What's your favorite place in San Francisco?

Question

Recently moved from 3000 miles away...I have found a couple good spots so far but would love help. I'm interested in anything...Food, Enterainment, Museums, Good Views, Free or Expensive ...let me know. Thanks!

Answer 1

I am soooooooooo jealous that you are in San Fran. I am really wishing I was in that beautiful city!

I can make suggestions from where I would go if I could be in San Fran right now. I hope this answers your question.

Food--
Marin Joe's Restaurant
1585 Casa Buena Dr
Corte Madera, CA 94925
[phone]
http://www.marinjoesrestaurant.com/

Bill's on 23rd and Clement
2315 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94121
[phone]
http://www.billsplace.qpg.com/
http://blogs.kqed.org/food/?p=169

Boudin Bakery
http://www.boudinbakery.com/

I soooo miss spending the day walking around Chinatown and eating tons of stuff.

Schubert's Bakery
521 Clement St (corner of Clement and 6th)
San Francisco, CA, 94118-2323
[phone]
http://www.schubertsbakery.com/

Wing Lee Bakery (takes cash only)
503 Clement St.
521 Clement St (corner of Clement and 6th)
San Francisco, CA, 94118-2323
http://www.sfweekly.com/search/restaurants.php?oid=6280

Entertainment--
I loved going to the Elbo Room
647 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
[phone]
http://www.elbo.com/

111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna St
San Francisco, CA 94105
[phone]
http://www.111minnagallery.com/

Jade
650 Gough St
San Francisco, CA 94102
[phone]
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2732567-jade_san_francisco-i

Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109
[phone]
http://www.hemlocktavern.com/

San Francisco Symphony
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Symphony
San Francisco Opera
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Opera
San Francisco Ballet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Ballet

You probably already know City Lights
http://www.citylights.com/

Museums--
Museum of Modern Art
http://www.sfmoma.org/
Palace of the Legion of Honor
http://www.famsf.org/
M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
http://www.thinker.org/deyoung/index.asp
Palace of Fine Arts (Exploratorium)
http://www.exploratorium.edu/
Steinhart Aquarium
http://www.calacademy.org/aquarium/
California Academy of Sciences
http://www.calacademy.org/
Morrison Planetarium
http://www.calacademy.org/planetarium/
Check the monkeys at the San Francisco Zoo
http://www.sfzoo.org/
Hearst Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst_Castle
http://www.hearstcastle.org/

Good Views—
all of Napa

I used to love to wander around these areas when I lived in San Fran.
The Presidio
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/index.htm
Crissy Field
http://www.crissyfield.org/center/index.html
Fort Point
http://www.nps.gov/fopo/
The Marin Headlands
http://www.nps.gov/archive/goga/mahe/directions.htm
Treasure Island
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island%2C_California
Angel Island
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Island,_California

drive south to
Monterey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey%2C_California
Big Sur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sur
Carmel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmel-by-the-Sea%2C_California
Spending the day in Napa or in Berkeley was always fun.
Harbor Seals
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/watchable/seals.html

I even spent time at the corners of Haight-Ashbury just watching the tourists.

I loved to go up to Mill Valley. It was fun to just wander around the town. The view of the Bay from up in the hills is really good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_Valley,_California
afterwards it was nice to see Muir Woods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muir_Woods

Alameda is nice too
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda,_California


These links have good city information-
http://www.sfweekly.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_francisco

I hope I have not told you all that you already know.
Maybe buy a really detailed street map, jump in the Bart and have a wander. You never know what you might find!
I am super huge jealous that you live there!

Answer 2

I was born and raised in San Francisco and my all-time favorite place to go are the SF Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park and the Children's Playground in GG park also.

The Gardens is a beautiful place to just hang for the day. If you like quite and natural settings. You can feed the ducks or watch the squirrels chase each other. It's also a really nice place to have a picnic or sketch or write in your journal. It's a great place if you really can't afford much and just need a break from the hustle and bustle of the city for a couple of hours. Plus it's free. but beware, the Racoons steal your food if you don't pay attention.

The Playground- because I'm a big kid. I love to slide down those cement slides on a piece of cardboard or swing on the big metal "Do-nuts". Plus there is the merry-go-round and the snack bar for cotton candy, pink popcorn and Slurpee's. No matter what your age you always get invited to play a game of tag with a bunch of kids. They love it when adults join in.

Answer 3

Definitely visit the Legion of Honor, a replica of an 18th century French palace. Although it is too small for a King, the place is fit for a Prince/Duke (one of Louis XVI's relatives, in fact). Of course, we all know what happened to the French monarchy shortly thereafter. So, the real palace was converted into the HQ for the Legion of Honor military order. Hence, the name.

The San Francisco version (circa 1921) was a joint effort between millionaire heiress Alma Spreckels, who financed the art...and the French government, who sent over a team of arthitects as a way of thanking us for our efforts in WW1.

It's rare in the U.S. to get a chance to look at art in the "original" setting (the private residence of a noble), so it's definitely a unique place. Outside, there are also awesome views of the Golden Gate Bridge, hiking trails to the Presidio and Ocean Beach, and a golf course.

Answer 4

Went there ages ago. I remember the area where the Union Square? Then there's a park with Japanese landscape. The China Town. However, I didn't like the food whatsoever. None was good, be it American, seafood or Chinese. I don't know now, though. Oh, I also went to Pier 39?. Ghirardelli Square, if I'm not mistaken. Lombard Street with the car etc. I had only 2 days there.

Answer 5

Get a pork bun and some bean cakes (moon cakes are great to but I take mine w/o the moon {egg in center}) at the Eastern Bakery on Grant, (in SF) that's some of my favorite food in the area besides crab cocktail and sourdough bread at the wharf. Favorite places are the wharf and china town. I moved away ages ago but I used to live in Alameda and loved the drive over the bay bridge, when you were just hitting the city (SF) you'd smell coffee roasting, it was amazing. I always loved going into the city. The Acapolco Restaurant in Alameda was my favorite mexican food place and looks like they still rate high.

Answer 6

Try the exploreatorium (and the park near there is amazing). Plus I saw Phantom of The Opera there (Broadway) but I'm not entirely sure if it's come back there. Check out Fisherman's Wharf (pier 39) if you like seafood. Check out China Town if you like culture (and interesting trinkets). It's a great city, just make sure you don't get lost in the bad parts of Oakland, I came pretty close to getting carjacked there.

Answer 7

Botannical gardens. Exploratorium. Union Square and nearby stores. Cliffhouse. Museum of old mechanical arcade games (now at the wharf, so i take back my anti-wharf comment www.museemechanique.org). Twin Peaks for the view. Pho noodle shops on Clement st. Ocean Beach. Carousel in GG park. City Lights bookstore, North Beach and neighboring Cafe Vesuvio. City Hall. SF Symphony.

Avoid Fisherman's Wharf, cable car and other tourist traps; unless of course you're a tourist. (We put tourists on cable cars to keep them out of our way)

Answer 8

Golden Gate bridge

Answer 9

Market St Cinema: strip club with lap dancing

Answer 10

I love going to Chinatown. It is so festive. It's also a good chance to get a peek at a different culture.