san francisco advice.

[bahua]

Great tourist-popular spots in SF and the area that you shouldn't miss:

Golden Gate Bridge & National Recreational Area
Tamalpais State Park
Muir Woods
Stinson Beach
Seacliff/Baker Beach

[chrizow]

yeah, i should say that i am open to interesting things that are popular with tourists.  when i say "tourist trap" i mean something contrived (e.g. the P+L district) and not something awesome (i.e. huge sequioia trees).

[Highlander]

yeah, i should say that i am open to interesting things that are popular with tourists.  when i say "tourist trap" i mean something contrived (e.g. the P+L district) and not something awesome (i.e. huge sequioia trees).

I figured that, but expect to have to filter through a lot of contrived nonsense sometimes to get to the awesome sight (e.g, Jackson Wyoming is somewhat contrived, Jackson Hole is awesome). 

[ComandanteCero]

i think the biggest tourist traps in San Francisco are Pier 39 (absolute waste of time, no point in checking it out), and Ghirardelli Square (the "square" itself is basically a small shopping center in what used to be the Ghirardelli factory, not worth checking out, but the area surrounding it is nice, especially the little harbor and the path that goes off towards the east west and eventually takes you near the palace of Fine arts and the Marina district).

Chinatown has two main streets, Grant is much more touristy although it has more fun buildings and is still interesting walking along, and Stockton, which is much earthier and has a lot of the more day to day shopping, also interesting walking about.  But you don't have to stick to one street or the other, there are also side streets and alleys.  One of the things i liked about San Fran's Chinatown is that it is a good balance of touristy frou frou and real deal Chinese establishments and folks going about their day, it's not as gritty as New York's Chinatown nor is it the anemic "this must have been a thriving neighborhood at some point in the past before it became a mini-theme park" like so many other chinatowns around the country, i think it does a good job of balancing both pressures.  Probably my favorite Chinatown (at least that i've been to).

If you're into wine/vineyards and doing a lot of sampling and driving (er...) then I can see Napa valley's appeal, but it didn't really do much for me, although i did like the landscape of Sonoma which had an eerie quality to it.

As folks have said, you can wander about walking and come across any number of interesting things, especially in that northeast quadrant/east third of the city that contains the business district, Union Square, the Ferry Building, Coit Tower, North Shore, Chinatown, SOMA (South of Market), Tenderloin, Civic Center, Mission District, etc etc.  If there's a big Broadway/Michigan Av street in San Francisco it's probably Market street from the Ferry Building heading on southwest, big wide sidewalks, lots of office folks walking about, not necessarily the shopping street that Michigan is, but it's a great big artery off of which you'll find lots of coll stuff just blocks away.

San Francisco has so much that you can easily spend a couple of days exploring that eastern half alone (with the caveat that it's also the most tourist heavy.... which is to be expected), it being your first trip to San Fran and only having two days i wouldn't worry about trying to get the comprehensive urban experience, you'll see lots of great stuff in that area alone.  As others have said, it really is a strange city for being on the west coast because it is so walkable and has such solid urban fabric, along with awesome vistas created by the bay and the topography.

[kuslamb]

Seriously now,

My wife and I spent 4 days of our honeymoon in SF.  We stayed at the Omni in the financial district.  We would walk to the Top of the Mark at the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill.  It is not worth eating at, but it is worth getting a cocktail or a bottle of wine and taking in the scenery and the people.  There are also some great restaurants around that area.  A lot of really good and unique wine bar/bistro type places.  We really liked the Slanted Door.  It is "modern vietnamese" and we both really liked it.  Only complaint was the wine list which featured a ton of rieslings and othe sweet whites which I think all taste like goat piss.  If you go, stick to the cocktails becuase they are awesome.  The restaurant is in the restored Ferry Building.  Other than that, go to China town and have some duck.  It is a great city. 

One Warning:  We drove in from Carmel, California and had to drop off our rental car.  This is a scary city to drive in.  Lots of reasons for this including hills, one way streets, street cars, tons of people, tons of terrible drivers (many of whom do not speak english).  If going to drive, strap on a helmet.

[bahua]

If going to drive, strap on a helmet.

