The rain shows no sign of letting up, but don’t let it stop you from having fun this weekend. Now is the time to explore San Francisco, before the tourists overrun the city. To get you started, here’s my shortlist of favorite rainy-day activities around the city.

Cozy up in a booth at a beachside diner. Skip the Cliff House in favor of next-door-neighbor Louis’ restaurant, a greasy-spoon diner with million-dollar ocean views—and it’s hardly changed since it opened in 1937. If the rain lets up, work off your milkshake on a hike down the hill to explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths.

Attend a national radio broadcast. On Saturday mornings, the homegrown public-radio variety show West Coast Live broadcasts coast-to-coast from San Francisco. The humor is geeky and I don’t always get why people are laughing, but that’s exactly why I love it. This week’s broadcast is from the Ferry Building.

Bone up on Bach. Betcha didn’t know there’s a pipe organ built into the walls of the Palace of the Legion of Honor, that gorgeous fine-arts museum in Lincoln Park. Every Saturday and Sunday at 4pm, there are free organ concerts that echo through the galleries and into the courtyard where Isadora Duncan once danced.

Take the kids to the Tactile Dome. Instead of watching Finding Nemo for the 38th time, book a visit to the Tactile Dome at the Exploratorium, and feel your way through pitch-black darkness using only your sense of touch. Guaranteed to blow your mind. Reservations essential.

Go wave-spotting in Pacifica. When big storms generate huge waves, TV-news crews inevitably head to the Pacifica fishing pier to shoot dramatic footage for the evening news. Come at high tide, and bring your camera and raingear. Here’s where to go.

Soak away the chills in a Japanese-style bath. A bastion of Zen-like calm, the communal baths at Kabuki Hot Springs are clothing-optional, so men and women alternate days; check the schedule. The only co-ed day is Tuesday, when clothing is required. There’s no time limit on how long you can linger, which means you may have to wait to get in. But boy, it’s worth it. NB: Book massage appointments well in advance.

Sail to Alcatraz. Believe it or not, the best time to tour Alcatraz is when the weather is bad. There’s hardly anyone there, and the howling wind and driving rain reveal just how miserable it must have been to be imprisoned on this lonely island.

Catch a double-feature at the Castro Theatre. The city’s grandest movie palace shows matinees on weekends, preceded by performances on the Mighty Wurlitzer. If you’ve never been here, you must be new in town: Put the Castro at the top of your to-do list.

Lunch in the Rotunda of Neiman Marcus. Before Neemees tore down the old City of Paris department store, its architect had the good sense to save the stained-glass rotunda—if not the stately old building. Book a table, don your best tweed, and eavesdrop on conversations between the ladies who lunch.

Ride the glass elevators of the St Francis. If your spouse has dragged you shopping at Union Square and you’re exhausted by the retail monotony, cross the park to the St Francis Hotel. Cut through the lobby, pass the front desk toward the concierge desk, and zip up the elevators for jaw-dropping views over the square. Nervous? Just look like you know what you’re doing and you’re home free. (Shhh… Don’t tell ‘em I told you.)