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San Fran must do list

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Started 1 year ago by yurtgirl
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yurtgirl
far, far south end
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As much as I love getting out and about in my lovely Cbus, I am going to San francisco area for my vacation. I know some peeps on here have lived there or visited often so I'm looking for fun stuff to do that's not so touristy but still pretty cool. The only "tour" I'm doing is in wine country so I don't have to worry about drinking and driving ;) plus we are headed to some parks for hiking among the big ass trees out there, otherwise I'm not a tour kinda person but like to venture out on my own.
I am looking forward to try out a few unique food trucks and see how we compare to the big dogs!

Any suggestions?
Much appreciated.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Anne & I went a few years ago and one of my favorite things we did on the trip was take the light rail down Market Street over to The Castro and walk the street southbound (and uphill) to I think 20th Street and headed east (again uphill) to Dolores Park (great views) and then a few more blocks to The Mission. Then we walked north on Mission Street back toward Downtown. There were dozens of stops along the way at shops and such that stood out to us as something worth checking out.

It was exhausting (and Anne was 7 months pregnant but toughed it out better than I did) but it was a great way to explore two of the coolest neighborhoods in the city and take in two very diverse and different areas in one afternoon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Castro,_San_Francisco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_District,_San_Francisco

Anne will probably say that her favorite thing about San Francisco was Beard Papa. ;)

http://beardpapasf.com

Posted 1 year ago #
chaptal
West Side
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I know it's a bit touristy but seeing the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf is a knockout experience. While you're there, if you like old school pinball the Musee Mechanique has an array of old arcade games, most of them working and maintained.

Taking the light rail, The F-Line if I remember right, is a cool way to see the city.

I thought the cable cars were an over hyped tourist trap, but they were awesome to travel on.

Posted 1 year ago #
Snarf
How Do I Delete My Account
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Eat at Burma Superstar, the tea leaf salad is a must in SF.

Posted 1 year ago #
CMH Gourmand
(King of) the (Clinton)ville
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Allow me to be of some assistance.

This covers Berkeley, Oakland and some of San Francisco.

http://cmhgourmand.com/2010/03/21/gourmand-in-the-gourmet-ghetto/

If you are staying in San Francisco - I suggest taking the BART to Berkeley for at least one day. The Extranomical tours would be a good way for you to hit some wineries as well.

Posted 1 year ago #
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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Hrmm, my visits always tend towards the personal rather than the touristy, but I usually like to hit Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach.

I also like to hit different places along Geary and Clement in the Richmond for food. In the Inner Richmond and Japantown, there are a number of good Japanese restaurants and shops while I like the Chinese and Russian bakeries, groceries and restaurants in the Outer Richmond.

You might want to check out the Sutro Baths, The Presidio and The Marina. It's also worthwhile to rent a car and drive up CA 1 up into Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Beyond that I just like to walk around the city. One my favourite memories was having dinner with friends near Telegraph Hill and walking in the rain through South Beach, The Marina and Pacific Heights back to my hotel in Japantown.

Posted 1 year ago #
Trixie

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City Lights Bookstore (near North Beach)
Chinatown (I hate NYC's but SF's is very cool)
Crepe House (1755 Polk Street/Nob Hill area) I eat here more than once every time I am in SF. Good coffee and amazing food.
Go to the Haight. I don't care how touristy people might think it is, you should do it. There are some great stores.
Try to get across the Golden Gate to Marin Headlands... GREAT views of the city. Breathtaking. While you are over there, check out Sausalito. Quaint.
Fisherman's Wharf is a must. You just have to.

Posted 1 year ago #
Nitsud Regnifloh
Valerio Heights
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Squat and Gobble in the Haight DIstrict is delicious hangover food.

Posted 1 year ago #
sixby9is42

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El Rio, a bar with an awesome outdoor patio in the back.

Cancun for great Mexican food.

Delfina for fine dining (they also have a pizza place next door, I didn't try that).

Posted 1 year ago #
thepiece
merion village
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Start at Polk St. & California and take walk up Polk to Fishermen's Wharf and the park. It's a great stretch of the City.

Posted 1 year ago #
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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Trixie wrote >>

Go to the Haight. I don't care how touristy people might think it is, you should do it. There are some great stores.

I like the Lower Haight a lot (around Divisadero). If so moved, I stop in at the art bar Noc Noc, the Toronado next door or The Mad Dog in the Fog across the street. Mostly because these were the bars where I first learned about really good beer. Never much cared for the Upper Haight, but Amoeba Records is a must stop if you're a record collector.

