Best Place for Tourists to Save Their Film on the 49 Mile Drive

One minute you're winding gently down from Twin Peaks, cruising blissfully through Noe Valley; the next, you're speeding along a drab stretch of Cesar Chavez Street, wondering if the friendly sea gull on the blue-and-white signs has led you astray. "This is a scenic drive?" you're apt to think, as you pass block after block of industrial buildings, vacant storefronts, and desolate parking lots. In a city full of jaw-dropping scenery, why in the world is this stretch of Cesar Chavez, slicing between the lower Mission and upper Bernal Heights, part of the scenic tour? Maybe it's just a chance to reload the Nikon before the sea gull sends you to Interstate 280 (where you can get a gander at some authentic San Francisco stop-and-go traffic) and its sweeping view of downtown. Or maybe it's time to reroute the 49 Mile Drive along 16th Street, an east-west artery that at least showcases some genuine local color.