Best Place to Mess Around in Public

Families are much too busy working up a sweat on paddle boats or piloting fringe-topped surreys around the park's pathways to notice Strawberry Hill, the 428-foot-high island peak that sits smack in the middle of Stow Lake -- which makes the spot ideal for our purposes. Puff and pant your way up the hill and your reward is a breathtaking view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Tamalpais, and the antlike plebes in the park below. Not to mention all the privacy an amorous couple could ask for. Plant your blanket near the artificial waterfall for that Fantasy Islandvibe, and feel free to get very, very busy -- you're almost guaranteed the place all to yourself.