Top Five Books that Make Me Want to Travel to San Francisco

There is nothing like the power of suggestion. For those of us who enjoy reading, books can carry the reader to near or faraway lands, by the photographs or by written description.

My favorite place in the world is San Francisco. The mixture of culture, class and history is hard to ignore. For all its big city madness and charm, San Francisco doesn't overwhelm and intimidate visitors. To keep the glow alive in between visits, it's nice to have books in the library that can be called on for an occasional West Coast fix.

The easiest way to keep a location alive in your heart is through regional cookbooks. In the cookbook department, The Zuni Café Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant by Judy Rodgers and Gerald Asher is a great resource for the kitchen gourmand. Through vivid illustrations, it also brings back memories of a fine meal at a fine establishment. It's also fun to try to recreate your favorite dish in your own kitchen.

In the realm of fiction, one book covers the feel and heart beat of San Francisco at its grittiest. The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond is a compelling read about the disappearance of a small child. Michelle Richmond's protagonist covers every inch of San Francisco looking for the little girl. Several well-known landmarks and businesses are featured. Richmond does an excellent job of capturing the feeling of the diaphanous fog that lingers over the west side of the City. Her descriptions of Ocean Beach bear an authentic ring.

A book that evokes nostalgia for the neighborhoods in San Francisco is Painted Ladies, San Francisco's Resplendent Victorians, by Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada. This wonderful coffee table book contains stunning photographs of the architectural splendor that makes up San Francisco's famous residential areas. Flipping through the pages transports the readers to a time long gone, and instantly makes me homesick for the City by the Bay.

Maybe you want to research the itinerary for your next trip. If you're like me and dislike the tourist traps, you may want to pick up Stairway Walks of San Francisco. Written by Adah Bakalinsky, this little book contains maps of 27 stairway walks in various neighborhoods, in case navigating steep hills has gotten old. The book also features sixteen pages of full-color photographs. Stairway Walks is a great way to get to know the City at its most basic level.

For history buffs, San Francisco Then and Now by Bill Yenne is a good addition to the library. Take a trip through time with historical photographs compared side by side with modern images. If looking through the pages doesn't make you want to book a plane ticket right away, you don't love the City enough.