From the glassed observation area of the California Zephyr, we looked up at the snow-capped Sierra Nevada and down toward the American River Canyon bend, 2,000 feet in the valley below. The view was -- but I am getting ahead of myself.

Daughter Amy had two requests for this vacation: "Let's find a place in the thick of things, and let's leave the car at home." Because I listened, our long weekend in San Francisco and Reno was both relaxed and nose-to-nose with fun, two qualities not always possible when squeezed in unfamiliar traffic and entombed behind the windshield.

San Francisco

Bay Area Rapid Transit, known as BART, can take a person throughout the Bay Area and into San Francisco. Once we were inside the city, a one-day transit pass let us ride all municipal transportation, including the cable cars. And although San Francisco is not New York, we still like to schlep around.

Chinatown was just blocks away from the hotel and our first stop. The green-tiled Chinatown Gateway, flanked by giant Asian stone lions, was a gift from the Republic of China to this 150-year old Chinese community.

Amy explored small Chinatown shops for deals on silk jackets and found prices she insists were more like those in Hong Kong's Stanley Market than those in U.S. department stores.

Window shopping on Grant Street in Chinatown led us past Old St. Mary's, dedicated in 1854 as the first building erected as a cathedral in California. Built by Chinese laborers to serve their community, the red brick church includes stonework quarried and cut in China.

Stopping in the shadow of the church, we listened to an old street musician playing an erhu (a two-string Chinese fiddle). He was, we feel certain, the same musician featured in a Chinatown street scene in Will Smith's recent movie "The Pursuit of Happyness." Lingering to listen to his music was one of the joys we gained from having our feet on the ground.

Down the block was the family-owned Chinatown Kite Shop, packed with every kind of kite and wind-driven whirligig imaginable. The large handmade Chinese carp kites triggered nice memories of our year in Taiwan and of children flying kites along the island's coast.

Chinatown is dim sum paradise. Experience has taught us that the best and least expensive restaurants have very little English signage and a long lunchtime line crowding the midday sidewalk.

The alleys west of Grant, off Washington and Jackson, are worth meandering. On Ross Alley behind a small storefront is Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, producer of some 20,000 fortune cookies daily. Walk in, watch employees hand-fold the crispy treats, and on the way out buy a bag of good fortune.

Union Square, blocks from Chinatown, is a relaxing city-center promenade that attracts workers, tourists, and its share of street entertainers. The day we visited was a Jewish holiday, so we sat on a bench, soaked up the sun, and enjoyed our second musical happenstance of the day -- this one featuring a rollicksome klezmer band.

Fisherman's Wharf, Cable Cars, and the 1960s

We zigzagged our way to Fisherman's Wharf, hopping on the Powell and Hyde cable car at Union Square, jumping off blocks later for a crazy, crooked hike down Lombard Street, then catching the Powell and Mason cable car for the short ride to the wharves.

Hundreds of huge sea lions congregate at Pier 39, along with hundreds of humans watching their antics. Small shops, restaurants and street entertainers bring this pier to life. We watched a colorfully feathered Aztec dance troupe, a conga and saxophone duo, a magician, mimes, and several respectable guitar players, all for the cost of whatever donation we were willing to make.

Crabs steam in huge outdoor cookers along Fisherman's Wharf, and the aroma of fresh seafood is everywhere. We stopped in Boudin's wharf front bakery. On this cool day, the warm bakery was filled with the smell of the fresh baked sourdough bread that was moved from oven to the cooling rack in conveyer baskets above our heads. Dark roast cafe latte and a fresh baked sourdough roll. Mmmm!

Haight Ashbury speaks to Amy and me, children of the '60s. The F line of the Municipal Railway took us to Cole Street, just blocks away. It was a fun walk back in time. The area is a nod to the past and present, with old and young hippies roaming the streets, as well as a sizable number of yuppies gentrifying the area's old row houses.

San Francisco, your variety is infinite!