Trixie wrote >> Try to get across the Golden Gate to Marin Headlands... GREAT views of the city. Breathtaking. While you are over there, check out Sausalito.

Sausalito is pretty nice. You can catch a ferry there from SF, and it's a nice trip to boot.

Marin Headlands are awesome. I like to go and just hike around. I like to explore the old forts and beaches.

It's worth renting a bike I'd say. Especially if you can do it on a Sunday when they close large parts of GG Park to car traffic. You can probably rent one from one of the shops near Haight and Stanyan. If you have friends there you might be able to borrow one (this is what I do).

Posted 1 year ago #
Anne
King Lincoln
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Yes, loved Beard Papa. And Quickly for bubble teas.
We had a great time just riding transport and walking around.
Now I want to go back! :)

Posted 1 year ago #
pinkgloomy

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+1 on Burma Superstar and Beard Papa

Posted 1 year ago #
sixby9is42

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Anne wrote >>
Yes, loved Beard Papa. And Quickly for bubble teas.
We had a great time just riding transport and walking around.
Now I want to go back! :)

Ditto on Quickly!

Posted 1 year ago #
myliftkk
Columbus, OH
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If you want to visit young contemporary art galleries I'd hit:

Shooting Gallery
Fifty24SF
Gallery 1988 (the SF one, not the LA one)
White Walls
111 Minna

For tshirts, you'd want to hit UpperPlayground (which is next door to Fifty24SF).

If you're into japanese or urban toys (and art), there's

Doublepunch (similar to Toy Tokyo in NYC)
Super Seven
Kid Robot
Giant Robot
and some others I'm forgetting, including a couple of asian bookstores in Japantown (sic) that have stuff you won't find here.

Any of the people running those shops/galleries ought to be able to point you to other interesting places to check out in SF. I'd probably trust the opinions of people at Shooting Gallery and Upperplayground the most as they've got by far some of the longest history in SF. There's almost certainly going to be art openings that happen while you're there, a lot of time you can hit multiples in one night. Check out juxtapoz's online gallery guide or their online calendar, or hifructose's, for a more complete listing of art-related stuff to do.

ETA: It would help in harvesting suggestions if people knew kinda what you like to do/see when traveling, because you can pretty well scratch whatever itch you got in that city, not matter how obscure... just saying ;).

Posted 1 year ago #
yurtgirl
far, far south end
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Oh my! I'll need two weeks to do all this. Thanks a trillion for all the suggestions. I'm a foodie so I'll definitely try some of these places. Tha arcade will thrill the beau. And I love art so im sure we'll keep very busy. You all RAWK!

Posted 1 year ago #
savedinthetrenches
Columbus Ohio
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Pika Pika - collection of Japanese photobooths that are over the top. It is in Japantown.

Also, don't necessarily have to go to the factory, but look out for TCHO chocolate.

Posted 1 year ago #
Anne
King Lincoln
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I was also just going to mention Japantown.
This festival is going on sept. 18
2nd annual J-Pop Summit Festival taking place in San Francisco's Japantown on Saturday, September 18th! The fun folks from Bazaar Bizarre are curating a fantastic handmade arts & crafts pavilion, and we'll be there to share in the fun!

Posted 1 year ago #
pez

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One of the first things we always do is Alcatraz, really cool. Reserve a few days in advance.
Last I saw, the sea lions had mostly left Pier 39 for new haunts up the coast some more. But Musee Mechanique is certainly worth visiting at Fisherman's Wharf.
If you decide to take a cable car, take it to the cable car museum, lots of cool stuff and you can see the system that pulls the cable through the streets.
If you rent a car, the drive down the Pacific Coast Highway is phenomenal. As is the drive to Napa/Sonoma.
If you intend on staying in the city, don't get a car as it's going to cost you $50 a night to park it.
The Presidio doesn't normally get much mention, but it's pretty cool to wander around.

Posted 1 year ago #
Bear
The woods
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yurtgirl wrote >>
I'm a foodie so I'll definitely try some of these places.

I might have an afternoon/evening to myself in the City coming up, for the first time in quite a while. If so, I'd likely hit Bourbon and Branch and the Fifth Floor in the Tenderloin/South of Market area... fwiw.

+1 on the Pacific Coast Highway. Stunning.

Bring a coat, by the way. It's generally kinda chilly.

Posted 1 year ago #