What are the best sight seeing options for San Francisco after 6PM between March 23rd and 25th?

Question

I am taking a course during the day, on Chenery St and am staying in the Civic Ctr. area. The Golden Gate Park is closed after six. I've been to Fisherman's Wharf and will go to China Town, any other suggestions, is it worth it to go to Berkley that late? Thanks in advance for any travel advice you can give.

Answer 1

If you have a car, take a drive down the famous, crooked part of Lombard Street. Day or night, it's nice to do it, even if it's a bit touristy. After that you're very close to Coit Tower, a beautiful structure that also offers some spectacular views of the city. You don't even have to go up to the top of the tower; there's a nice grass sitting/viewing area on the back side (away from the parking lot).

Since the days are getting longer, you might also have time to make it out to Baker Beach, San Francisco's most scenic beach. Great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands from there. In the evenings you'll find plenty of parking in the lots right down at the beach.

Although it's touristy, you may want to consider taking a ride on a cable car. I live in San Francisco and recently took one for the first time in years. I had a great time.

For food, you can easily take BART from Civic Center to the 16th St. station in the Mission District. Walk up one block to Valencia and 16th, and you'll find lots of restaurants. Some to consider:

Delfina - Italian, somewhat pricey but great. You may want to make a reservation. (This one's actually on 18th and Guerrero.)
Puerto Allegre - Affordable sit-down Mexican cuisine. Great margaritas
Little Star Pizza - They serve great deep-dish and thin-crust pies
Pakwan - Affordable Indian/Pakistani cuisine
Sunflower - Good Vietnamese (but you'll also find lots of great Vietnamese places near Civic Center)
Ti-Couz - Specializes in traditional French crepes

Have fun!

Answer 2

Be alert in the Civic Center area after dark. It can be kind of scary there at night. Japantown is worth a look (mostly restaurants and bars at night). Berkeley has mostly small stores near the University of Calif. Not bad, but not really, really exciting IMHO. Ok in the afternoon. Check out the Orpheum Theatre if you are into plays and musicals. If you like Chinese food, Clement St. is sometimes called the second Chinatown. San Francisco Centre and Westfields are two malls on Market St. (near 5th) that might be open at night. You could get something to eat there and do some shopping, but you might look them up (using yahoo of course) to make sure that they are open late enough.

Answer 3

Berkeley can be sort of hit or miss, not as much to do in the evenings as in San Francisco.

Since you plan to go to Chinatown you should also explore North Beach located north and east of Chinatown. Lots of cool shops, great restaurants, music venues and if you want a view go up to Pioneer Park where Coit tower is and take in the sight of the bay from the golden gate to the east bay.

Since you are staying in the Civic Center area you may want to check out Hayes Valley [Hayes street just west of city hall to Laguna] it has a lot of cool shops, some good to great restaurants [Hayes Street Bar & Grill at Gough is some of the best seafood in the city] and you may want to consider checking out the Symphony or Ballet which are on Van Ness just across from city hall, if you are of an artistic persuasion.

Answer 4

Berkeley is a wonderful place to visit but it's a drive and if you don't have access to a vehicle, you might want to see what other transportation options you have. Berkeley is a college town and there's a variety of things to check out and see in it. But personally speaking, I think the best time to really go there is during the weekday when you don't have much to deal with. Weekend-wise, I think it will be a nightmare.

But since you're in San Francisco, I can honestly assure you that you have PLENTY to do and see that you won't even have time for Berkeley.

Palace of Fine Arts
Located by the Marina, this place is an absolute beauty and a perfect opportunity for pictures, especially at night. But lately, skunks have been dwelling around the area so you might want to admire it from afar.

Coit Tower
If you want serious views of the city at night, Coit Tower is totally worth it. But I'd recommend taking the city bus that goes up there because if you go on foot, you'll be hurting. Located in the North Beach neighborhood, this is an absolutely breathtaking sight to get a view of the city in it's full nightly glory. I would recommend taking a wide angle camera lens with you, because a normal, disposable 35mm camera isn't going to do you justice.

Golden Gate Park
If you want a terrific view of the bridge, you can get it here, but you can also visit the Conservatory of Flowers and the Japanese Tea Garden, both peaceful and serene locations. These two are just a few of the many things you can spot around here.

North Beach
North Beach is a happening nightspot on Fridays and Saturdays, and operates well into dawn with a variety of coffee shops, restaurants, nightclubs and stores that make up the many local hotspots of the city. If you want to get you X-rated kicks, all you have to do is head into Broadway and you'll find plenty of that through the strip clubs and adult stores that live in the area.

Chinatown
Chinatown is great for Chinese cuisine and culture. But I don't think the place is terribly safe during the late night. You'll want to travel in packs.

Fisherman's Wharf
The part of the city that embodies touristy San Francisco is here with dozens of places that sell every trinket imaginary. But I consider this secondary to Chinatown, which easily reigns as the king of that. But Fisherman's Wharf is also home to great little seafood eateries and restaurants, as well as speciality shops. Adjacent to it is the outside mall: Pier 39, which houses just about every possible thing to cater to your everyday out of town tourist.

Haight-Ashbury
If there's any place in the world that I can identify more with, it's Haight-Ashbury, which is all too well know for the Grateful Dead and the hippie movement. It's undergone a lot of gentrification but the fantastic neighborhood still retains it's independence in some respect. There's lots of unique things to find here from Amoeba Music to any kind of leather shop you could imagine.

The Richmond and Sunset
Compared to a lot of other neighborhoods, I don't think these two neighborhoods get as much loving. But they stand on their own as terrific places. Sunset houses a healthy mix of bars, restaurants and shops ranging from the DVD rental superstore LeVideo (no Blockbuster could possible compete) to your local Jamba Juice or a nearby smoke shop. The Richmond is home to New Chinatown, an essential extension of Chinatown only with a lot more space and a lot less hassle.

The Marina
I love the Marina (home of the Palace of Fine Arts) but I love it even more on a Sunday afternoon. It's such a wonderful, relaxing place to check out, have a nice breakfast and stroll the area. It's right by the water and it's a bastion of outdoor activity, just next door to the Presidio.

There are a lot of other great neighborhoods like Nob Hill, Russian Hill and Alamo Square (home of those great painted lady mansions you see on every postcard and Full House) but I tried to narrow it down to places you might want to squeeze in when you have the time.

Answer 5

If you haven't seen Alcatraz yet I would recommend the night cruise. The Rock is pretty interesting (definitely get the audio tour), and the ferry ride back into the city is awesome in the evenings. Bring a jacket, though. It gets very windy and cold.

Answer 6

de young museum...beautiful sights from atop...the top floor is all glass and you can see the whole sity especially at night with allt eh lights great sights especially if youre a tourist