San Francisco

[Roderick]

So, say that I would want to visit San Francisco for a day or 5-7 during the holidays or some off week in Januari. What are the things that I must see? And, perhaps more importantly, where might I be able to find cheap, modest accomodations not too far removed from the city centre?

I'm looking to spend around 400 Dollars tops.

[Nachimir]

Japan Town is a nice quiet area to stay, and as far as I could tell the rates weren't too high because it's at least 20 mins walk from the financial district. IIRC, Hotel Tomo had big, well fitted rooms for about $90 a night when I was there in February a few years ago, I'm sure they'll have gone up by now though.

Things I would recommend are:

The Pirate Supply Store I've failed to visit twice now, which has been recommended to me by friends who have been.

The De Young Museum simply for its incredible architecture; there are also the Japanese tea gardens just next door.

If you enjoy physical activity it's well worth renting a decent mountain bike and heading over the Golden Gate bridge into Marin County for a day (Beware of being overly ambitious though: I managed to get to Muir woods and back mostly off road, but it was an 11 hour round trip with only 9 hours of it in daylight :/). Some absolutely ace downhills up there though

There's also a co-op bakery off 9th and Irving called Arizmendi's, which does very good food. It's near the city end of Golden Gate Park.

[Roderick]

Excellent, thanks =) More suggestions are obviously welcome if you have them! ^__^

[Nachimir]

Ooh, forgot about the Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill. On a fine day, they're lovely to wander around.

When my memory was fresher, I did write way more up for a friend who was going out last year, here it is:

Golden Gate park:

At weekends the roads in this are apparently closed. It's a nice and huge park with lots of interesting stuff to explore. Things I saw there:

The De Young Museum

Hands down the best museum I've been to. Stellar architecture, sculpture garden, they allow non-flash photography in the permanent collections, and they also have an observation tower that gives excellent views of a lot of the city.

It's also right near the Japanese Tea Gardens and the San Francisco Arboretum, there's also a very big aquarium opposite the De Young - being refurbished when I was over, not sure when it reopens. These are all near the East end of Golden Gate park.

Pretty close to them, just south of Golden Gate park near the corner of 9th and Irving, is Arizmendi's bakery:

http://www.arizmendibakery.com/

They do great scones and pizza.

---

Financial:

Market Street is the main drag, going SW to NE, and Financial surrounds the NW end of it. Much of the shopping to be done around SF is here. South of Market St:

SF Moma

Chic modern museum, have some good exhibits but are very arsey about photography. Even in the atrium where it's apparently allowed, someone got kicked out recently.

The Marriot Sky Lounge:

Around the same area as SF Moma. It has a dress code and some arrogant bar staff, but if you can get past that it does offer absolutely *stunning* views of the city at night. The big glass roundels make it feel like being inside a giant tie fighter too.

Avoid Tenderloin (and E-W strip just NW of financial), it's dodgy as fuck and you enter it very suddenly - one sec you're rubbing shoulders with people in suits, then you cross the street and are suddenly surrounded by panhandlers and people fishing half drunk cans of beer out of bins.

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Fisherman's Wharf:

Cable cars run north from Financial to Fisherman's wharf. They're quite touristy but fun to ride. Plenty to see at Fisherman's Wharf and plenty of places to eat seafood, though it's by far the most touristy part of SF. The western end near Ghiradelli Square is quite a nice neighborhood.

East of fishermans wharf, you can find the Palace of Fine Arts:

http://flickr.com/photos/sam_modi/1132217812/

Which is a beautiful place for a stroll. Pretty long walk to get there though. There's a segway tour company near Ghiradelli Square that goes out there:

http://www.sfelectrictour.com/

They only go out in good weather though. You look like a dork but they're actually great fun to ride around on, and the guide will tell you loads about the city.

The Golden Gate Bridge is only a (fairly) short bike ride from the Palace of Fine Arts too; most bike rental places around Fisherman's wharf estimate 2 hours to get across the Golden Gate bridge and back.

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Telegraph Hill:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=coit+tower+san+francisco&sll=37.802426,-122.403102&sspn=0.008358,0.019312&ie=UTF8&ll=37.803901,-122.404454&spn=0.008358,0.019312&t=h&z=16

The Coit Tower is a strange and humble little tourist attraction in a very quiet neighborhood (Incredibly expensive to live there: rent on 1 bedroom flat = £1500 a month or more). Nothing to buy here, not really any places to eat, but the tower offers some decent views of the city and has some interesting murals at the bottom. I think Claire would like it, since there's a tiny old style brass lift and an operator in a uniform that takes you to the top for a few dollars.

The hill it's on is also kind of magical, many of the roads are just steps and wooden boardwalks set in among lots of trees. It's very leafy, and a lot of parrots live there. I climbed Greenwich St. (East side of the hill) and the path just north of it to get to the top of Telegraph Hill Blvd. That's a lot of steps, but it's good scenery.

