what should i do in san fransisco that is not very touristy?

Answer 1

A few years ago I taught at an English language school in San Francisco. There were no class Friday afternoons so at noon I'd take off for an afternoon and evening of exploring, usually with no plan.

Sometimes I'd hop on a Muni bus or streetcar, and then just get off when it looked interesting. I prefer the street cars.

One place to catch the street cars is in the Bart station along Market. The stations have gates to both Bart trains and to the Muni street cars. To head out to the neighborhoods, take an outbound street car.

Some suggestions:

Take the J line. The most interesting part is along Church Street. Get off at 24th street and head west. This is the heart of Noe Valley.

Take the the K or M line. Get off in West Portal, either at the end of the tunnel or the next stop or two. You can also take the L line, but then get off at the end of the tunnel before the line turns. East of this area is Saint Francis Woods, an interesting residential area of fine homes.

My personal favorite.
Take the N-line. Get off at Cole. The famous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood is a few blocks to the north, but I like the small commercial area around the muni stop and especially enjoy heading uphill to the east exploring streets that have some of SF's best Victoriand and other vintage homes.
From the top of the undeveloped park at Corona Heights are spectacular views from a little known spot. I have lived in the Bay Area all my life, am very knowledgable about the area, love to explore, am over 60 and did not know the spot existed until I stumbled upon it. ("What's up there?")

Take the N-line. Continue past Cole. At 9th the streetcar turns left. Get off. Interesting neighhood shops and restaurants. To the north is the heart of Golden Gate park. The Japanese Tea Garden draws tourists and for a good reason. Far less know is the larger and free Strybing Arborteum.

Take Bart to Berkeley. It's interesting in all directions, but with a limit time head east. The University is right there ans the Telegraph Avenue area south of the campus.

Take Bart to Rockridge in Oakland. Over the last several years the already interesting and lively area has become more and more so. An excellent place for lunch or dinner.

Enjoy!

A good guide to have a long can be found here
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMichelin-Green-Guide-San-Francisco%2Fdp%2F2060008808%2Fsr%3D8-3%2Fqid%3D1160072098%2Fref%3Dpd%5Fbbs%5F3%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks&tag=larpmasguidet-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325

Answer 2

Take a ride down 101 and enjoy all the small communities, shops and resteraunts along there. Stop at some of the beaches and watch surfers or the dolphins frolic close to shore.Write a journal on the different sociological status' on the west coast and make foot notes for a book someday. Bring a good camera to back up your statements.

Answer 3

Hang out/shop/eat in non-touristy neighborhoods like the Haight, the Castro, Union Street or Hayes Valley.

Answer 4

Take in the nightlife, there are some great clubs and it seems like there are always amazing bands playing no matter where you go. Check out all the restaurants, the food is awesome. Just go to a "local bar" in the afternoon and ask around, or check out the local newspapers-that's what I like to do when I go someplace I've never been before, I pick up the paper and see what's going on around town. Have fun! Oh! Check out Slims and Bottom of the Hill, cool bars with even cooler bands.

Answer 5

lots of places are now touristy.

Answer 6

Join a gang. lol.