And most of all, be patient. Public transportation is extremely widely used there, and there's a reason: driving totally sucks. Don't try to get ahead, because in SF, you won't. Nobody does. It just plain takes a long time to drive anywhere.

[dangerboy]

^ And be patient with public transit.  The buses are packed and because of street traffic they move very slowly. 

[AJoD]

Only complaint was the wine list which featured a ton of rieslings and othe sweet whites which I think all taste like goat piss.  If you go, stick to the cocktails becuase they are awesome.

I love seeing this type of restaurant have a wine list stocked with great rieslings!  It's really a terrific match.  Did you try one from their list, or are you basing your opinion on past riesling experience?  It's gotten a bad rap over the years because so much swill has been served as riesling, but a good German riesling is one of the most elegant, balanced, age-worthy, best value wines going.

I found an end-of-bin 2004 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese for under $20 at Gomer's recently (sorry, they're gone)....whew!  phenomenal wine, had it last night with Indian food...great match to the spicy heat.  If your piss tastes like this, you could bottle it and make a fortune.

[chrizow]

yeah, the Slanted Door's wine list is actually very lauded.  http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/1 ... nted-door/

i would like to check out the Slanted Door when I am there, though i have a pretty long list of restaurants to try...

[grovester]

go here!



back side of coit tower, takes you down to the embarcadero, best back yards ever!



don't care if it's at pier 39, I can watch these guys all day



take the ferry to Sausalito via Alcatraz



chinatown!

[KCDowntown]

My fiance and I had a great meal at Yabbies Coastal Kitchen at 2237 Polk.  Dinner ran around $150 with a bottle of wine, but it was worth it.  I would consider one of the best meals that I have ever had.

We had some really good sushi at Ozumu at 161 Steuart right off the Embarcardero.  Only complaint was that service was incredibly fast.  The whole dinner took less than an hour.

KCDowntown

[kuslamb]

I love seeing this type of restaurant have a wine list stocked with great rieslings!  It's really a terrific match.  Did you try one from their list, or are you basing your opinion on past riesling experience?  It's gotten a bad rap over the years because so much swill has been served as riesling, but a good German riesling is one of the most elegant, balanced, age-worthy, best value wines going.

Just my personal preference.  I do not particulary like Rieling.  But, I do agree.  I like good wine lists, not huge wine lists.  Although not my taste, it is refreshing to see a wine list that is not packed with the usual suspect Napa cabs and blends, pinots, etc... and then their offspring half-ass whites. 

Anyhow, my parents travel there a lot and have found some really neat restaurants that they enjoy because of the easy atmosphere as well as good prices.  I will check with them and see if there is anything worth mentioning.

[chrizow]

leaving for sf this week.  here is my (loose) itinerary.  thoughts or suggestions?

we're staying in the mission, near 25th. 

DAY ONE:

1 - Mission district - i've identified some cool design boutiques, random shops, etc., in the mission-valencia-dolores region from 25th up to 16th or so.

2 - Haight - random walking around the haight st area, any lunch tips around here?

3 - Cole Valley - walking up to "Tank Hill," which i understand affords a nice view.

4 - maybe walk around Twin Peaks if there is time...

5 - Foreign Cinema for dinner/film http://www.foreigncinema.com/home.html

6 - drinks - possibly at the attic, apparently a hip place near the hotel.


DAY TWO:

1 - MOMA

2 - North Beach - gotta hit City Lights books (any other North Beach recommendations?)

3 - Chinatown

4 - dinner at COI - http://www.coirestaurant.com/menu-dinner.html

5 - drinks, not sure where?


DAY THREE - Napa

DAY FOUR - Mendocino

DAY FIVE - Hwy 1 down the coast, ending up at the airport...

[kucer]

2 - Haight - random walking around the haight st area, any lunch tips around here?

Cha Cha Cha is a terrific Cuban restaurant on Haight.

2 - North Beach - gotta hit City Lights books (any other North Beach recommendations?)

Get a drink at Vesuvio right across the street.

[bbqboy]

here's a very detailed thread with great advice:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadsele ... d=35129049

If you have the time on your Mendicino leg, take 1 north from the GGB, thru Mill valley and on up to bolinas, Inverness and north. Tremendous.

