What to do in San Francisco?

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Lin W

sf is my summer home. it rocks. a few days ago my band leader's cousin ( in the band immigrants)was playing on pier 39. go see the Gharedeli chocalate shop.rainforest cafe.wax musuem.ripleys believe it or not. union square if u love shopping.last but not least lombard street.

On the Radio Uh Oh

copied and pasted from a previous question I answered (same question) coz I'm lazy...

The graffiti murals in the Mission are quite rad... You don't really need to take a tour... just walk through the neighborhood and check it out. The neighborhood itself is kinda cool... great thrift stores, very Hispanic. Also, 826 Valencia is a wonderful McSweeney's bookstore with their own publications (which are odd... even stream of conscious novels written by little kids) and is decorated/set up like a pirate ship.

Various churches, such as Peter & Paul in North Beach and Mission Dolores in the Mission.

The Richmond, around Geary and 15th through 30th Ave or so, is absolutely fantastic... many Russian markets, Russian toy stores, Orthodox church, as well as many other little neighborhood but very unique and cultural shops and stores. You can buy giant boxes of candy for $5, and see stores with childrens books right next to porn. And the best Pizza ever at Gaspare's at 20th and Geary. Also, along Clement St starting at Arguello (particularly through about Funston) is the local's "Chinatown"... absolutely anti-touristy, cheap dim-sum and other food (that's actually better than Chinatown), and stores and restaurants targeted more toward actual Chinese people than tourists wanting a "Chinese experience" (a la Chinatown).

Land's End in the NW end of the city is gorgeous... walking East (ie: away from Sutro Baths) you'll gradually get out of the range of the average tourist (and thus off a paved road and onto a dirt road), and enter a densely wooded area with foxes, coyotes, and amazing views of the Bay/Marin Headlands/Golden Gate Bridge that most tourists aren't adventurous enough to see. If you hike down the hill, there are ruins of old military bunkers now covered in graffiti, and a beach which is only there at low-tide, and thus has a tide pool full of starfish, crabs, etc... (however, since it's only there at low tide, it's usually not accessible).

The Castro is the gay neighborhood, and is very fantastic and very *clean*. You could eat off the sidewalk. Lots of boutiques... I never buy anything, but it's nice watching everyone there. The Castro Theatre is lovely and they show lots of great old/independent/cult classic/kitschy movies.

The Upper Haight is such a scene... but it's fun watching the half-assed nostalgia and artificiality. Also the best record store ever, Amoeba. And if you wanna buy pot, it's the easiest place to go. The Lower Haight is less touristy and has many great restaurants, weird boutiques that wreak of pot (and pot clubs), and Cafe International, which is lovely and has a really great open mic on Fridays with acts ranging from standard singer/songwriters to a fat tranny prostitute reading poems about her johns' ***** and a dude doing what can best be described as turntablism on a didgeridoo.

The Tenderloin and Market (esp around 6th St) is cool, especially as the day progresses... late in the afternoon through late night is amazing. Tranny prostitutes and crack addicts galore. They're very interesting, and usually nice (or at least benign) should you talk to them. You can also laugh at creepy guys hanging around outside sex shops and walking in and out of "massage parlors". Also, midnight walks down Market St (around 6th and market, esp) are very *interesting*.

Crissy Field is lovely, as is all of the Presidio... dense forest, coyotes, the only cemetery in San Francisco, horse stables, old military bunkers, abandoned buildings, etc...

As for museums that the typical tourist doesn't go to (ie: SFMOMA, Legion of Honor, de Young, etc...)... The Cartoon Art Museum, Exploratorium (I think it's *technically* for little kids, but the majority of the people playing with the **** there are teens/20 somethings), Antique Vibrator Museum, etc...

More, but... that's enough!

NOTE: Most people are making great TOURISTY suggestions... but Pier 39/The Wharf, Union Square, de Young, Chinatown, etc... are all as "run of the mill touristy" as you can get. They're worth checking out if that's what you want, though. Also, the Tenderloin is NOT dangerous... it's seedy, and has crack addicts passed out in their own urine on the sidewalk... but it's not dangerous. It has very little violent crime, and is perfectly safe. In fact, it's the neighborhood with the highest number of college kids (as it's cheap and has colleges nearby) and families with children (as it's cheap...). College kids and families historically don't go to dangerous neighborhoods. But the neighborhood as a whole is REALLY interesting. The only areas you should avoid are Bayview/Hunter's Point/Outer Mission/Bernal Heights... All right next to each other on the very southern end of the city (ie: you'll never have to pass through them). They ARE dangerous... but not as dangerous as bad neighborhoods in other major cities. Also, avoiding the Eddy/Laguna intersection is a good idea, too (though I pass it all the time and have never had a problem). Also, San Francisco isn't "freezing"... people here are just babies. If you consider lows in the 40s and highs in the 50s "freezing", then yes, it's freezing. But considering you're from Wisconsin... it'll probably seem VERY warm.

chasen54

shop, eat and be merry

soxrcat

Shop Union Street.
Walk Grant Avenue from Bush to Broadway.
(That's Chinatown).
Find the marker that says "Miles Archer was shot here" from the movie the Maltese Falcon.
Take the "F" streetcar from end to end, and visit:
1. Fisherman's Wharf
2. Pier 39
3. Hyde Street Pier
4. The Castro district
along the way. These are antique streetcars from all over the USA and the world and only cost $1.75 to ride for about 2 hours.
Golden Gate Park
The Museum of Modern Art (on 3rd Street)
Eat Russian, Chinese, or Indian food in the outer Richmond District.

