You don't have to get a room to take in the view from the Fairmont Hotel's roof or enjoy the tidy garden reminiscent of 1950s suburbia.

Above it all: Seven urban roof gardens open to the public

Where else can you go in a city to escape everything but the roof? These rooftop sanctuaries provide an unexpected refuge from the bustle of the street to help restore a little wonder to the daily grind.

Ascend the granite steps leading to the entrance of the multilevel plaza of the tony Crocker Galleria (50 Post, SF), go to the third level of the mall, follow the clearly marked "roof garden" signs, and find this soothing, green respite.

The sprawling network of roofs weaving through the Embarcadero Center and Maritime Plaza (Sansome between Sacramento and Clay, SF) was originally intended to keep the grit of the street off the shiny shoes of well-heeled condo dwellers. But anyone can enjoy beautiful waterfront views from atop the swanky mall.

Like a touch of well-manicured 1950s suburbia preserved on a roof, the luxurious Fairmont Hotel (950 Mason at California, SF) suits your Lawrence Welk–style cocktail party fantasies. Enter on Mason through the door on your right, follow the red carpet past the elevators straight ahead toward the sign for the rooftop garden.

The first major roof garden designed by Ted Osmunden post–World War II in the United States was Oakland's Kaiser Center roof garden (300 Lakeside Drive, Oakl.). Built on a grand scale on the 15th floor of the center's garage, the impressive layout features well-manicured lawns ringed with brightly colored flowers, a pond, and a restaurant.

The sunken roof gardens on each tier of the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak, Oakl.) make this a calm, open space to be quiet in the midst of downtown Oakland.

The San Francisco Art Institute (800 Chestnut, SF) appropriately provides an art lover's kind of roof above Chestnut Street's Victorians with a spare and minimalist aesthetic complete with a modern black-and-white mural. Art exhibits and receptions take place from 5 to 7 p.m. every Tuesday of the school year.

Take the elevator to the 15th floor of the office building at 343 Sansome (between California and Sacramento, SF) for views of an impressive cityscape. On a clear day, a slice of the ocean can be spotted between skyscrapers.

More like a plaza than a secret garden, the roof terrace at Yerba Buena Gardens (Mission between Third and Fourth Streets, SF) has quite a lot packed onto a rooftop, including an ice-skating rink, a bowling alley, an old-fashioned carousel, Zeum (a children's museum), a theater company, gardens, and a bowling alley. (Christina Dillmann)