the Seal Rocks, and the Pacific Ocean. You'll see one of the best sunsets of your life from this vantage point.