[chrizow]

nice, thanks kucer and bbqboy.

bummer that we only have two days in SF.  my itinerary is fairly ambitious for two days and we don't even touch golden gate park, presidio, richmond, castro, noe valley, nob hill, marina, etc. 

[mlind]

I live in the SF Bay Area now.

Fort Point - Civil War fort under the Golden Gate Bridge.  Gives you a really different perspective.  Located in the Presidio. 

Alcatraz is always worth it.  Go as early as possible because it gets crowded. 

Union Square and Market Street - SF is one of the only cities in the US that still has a vibrant downtown shopping area. It is the usual mix of upscale stores, but you can see what downtowns used to be like.

Chinatown - Grant ave and Stockton Street.

Pier 39, but only for the sea lions.

If you have a car, drive out Broadway to the end.  See how the really rich live - Danielle Steel, Gordon Getty, etc. 

Important - dress in layers.  The weather can go from warm to cold.  And be prepared for rain. It poured on Saturday. 

Here is the link for SF public transit  http://www.sfmta.com/cms/home/sfmta.php  Cable cars are fun; where else would you see or ride them? 

You can get multi-ride tickets that are easier to use  http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfares/passports.htm

Driving north - Stop in Sonoma.  Lots of interesting buildings from the Mexican era, including a charming central plaza surrounded by old buildings & a 1800's mission.  Good food, wineries, etc.  Second choice - Calistoga and be sure to see the geyser. 

If you drive up Highway 1, Bodega Bay has the schoolhouse where The Birds was filmed.  Fort Ross - old Russian settlement now a state park.  Muir Woods for redwoods. 

Mendocino is nice, but I prefer Fort Bragg.  There is a wonderful botanical garden between the 2 cities.

Taking the Skunk Train from Ft. Bragg to the midway stop (not all the way to Willets) is great.

Go to http://www.parks.ca.gov/ to see all the beaches along Hwy 1.

Always remember that the beaches/ocean can be deceptive.  They are very dangerous.  People drown every year.

Enjoy. 

[ComandanteCero]

DAY TWO:

1 - MOMA

2 - North Beach - gotta hit City Lights books (any other North Beach recommendations?)

3 - Chinatown

4 - dinner at COI - http://www.coirestaurant.com/menu-dinner.html

5 - drinks, not sure where?

Since Chinatown is between MOMA and North Beach you could switch those around (assuming you're walking between areas).  Sounds pretty doable since the distances tend to be small, you could take a small detour to walk by the Union Square area.  You could probably even throw in Coit Tower after you check out the bookstore and before dinner.  (of course, you'd want to take your walking shoes if that was the plan.... cause although distances are small they'll add up).  You could head to the tower along Grant (after checking out the bookstore) get a nice cross section of telegraph hill, then turn right on Filbert or Greenwich (when you get to the end of either street just take the stairs that head up).  It's a nice view up there of the city and the bay, like the liberty memorial, if it were on a sizable hill and in San Francisco.  You can then head down on the other side along the Filbert steps (grovestar has a picture of the last leg that gets you down to firm ground on Sansome.... you can also just take the steps to Montgomery and head along the street back to Broadway but the main bulk of the steps are between Montgomery and Sansome), it's a cool stroll down these stairs between people's backyards (it's not like the COOLEST thing ever, but it's a different way to get down from the tower than the streets, and i got a kick out of it).  You can then take Sansome back to Broadway and be less than a block from COI.

[LenexatoKCMO]

Spent a fair amount of my youth there.  If you have the time, the recently rebuilt (post earthquake) De Young Museum and California Acadamy of Sciences are two spectacular pieces of recent architecture - if you make it to De Young, be sure to go up in the tower for the incredible view of the west side of the city, park, and ocean.  Golden Gate Park is worth a day on its own, but it sounds like your time in the city could be kind of tight. 

While your in the Mission area, look for Roosevelt's Tamale Parlor - been there forever and they serve old school indigenous-style tamales - you may have to injest some swine flesh, but it is well worth it.  It can be kind of tricky to get in though, they only open a few days a week it seems. 

You need a couple more days . . . Better call work. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

Don't forget to Bart over to the East Bay for a stroll up Telegraph Ave. and a walk through one of the more beautiful campuses in the country. 

Do you have a French Laundry reservation for Day 3?