Places to go in San Francisco?
polycounter lvl 20
So, I am going to be taking a vacation at the end of this month/beginning of next month. Any of you in the SF area have any nifty things to check out or any special events going on that may be worth checking out? I am already going to check out the asian art museum (http://www.asianart.org) and a couple other things. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
Not that anyone necessarily cares, but I won't be making any social visits while I am out there. I am just going to get away and disappear for a while. =]
Not that anyone necessarily cares, but I won't be making any social visits while I am out there. I am just going to get away and disappear for a while. =]
Replies
Alcatraz (if they're doing tours)
Japanese Tea Gardens
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heheh.. and then the thought came to mind... "well... why doesnt kub just play San Andreas and see if there's anything he likes in the SF knock-off that he'd want to see in real life..?"
Check out Haight Ashbury If you haven't allready been. The top of Coit tower provides an amazing 360 degree panorama of the city.
http://www.sfstation.com is a good 'whats on' city guide.
The Tea Gardens, eh? Sounds groove-tastic. I will check it out. Thanks for your input chaps and thanks for the well wishes, Mark. =]
Haight-Ashbury is decent, but I mean, its got a friggin Gap and several Starbucks. Just ain't the same. (though you'll want to check out Amoeba Music...which is the last large shop on Haight St, just before Golden Gate Park. I think you will drop your jaw at the site of their collection)
Pier 39 (Fisherman's Wharf) is worth checking out, I mean, you're gonna be in SF for crying out loud. Got grab a clam chowder bread bowl and people watch. Or, run down the street to the Fog City Diner and eat some grub. (you may have seen the place in several movies, "So I Married and Axe Murder" comes to mind) Anyway, I think the wharf is a mandatory stop. You can check out the view to Alcatraz, feed some seagulls, and watch the seals on the docks. Of course, its a tourist trap, so you'll have to have some good people dodging skills. I say, if you go there, check out the California Visitor's Center on the Upper Level. You'll find tons of great brochures that contain things to see. Wing it man, it's far more fun in the city.
Down the road a bit is Ghiradhelli square, you may want to take a peek at that area, if you're into their chocolates.
Lombard St, the crookedest street in the US is a quick jaunt up the hill from there.
Russian Hill has tons of great Victorian homes to check out.
There is the Presidio, where ILM is moving their offices. Its an old military housing area. Very pretty.
Of course, you have to walk a bit of the Golden Gate bridge. Its a staple of the city.
If you want a great breakfast someplace with character like Peppy's in Indianapolis, try Miz Brown's Feedbag. Awesome place with ancient waitresses.
Also, don't be afraid to take the bus. It's the best way to move around the city.
I can't really suggest anything, since when I was there every day was pretty much packed with workshop-stuff. The cafe called Briazz next to the Galleria Park Hotel (where I was staying) makes really nice cookies (I had several), and good paninis, according to Poopinmymouth.
Hows that for factoid of the day?!
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco!"
I would go to fisherman's wharf just to gourge myself!
Make sure you go see George and Gracie!
Haight Ashbury is pretty much my favorite area, to get wierd shit and the ameoba record store at the end of it.
Scott
Scott
Scott
Also, while Ghirardelli is known for their chocolate, the reason to go to Ghirardelli Square is for their ice cream. It's pretty good.
Two things I like in SF that no one's mentioned are the Metreon and Japantown. The Metreon is actually a bit overrated as the tech-geek haven it claims to be, but it has a great theater, a pretty good arcade and some interesting stores, particularly the Sony Style place down on the ground floor (Sony is behind the Metreon complex). It's pretty much every ubergeek thing in the Sony catalog. If memory serves, it's just about two blocks south of the MoMA.
Japantown is really just a gigantic building filled with various business rather than a 'cultural' region like Chinatown is, but if you like Japanese stuff it's a cool place to go. I bought a handful of import movies at lowlow prices the last time I was there. There's also Kinokuniya Bookstore, which has Japanese books of pretty much all kinds, but a massively huge manga collection if you're into that. I got a copy of Ghost in the Shell 2 there ages before it was released in America, as well as a great Metal Gear Solid artbook without having to pay shipping fees. This place is probably more fun to those who can read Japanese, but it's still cool. Some decent restaurants there as well.
On another note, I know everyone complains about it, but I actually enjoy driving in SF. Granted, when I'm there, I'm not stuck in rush hour drives to work, but I've been much happier checking things out by driving myself there - I really get to learn an area that way. I like driving more than most folks anyway, so maybe that's it. Anyway, if you've got a car, you can drive north a bit into Sausalito, which is just an exceptionsally beautiful place. The geography is almost inspirational, if that's possible. Ten miles or so north, you can see a redwood forest as well, which is cool and something you're not likely to see if you travel mainly by bus. I'm not saying you ought to rent a car, Kub, but that's how I prefer to do it. Also, driving down Lombard is a bit more interesting than riding down it as you try not to slam into someone's house