[Nachimir]

If you like architecture, the Embarcadero Center is also a stunning piece of work to walk around, and in the plaza there's a sculpture/fountain with stepping stones that take you behind it. Foyer to the Hyatt there is also worth a look.

If you can enjoy cheesy spectacles, there's also

at the Fairmont Hotel. Utterly, utterly tasteless over the top tiki bar with bands on a boat and artificial thunderstorms. The kind of place that would most likely be absolutely no fun by yourself but possibly amazing with friends.

[sivartTheGreat]

Man, that guide is making me miss SF. I've been able to trip to the bay area twice before ... now I want to go back. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiightown.

[OssK]

If you like architecture the Victorian heights are a pretty sweet place to walk through also.

[Jake]

If you're already going to the DeYoung museum and the Tea Gardens, you owe it to yourself to go to the Academy of Sciences right across the way as well. They're all surrounding a common park area in Golden Gate Park. The Academy's rainforest area and planetarium are awesome, and, like the DeYoung, it's architecturally fun and interesting.

If you do go to the DeYoung, and the Academy, make sure you get to the roof of the Academy and the DeYoung's observation tower.

Even if you don't buy a ticket to the DeYoung, you can still go inside and go up to their tower for free, and get an amazing look at the city. (That's this thing.)

[Roderick]

The science museum sounds awesome. I also read there's a cartoon art museum there, so it seems like a great place to be. I've already checked hotels in the centre and if I go in January it shouldn't be more than 400 Dollars for the week.

Now all I need is to convince my company to let me go for a week. Maybe I can work for them from my hotel room

[syntheticgerbil]

YOU CAN VISIT THE COIT TOWER IN ONE OF THE TEX MURPHY GAMES

[miffy495]

Just got your Gog download gifts, eh? I've been meaning to try these forever, so I'm looking forward to going through them.

[Erwin_Br]

And, perhaps more importantly, where might I be able to find cheap, modest accomodations not too far removed from the city centre?

I spent my nights in the Buena Vista Motor Inn at 1599 Lombard and Gough Street. Quite a nice hotel, decent rates, and pretty much in the city centre. They have a nice terrace on the roof of the top floor, with a nice view of the Golden Gate. And if you have a car with you, like I had, there's a parking garage beneath the hotel which is free.

[Roderick]

Excellent info, thank you =)

(I mean: )

[Fuzzy Lobster]

If you're looking to go out on the cheap, there are a lot of bars and restaurants on Polk Street, which is a very easy walk from downtown. They're not as fancy as some you can find around, but are really laid-back and the lack of fanciness is reflected in your drink prices and lack of cover charges.

The Hemlock tavern is seemingly always busy and usually has bands playing for a modest price, as does the Red Devil Lounge which is just up the street a bit.

There's also a bar called Vertigo that does Rock Band competitions on Sunday nights. It's got a really great, nerdy crowd and is a lot of fun, if you're interested in that kind of thing.

If you're going to be staying near Japan Town, there's a phenomenal Japanese restaurant called Tanpopo which is right across the street from the Hotel Tomo. Everyone should eat their ramen. It's amazing.

[Roderick]

Well, it's pretty much settled that I'll be visiting SanFran next week from Monday to Friday.

Anyone up for doing some touristy stuff with me?

Also, Jake, could you give me a tour of the Telltale offices?

[Erwin_Br]

Well, it's pretty much settled that I'll be visiting SanFran next week from Monday to Friday.

Anyone up for doing some touristy stuff with me?

Also, Jake, could you give me a tour of the Telltale offices?

Nice! I had such a good time in SF, that I totally lost track of time, missed my flight, and had to stay for another 4 days.

Have fun!

[tabacco]

If you're staying near the financial district, I can probably recommend some lunch places

Also, if you enjoy sort of hilarious science museums, I cannor over-recommend http://www.exploratorium.edu which is at the palace of fine arts.

Edited January 7, 2010 by tabacco

[ThunderPeel2001]

Dress warm... it's freezing there!

[tabacco]

Dress warm... it's freezing there!

Especially this week. Also it may rain next week.

[Patters]

Dress warm... it's freezing there!

......

[ThunderPeel2001]

......

When you've been hanging around in California, San Fran is suddenly, and bewilderingly, a lot colder than you're expecting. You may even look out the windows and think, "Ah! Sunny! Nice and warm!", until you get outside and go... "This doesn't feel right..."

[tabacco]

San Fran

Protip: Do not call it this. 'Frisco' is also right out.

[MrHoatzin]

Protip: Do not call it this. 'Frisco' is also right out.

Emperor Norton would not approve of such familiarity, I hear.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Protip: Do not call it this. 'Frisco' is also right out.

How about Cisco?

[tabacco]

How about Cisco?

They're right down the street from my office