PhD student moving to UC Berkeley, bringing female friend along for first weekend and trying to find something fun to do. Oh yeah, and I don't have a car in the area.
2006-07-12 07:30:23 · 16 answers · asked by drliebe2006 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ San Francisco
The good thing about the Berkeley area is that public transportation will get you to most places. Plus, once you get your student ID, you'll get the bus pass where you can ride all AC Transit buses for free. Otherwise, you can always join City Car Share, which is a good option for people not wanting to pay loads of money for a car they only use occasionally.
There are a ton of fun things to do in the Bay Area (I lived there for 10 years, and I was a Berkeley student twice over). The food is amazing. For a nice, cheap lunch, check out the Gourmet Ghetto on North Shattuck. Cheese Board is great for pizzas, and I love their scones. You can Bart into SF easily from Berkeley.... if you're into sports, go check out a Giants game. Ferry Building has a good farmer's market on weekends, and it's a good place to go people-watching. Take a cable car ride up to the top of Nob Hill... or stay on it all the way to Fisherman's Wharf (bad food there... don't listed to all the hype).
A couple of my must-do's while you're at Berkeley (all of which you can do by public transport):
1. Get a chocolate torte (or fruit tart, if you're not a chocoholic) from Market Hall in Rockridge. You will not regret it!
2. Take a date to Indian Rock (best view in the city!)
3. Splurge and go to Chez Panisse or Boulevard (SF)
4. Check out the "How Berkeley Can You Be?" fair/parade
5. Blues night, Monday night at Blakes on Telegraph
6. Grab some late-night tacos in the Mission
7. Shop at Berkeley Bowl. Absolutely amazing. Probably the #1 thing I miss about living in the Bay Area.
8. Check out the Castro
9. Spend a relaxing afternoon in Tilden Park (yes, there's a bus that goes there!)
10. Go to a Giants game. 80% of the people there don't know a whit about baseball, but it's such a nice ballpark, and the food is good. Personally, I'm an A's fan, but I can still enjoy myself there!
2006-07-13 04:50:14 · answer #1 · answered by jkinla 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Go down to Fisherman's Wharf where there's a Ripley's Believe it or not Museum that's so fascinating, my son and his buddy spent 1 1/2 hours there; in that same block is a "center island" where all types of food(but especially SEAFOOD) is served; Delish! Across the street from Ripley's is an old Penny Arcade that has actual working models-many of them! put your $$$ in and have some fun for a couple of bucks; down at the other end(a few minutes walk) is Pier 39 with tons of restaurants, shops, travel service desk; they have a couple hour tour by cable car that is FANTASTIC: The Golden Gate Bridge, Precidio, Haight Ashbury, China Town; good price! Also, Alcatraz! I had a ghostly experience there...but that's another story! Have fun!
2006-07-12 07:40:30 · answer #2 · answered by sweet ivy lyn 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're in Berkeley, definitely get a quick bite at Fat Slice.
Take the BART from Berkeley to SF, and walk around in Union Square. You can go to Ghiradelli, Pier 39, Chinatown, Yerba Buena park, or even go take a tour at Alcatraz. Have fun!
2006-07-12 08:01:33 · answer #3 · answered by truthyness 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, the Haunted Wax Museum, Lombard Street and take the 5 minute boat ride to Alcatraz and take the tour. Frisco is awesome.
Stay away from BART though...unless you have a thing for riding in a subway that goes under the bay in a little tube located in a city that's plagued by earthquakes. Screw that...
2006-07-12 07:36:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The suggestions in San Francisco that have been given are good ones. Ignore the comment about avoiding BART. It's perfectly safe. I've been riding it for over 20 years.
the suggestion for the Winchester Mystery House & The Mystery Spot would require you to rent a car.
2006-07-12 10:18:55 · answer #5 · answered by M3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
these people are knuckleheads! i don't think they read you don't have a car. Jump on bart. It's clean, it's safe and most importantly it takes you to one of the best cities in the world. Where NOT to go: The Warf, Pier 39 any wax museum, but you already knew that your a PhD student. go where the locals go not these people answering you from Kansas:
www.sfstation.com
oh, and bart stops at midnight so plan on taking your girl home in a taxi.
2006-07-12 11:57:06 · answer #6 · answered by Bryan H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can check out here what's happening in the city in terms of proformance arts and clubs:
http://www.sfstation.com
And I agree with the others, take the train. The chances of the transbay tube (the 8-mile subway tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland) collasping in an earthquake or terror attack are quite slim. My favorite museums are the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park and the De Young in Golden Gate Park.
Here's a Map:
http://www.sfcityscape.com/transit/rail_maps/simplified/system_720.gif
2006-07-12 12:46:46 · answer #7 · answered by SFdude 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't be afraid of bart, thousands of people ride it daily. Once you get to SF it's easy to get around much of the city without having a car. Check the chronicle for festivals, there are some most weekends throughout the summer (i.e. himalayan, filipino, samoan, etc.) http://www.sfgate.com The tourist places have already been mentioned, there are also fun neighbhorhoods, north beach (italian), hayes valley (shops and restaurants), castro (gay hq, shops and restaurants), haight (one time hippie haven, shops & restaurants), Mission (hispanic, a bit rough but not so bad during the day)...
2006-07-12 10:05:28 · answer #8 · answered by Rossonero NorCal SFECU 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bay Area.
Head over to SF and take in Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, Chinatown and Fort Point, as a start.
You could BART over and use Muni to get around
2006-07-13 02:18:01 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. That is one amazing thing.
I didn't like Winchester house in San Jose. Wasn't worth $22
2006-07-12 07:35:36 · answer #10 · answered by Oregonian 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