Best Place to Strum Your Ukulele

Nothing could be finer than relaxing in the bow of a rowboat on a sunny summer's afternoon, strumming "Everyone Says "I Love You'" (or another equally evocative ditty) while some poor sucker works the oars. Golden Gate Park's Stow Lake is the perfect setting for such an interlude. The surroundings are nothing less than tranquil: Strawberry Hill island rising 428 feet to your left, the varietal verdancy of Golden Gate Park arrayed to your right, and the murky green waters and bemused waterfowl of the lake itself all around you. The boathouse rents pedal boats as well as rowboats to the less athletically inclined, and after your spin around the lake it's very nice to picnic atop the man-made island with its waterfall, Chinese Pavilion, and marvelous views of western San Francisco.