Sunken Diamond The best-kept secret in Bay Area sports. Stanford's baseball stadium is a small, scenic jewel where fans can spread a blanket on the grassy hills along the first- and third-base lines and picnic while they watch the ballgame, all for a fraction of the cost of going to a major league contest. Walk through the gates and you'll find yourself looking down into the valley where the diamond resides, hence the name. If you're lucky, you'll visit on a warm evening in late May, when the game is followed by as spectacular a display of fireworks as you've ever seen. 2. Pac Bell Park 3. Shark Tank. Home of the San Jose Sharks. 4. Pebble Beach Golf Links 5. Bay to Breakers 12K road race

Castro Halloween Party You won't find anything more San Francisco than the Castro Halloween Party. It's a wild, outrageous neighborhood fling at which no costume is too flamboyant. Some people come dressed in tons of makeup and elaborate outfits, and others come dressed in very little, if anything at all. The Castro is San Francisco's most well-known predominantly gay and lesbian neighborhood, but sexuality is irrelevant at the Halloween party. If you'd rather people-watch than get dressed up, that's fine. Gawking is encouraged. 2. Ghirardelli Square 3. Japanese Tea Garden 4. Lombard Street 5. Telegraph Avenue

MoMo's San Francisco Grill, Second Street Walking distance from Pac Bell Park, MoMo's is the place to grab a bite and a beverage before or after a Giants game. It has a lofty ceiling with exposed rafters, warm earth tones and historic city photos on the walls. The menu is unpretentious and the food is delicious. You can nibble on the crispy onion strings and the baby back ribs with bourbon-barbecue sauce while discussing the state of the Giants' bullpen. 2. Hyatt Rickeys, Palo Alto 3. Yoshi's, Oakland 4. Oasis Beer Garden, Palo Alto 5. Postrio, Post Street

Cable cars They're just buses without walls. Climb aboard one that's not moving, have your buddy snap a picture, and you've had all the cable car experience you'll ever need. The lines to ride them are always long, so they don't really get you anywhere on time. Also, it's usually windy and cool in the city, so cruising around in an open vehicle is a good way to chill yourself to the bone. 2. Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 3. Alcatraz 4. 17-Mile Drive 5. All wineries

The 1989 earthquake A massive tremor disrupts the World Series between two Bay Area teams. These things only happen in the movies, don't they? The natural disaster reduces the A's-Giants matchup to an afterthought and creates scores of indelible images at Candlestick Park alone, including that of Oakland slugger Jose Canseco jumping into a pickup truck and bolting the stadium, still in uniform. No one who experienced it will ever forget where he or she was on Oct. 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. 2. Cal runs back a kickoff through the Stanford band to win the Big Game with The Play, 1982 3. Joe Montana to Dwight Clark for The Catch that beats the Cowboys and begins the 49ers dynasty, 1981 4. The Raiders make a miraculous comeback with two touchdowns in the final 50 seconds to beat the Jets, but the TV audience misses it because NBC has already switched to the movie Heidi, 1968 5. Giants cleanup hitter Willie McCovey's potential game-winning liner is caught by second baseman Bobby Richardson to end Game 7 of the World Series, giving the Yankees the championship, 1962