To match this outward-gazing state of reflection, the following itineraries land you in the neighborhood that might most palpably reflect the ongoing socio-economic and cultural movements in the state of California. Gifted with a rare pocket of warmth and sunshine in San Francisco, The Mission continually draws new waves of both Latin American immigrants, and young professionals and entrepreneurs, with all the expected creative and disruptive tensions such a collision inevitably creates.

The Mission, West

Start your excursion at the indefatigable Senator Feinstein’s old, after-school hangout, the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (her father was once chief of surgery). On campus, all three generations of the hospital are still standing. Then head south a few blocks and walk east through the commercial corridor of 24th, where there is a plethora of Mexican panaderias, carnicerias, mercados, and joyerias. Take time to breathe in the innumerable murals that ornate the neighborhood (hot tip: you may be able to find a free SF walking tour of the murals organized by the SF Library). Try some of the amazing culinary patchwork that has evolved here. If you need a jolt, get a hand-poured coffee from Philz Coffee. Go to Dynamo Donut & Coffee for their famous Maple Glazed Bacon Apple donut. For lunch, try my old toxicology fellowship hangout El Metate at 22nd and Bryant, or eat at Taqueria El Farolito or El Patron, typically in the conversation for best Mexican food in the city. Weirdly, one of the best sushi values in the city is at Basa Seafood Express. Finish your walk with Secret Breakfast ice cream at Humphry Slocombe.

The Mission, East

From the 24th street BART station, walk east and head up Valencia for my favorite corridor of the Mission. Here you will find all manner of business and human. Super hungry? Grab a pastry and coffee from Arizmendi Bakery. Turn west on 18th street and pick up a picnic lunch at Tartine Bakery or the Bi-Rite market, or just ice cream from the Bi-Rite Creamery. After gathering your picnic lunch, join locals and tourists alike at Mission Dolores Park for some of best views of the city. Nearby is the park’s namesake, Mission Dolores. On the way back to the BART station, zig zag through the street grid to pick up a treat either at Boba Guys or Garden Creamery.

Tuesday

Tuesday’s schedule includes speakers from emergency medicine stalwarts in the East Bay and Central Valley. From a hospital that needs little introduction, Highland Hospital’s Charlotte Page Wills, MD, shares up-to-date advances in trauma care. From UCSF-Fresno, one of the pillars of Wilderness Medicine, Danielle D. Campagne, MD, FACEP, gives new life to an “old” topic in Secrets of the Chest Imaging Masters.