The California Zephyr

In some happy instances, travel between destinations can be an enjoyable part of the vacation. Taking the train from the Bay Area to Reno was one of them. We took BART to Emeryville, where we boarded the California Zephyr for a truly relaxing trip. A bottle of cabernet and a loaf of sourdough are preferred carry-ons.

The train follows the bay inland along the Suisin Marsh, the largest marsh on the West Coast. We took paperbacks for the trip through the central valley, and then ogled our way through Gold Country (where old mining equipment is still visible), over the Sierra Nevada, and through the Donner Pass.

Trains, like no other transportation, force you into vacation mode. You lean back, read and relax, rouse yourself to visit the dining car, then return to your roomy padded seats to relax some more.

A New Reno Rises Along the River

In Reno, we stayed at a centrally located casino hotel where rooms are nice and reasonably priced, and where one day I know I will hit the big one. Getting to our lodging was easy: The train depot was just across the street.

In 1860, Reno was a log bridge over a river and a temporary stopover for gold prospectors traveling to Virginia City. Now, that mountain-fed river sustains a revitalized urban environment.

Wingfield Park is at the center of the new riverfront area. We were drawn to this pedestrian park and green expanse that hugs the mountain-fed Truckee River. As we walked the foot bridge over the sparkling water, we noticed a series of water level markers. River rapids that rush through the heart of the city help create a popular kayak course. In fact, a spring kayaking competition on the course highlights the annual Reno River Festival. The park also featured an amphitheater, but the sounds of the day belonged to a large population of Canada geese that wandered the grounds among the pedestrians.

We stopped near the water's edge with other onlookers to watch a giant construction crane hoist steel to the top of a large condo going up on the riverbank. A picture-taking local retiree standing with us made a hobby of recording the progress of the high-rise. He was enthusiastic about his city and mentioned the new riverside cinema, new river walkway, and the number of high-rise condos going up nearby. We found out that the third Saturday of each month features a Wine Walk that takes wine tasters along the river and past galleries, shops and restaurants.

The brisk but sunny day drew good numbers for ice skating in the "Rink on the River."

The urban waterway seemed to be the magnet for the new Reno. Within blocks were live theater venues, new condo projects, a bevy of restaurants, the world's largest bowling arena, the National Bowling Stadium, and of course, downtown casinos.

Thanks to underground routing, the wonderfully convenient train we took into Reno brings neither noise nor traffic congestion to downtown. In fact, covering the new underground train is a soon-to-be-completed plaza where shops, event stages, and recreation are planned.

With new attractions and the glittery casinos, much is afoot in the center of Reno. And to our satisfaction, much can be seen on foot in the walkable riverfront area.

Heading home from our plane-train-walking trip, Amy and I recalled one of our favorite songs, Stephen Stills' homage to trains, "Thoroughfare Gap." One line in particular speaks to many of life's journeys, especially this one:

"It's no matter the distance, it's the ride."

Formula for a successful non-driving vacation:

- Pick a downtown hotel in a fun city with a good transportation system.

- Download a downtown transit map and plan neat places to see along the route.

- Buy a one- or two-day pass for trolley, metro train, or bus.

- Walk to soak up the sights and sounds.

- Take hats, comfortable clothes and shoes (Amy's choice, Merrell; mine, Reebok).

- Travel lightly: One small wheeled bag each makes for easy traveling.

Web sites to visit before the trip:

www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com: Official visitors site for San Francisco

http://www.bart.gov: Bay Area Rapid Transit routes, schedules, etc.

www.sfmta.com: San Francisco Municipal Transit

www.fishermanswharf.org: Things to see along Fisherman's Wharf

www.sanfranciscochinatown.com: Chinatown info

www.visitrenotahoe.com : Official visitors site for Reno-Sparks

www.cityofreno.com: Official city of Reno Web site

www.renoriverfestival.com: Reno's Spring River Festival

www.southwest.com: Discount flights to Bay Area (Oakland)

www.amtrak.com: search for California Zephyr

www.trainweb.com/routes: Details the sites along the Zephyr route