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Originally Posted by Sarah_MaxCash
I'm heading to San Fran in November..was going to throw out similar questions in your direction.
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I am GFY's official unofficial guide to the San Francisco Bay Area. Although I mostly grew up in Seattle and Hawaii, I've spent over half of my life in the Bay Area. I love to travel domestically and internationally, but this is the place I will always call home.
So let's take a little trip...btw, if some of this sounds familiar, it's because parts of it I cut and paste from other past posts I have made about San Francisco.
Be prepared for great food:
Farallon has great food and an excellent wine list.
Wild nightlife:
Ruby Skye is a WAY fun nightclub.
And Fine Art:
The SF MOMA - Museum of Modern Art, is a piece of art in itself, and generally has great exhibitions.
Plus, if you want a personally guided one day tour, on my one-day tour, you hit all of the tourista destinations - Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Cruise, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Hard Rock, Lombard Street, Palace of Fine Arts, Ghiradelli Chocolate, and the funky neighborhoods (Union Street, the Castro, the Haight), as well as the Strip Clubs/Massage Parlors and other such establishments (if you're into that) - hitting them all at their best times and by-passing most traffic.
The Bay Area also features many other excellent places of interest, such as the Tech Museum in San Jose, wine country in Napa Valley (I know the wineries that have the best wines and tours), and fascinating and scenic Monterey (the huge Monterey Bay Aquarium is awesome), as well as many other spots off the tourist path depending upon your interests.
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This truly is a great place to live (except for the occasional earthquake, lol). It's not just the location, but the people as well (most of them anyway).
It's kind of a tourista thing, but I always enjoy taking out-of-towners on a Bay Cruise. You catch these large boats (Blue and Gold Fleet, etc) down at Pier 39 (the commercial part of Fisherman's Wharf, near the Hard Rock Cafe), and they take you under both bridges and past Alcatraz. You get to hear some history along the way. Great vistas to see. Lots of photo ops. Dress warm.
Of course check out the Golden Gate Bridge (don't jump...j/k), but to see the cool view with the City in the background (locals refer to San Francisco as "The City", and never "Frisco"), then you will need to have someone drive you in a car. Most people who live here enjoy taking visitors around the City, since that is usually the only time they hit the tourista spots themselves. Tell your San Francisco friends, that if they were really your friends, they would show you around...(guilt tripping usually works, hehe).
We also have a nice secluded nude beach with great views of the bridge, although you'll probably freeze your nips off this time of year.
If you are down in the Marina district (close to the Golden Gate Bridge), then stop by the Palace of Fine Arts. There is a small lake and a beautiful park with structures leftover from the SF World's Fair which is fairly reminscent of Roman architecture. There's also a science interactive Exploratorium there. It's just off from the flat part of Lombard Street (the opposite direction from the famous twisting road).
A lot of people mention the Haight as a place they want to visit, however I think locals prefer Union Street for a more upscale trip down a funky old San Francisco neighborhood street. It features less tourists trying to spot hippies, and re-live the 60's, and a great selection of boutiques and antiques shops.
San Francisco has an excellent selection of restaurants, representing practically any cuisine your heart could desire (I'm starting to sound like the friggin' Chamber of Commerce).
Among my favorites are:
Epic Roasthouse
If you are a meat-eater do not miss the steaks here. A great view of the Bay Bridge adds to the dining experience.
If you love sushi like I do, then you will love
Chaya Brasserie, which has outstanding sushi, as well as serving more standard fare (in case someone in your party is not into sushi). Chaya has live jazz music many nights.
Fleur du Lys
Located close by Union Square in the theater district, this award-winning French restaurant is superb. Bon apetit!
Asia SF
Good Asian fusion food, and an entertaining dinner show put on by the "gender illusionist" wait staff (hey, this is San Francisco)
Definitely visit SFMOMA (the Museum of Modern Art) That whole Yerba Buena area is pretty cool too (Jillian's sports bar is fun to hang and play billiards at), and the Sony Metreon is the place to go (walking distance from MOMA) if you are into electronic gadgets, etc.
The Castro is lots of fun too.
Some ideas to fuel your imagination (follow the links)
For nightlife, there are few cities that match San Francisco. Lots of live music venues, and clubs of every kind (I mean EVERY kind). If you just want to get a general feel for clubbing in the City, I recommend:
Ruby Skye
My personal favorite
or,
1015 Folsom
If you want to get down and dirty, there are lots of sex clubs too (Power Exchange, Lush, etc). San Francisco is a city where the men are beautiful and the women are strong.
If you want to do more research prior to your trip (especially if you want to know what the current shows and attractions are then check out
the SF Station City Guide.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little slice of life featuring the city referred to as "Baghdad By The Bay". There is so much to see and do here that you'll probably want to move here, but just in case you have roots elsewhere, bring a camera.
Cheers and have fun,
ADG