TonyDFW

When I went (I'm from TX) my girl and I rented a car (mistake)to cross the GG bridge and go over to Oakland (Berkley) . You can get everywere on the public trans at a much lower rate.

Mr. Knowitall

Drive along the coast of the city from Ocean Beach around past Lincoln Park, through the Presidio to Marina Green. Stop at the Cliff House and see the Camera Obscura.

Go to the new De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. If you don't like art museums, that's okay, you can go up in the observation tower without paying admission to the museum. Just walk through the lobby to the elevator. The tower is just a tree-top level, you get a good 360 degree view of the city.

Spend an afternoon window-shopping in Union Square, the city's shopping district. Another cool view is from the glass elevators in the St. Francis Hotel, just on Union Square. Just walk into the lobby and ask where they are. (If you like shopping, Union St. is nice too, in fact there are several good shopping neighborhoods these days.)

You gotta spend an afternoon in Chinatown. Fisherman's Wharf is fake and touristy, but Chinatown is REAL. There are lots of stores selling everything from cheap tourist junk to really wonderful stuff, real works of art.

Fort Point at the Presidio. Whenever I play tourguide, I start the tour here, the place where San Francisco started, a Civil War era fort right under the Golden Gate Bridge. Get good pictures of the bridge here too. On a clear day it's an unforgettable site.

Out of town: Napa Valley Wine area, Muir Woods, drive south along the coast south to Santa Cruz, Sonoma, and further out, The Gold Country in the Sierra Foothills.

Daniel Q

Go to Pier 39. There is shops, restaurants and seals.

liz

San Francisco is the epa-center for tourists and there is so much to do pier 39 is a top to visit but there is so much just plan on spending the whole day there, Dress a little warm, but expect to experience everything all the cultures food and the people it's so great. Try the rainforest its an awesome resturant you'll love it.

chicken2008

See the golden gate bridge. That prison Alcatraz is there too. And they have that street that is crooked. I want to go there for a vacation one day.

miketherex

I live in San Francisco and there are a wide variety of things to do there. First off, you should go shopping, I love going shopping in the downtown/buissiness district. Then you should go to the pier 39. There are people ( bums, but they are good at it)breakdanceing, painting or whatever. You should als make sure to eat some fried calamari or crab on the peir from the stands. The food there is great and cheap. After that you should drive along the coast because there a lot of nice views of the ocean. If you are into sports San Francisco is home to the baseball team the Giants and the football team the 49ers. In Oakland ( not far from there) are baseball team the As and the football team Raiders. After that if you want, you can take the ferry to Alcatraz. You can see Alcatraz from the Golden Gate Bridge, but you cant drive there because it is on an island in the ocean. Other than that, you should just drive around San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area because it is a great place. By the way, Make sure to bring some warm clothes because it is usually freezing in San Francisco. I hope this helps.

joseph b

You are three hours from ski country in Tahoe, take a day trip there.

Go down to Monterey, visit the aquarium.

Unfortunately Feb In San Fran is cold and rainy, so dress accordingly.

Go to The tea room in The St Francis Hotel, it is near all the shops and is a great way to end the day (it is also the hotel where someone tried to assainate president Ford)

Bruce N

Berkley, Chinatown, the crookedest street in the world (Sorry I forget the name of it), Fisherman's Warf, Ghiardelli Square, Castro Street, the park with the Japanese bridge, and Golden Gate Park are a few of the ones I can think of off hand. Also, I hear it's spendy out there compared to Wisconsin, so bring an ATM card and a credit card.

nadia_padalecki

Alcatraz is really fun.

Stephen K

Do the standards:

Pier 39 (and the seal benches)
Coit tower
The Marina Green
The Exploratorium
Walk through Chinatown
Ride a cable car (OK at $5, a tad pricey)
Golden gate Park

truckee_dark

If you don't like the run of the mill touristy things, then you should avoid Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. They are most typical tourist areas you can find in SF. The best way to enjoy SF is to just walk around the city. Make sure to pass through Union Square... especially during the Christmas season. Walk through China Town and North Beach at night. Ride a bike through the Presidio (National Park) and Golden Gate Park. The museums in Golden Gate Parks are excellent and recently rebuilt. Shop at the farmers market near the ferry building and get something to eat. Check out the Haight Asbury, Castro, and Marina neighborhoods... for a wide variety of culture. The Exporitorium is a great hands on science museum. You can rent a bike in San Francisco (near the wharf) and ride it all the way across the Golden Gate Bridge and back again. Or you can continue over the bridge and ride to the town of Tiberon and ride a ferry (included in the bike rent cost) across San Francisco bay back to the location where you rented the bike. Seriously consider that one!

Jack

Kango Picks consist of recommendations for things to do in San Francisco, CA. While the search results available after launch are based on the collective feedback of over 18M opinions from 1000+ sources, Kango Picks Pages utilize this information and the expertise of our editors. Thusï¼Œ I think this may help you!
1.Golden Gate Bridge: Must go!
2.Exploratorium, San Francisco
3.Alcatraz Island, San Francisco
4.THE EMBARCADERO AT POWELL ST
5.Chinatown Kite Shop:very famous!
For more information, please visit http://www.kango.com/best/san_francisco_ca_vacations_things_to_do_123.html to have checked, it may help you!

You also can get helped from tripadvisor.com: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60713-Activities-San_Francisco_California.html

Yahoo Travel and citysearch.com is also a good tool, a lot of review there.

-Kango Traveler