Y2K has arrived without a glitch (or at least none too serious) and you find yourself in its aftermath in San Francisco. The city was teeming with tourists throughout December and the first few days of the New Year, but now its most popular haunts seem almost deserted. Even the locals are worn out from all the holiday cheer, which makes this an ideal time to explore some of the city's most popular attractions without the crowds and long lines.

Best news is that even though La Niña is still with us, this year she is delivering warmer than average weather and plenty of sunshine. She's a bit moody though, so be sure to bring an umbrella just in case.

Fisherman's Wharf
Yes, it's tacky, but that's its charm. And, few tacky tourist attractions have a backdrop as beautiful as the San Francisco Bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge to the West, the Bay Bridge to the East and Alcatraz Island smack dab in the middle.

The former maximum security prison, Alcatraz, is open for self-guided tours that leave from San Francisco's Pier 41 at 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., and then every half hour up until 2:15 p.m. (Return boat trips leave the island between 10:35 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.). The cost for the boat ride for adults with the cell house audio tour is $12.25; $7.00 for children under 12; $10.50 for seniors over 62.

Reservations are recommended, even during slow tourist seasons (usually calling a day in advance is sufficient); Blue & Gold Tours: 415-773-1188.

Upon your return to the mainland, the combination of the sea air and the steaming pots of Dungeness crab a-boil as you walk along the wharf's varied t-shirt and glass sculpture souvenir shops will cause severe hunger pangs. There are many "tourist trap" restaurants that will beckon you inside with their views of the Bay, but overpriced and not-so-good food.

Among two that are reasonably priced, with better-than-average fare and sidewalk seating are Pompeii's Grotto (340 Jefferson St.; 415-776-9265) and Lou's Pier 47 Restaurant (300 Jefferson St.; 415-771-5687). Lou's features live blues music every day starting at 4 p.m. during the week, at noon on the weekends. Bands play continuously in the bar upstairs overlooking the Bay, but you can hear them well enough downstairs while you eat clam chowder and sandwiches. The fare at Pompeii's Grotto is similar, but with a number of Italian pasta and seafood specialties as well.

If you're traveling with children, or still a kid at heart yourself, you'll want to double back to Pier 39 for a carousel ride, arcade games and the real specialty of the wharf - a chowder bowl. It's soup in a famous hunk of hollowed out San Francisco sourdough bread, can be eaten while sitting on the curb and will keep you from venturing inside the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

Chocolate lovers should be sure to make a pit stop at Ghirardelli Square (900 North Point St.). At the Chocolate Shop and Soda Fountain (located on the second level) treat yourself to one of their world famous hot fudge sundaes. If the weather turns cold and damp, console yourself instead with a Ghirardelli hot chocolate, or walk a block over to the Buena Vista Cafe (2765 Hyde St.; 415-474-5044), across from the cable car turnaround. Legend (and a plaque outside the door) claims this is the place where Irish coffee made its American debut.

South of Market Street (SOMA)
A hub of clubs by night, by day it is home to San Francisco's fastest growing tourist mecca after the Wharf. The presence of the Moscone Convention Center which is host to the annual MacWorld Expo (Jan. 5 - 10, 2000; 415-974-4000) adds thousands of convention-goers to the area on any given day. Still, the MacWorld attendees tend to be fascinated more by what's going on within the convention hall, leaving some of the area's other popular spots somewhat quieter than normal during the first few weeks of the year.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
151 Third St. (between Mission and Howard), 415-357-4000.
Open daily (except Wednesdays) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission: Adults, $9; Seniors (62+), $6; Students with valid ID: $5; Children under 12: Free. Free to all the first Tuesday of each month (Jan. 4).

Live jazz in the Museum Atrium on the third Thursday evening of each month (Jan. 20). Regular collection is international in scope and features 20th century paintings, sculptures, photographs, architectural drawings and designs, as well as a growing collection of works related to the media arts.

Exhibits running in January include: