Visiting San Francisco

[ljkeane]

When I went to New York last year I found the advice thread pretty useful. I'm going to San Francisco for about a week towards then end of April so in a similar vein I thought I'd see if anyone has any recommendations or advice on things to do and see in San Francisco and the surrounding area.

I've already got pencilled in plans to take a tour around Alcatraz and go to a baseball game, I definitely want to walk/cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge and I'll probably give the cable cars a look. I would like to visit a few museums as well so if anyone has any tips on which ones are worth visiting that would be appreciated.

One thing I'm wavering on is whether to do go to the Yosemite Park. I'd really quite like to go but I booked my time off and then looked for things to do rather than looking at what I want to and then booking the time off I'd need so I don't think I'd be able to spend more than a day on going to Yosemite. I have found some day tours which go from San Francisco but it looks like it would be about 8 hours of driving there and back to spend about 4 hours in the park. I'm not sure when I'll be back so I don't want to miss out on something really good but I suppose I'm basically I wondering whether people who have been think it's worth doing?

Thanks.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

 Yosemite is amazing, but I'd balk at that given your timeline. Sub in the Redwoods instead. Maybe about a two hour drive from the City, and really equally impressive methinks.

 http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1145

If you're going to do Alcatraz, I'd opt for the one that goes directly to the prison. The night tour is especially cool, just so long as you can stomach the weather. Some of the guides are really entertaining.

 https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/website/pprog-evening-programs.aspx

For museums, the Palace of Fine Arts is pretty cool. 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Fine_Arts

 

If you are traveling with your kids, the Exploratorium is pretty damn cool.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/

 

 

 

 

[Taphien]

If you don't have enough time for Yosemite, I'd suggest a day or half day trip to the Muir Woods NM instead - great trees and all kinds of walking and hiking paths. But go on a week day.

If you are interested in old ships the SF Maritime Historic Park at the Western End of Fishermen's Wharf has a good visitor center and some historic ships - in summer they sometimes offer a sailing trip around the bay.

The cable car museum is worth a short stop and is free

The California Academy of Sciences is a fun aquarium, natural history museum and planetarium - perfect for a rainy day.

Renting a bike for a day is fun, but be careful planning your route SF has many steep hills Golden Gate Park is fairly flat

Coit Tower for a great view and some murals

Think about getting a SF City Pass or Card (different options) - free muni + free or cheaper museum entrance

[MercenaryChef]

if you are going to a baseball game i would suggest going across the bay to oakland or if you must go to sf to see the game be certain to shout brutal obscenities at all wearing black and orange. they are scum and deserve it. more fun will be it coming from a guy with an accent.

i recall at 21 or so nearly fighting a hot dog vendor in the left field stands for talking shit about gary sheffield. the dodgers went onto win the game btw. 

aside, sf is a fucking rad city. i really really love it there (aside from the shitbag baseball team and its insufferable fans).

ditto on seeing the redwoods. nothing really makes you question your importance in it all like seeing those mighty trees. 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

19 minutes ago, MercifulChief said:

if you are going to a baseball game i would suggest going across the bay to oakland or if you must go to sf to see the game be certain to shout brutal obscenities at all wearing black and orange. they are scum and deserve it. more fun will be it coming from a guy with an accent.

i recall at 21 or so nearly fighting a hot dog vendor in the left field stands for talking shit about gary sheffield. the dodgers went onto win the game btw. 

 

 The only aspect wherein the Oakland Coliseum is superior to AT&T Park is Bart access. Say what you will about the Giants, they have one of (if not the) best park in the majors.

 I miss the old Candlestick vendors. They were known for their lewdness. There was this one guy who worked the bleachers who just killed.

"HOT SACK O' NUTS HERE! BUY YOUR LADY A HOT SACK O' NUTS!"

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

Isn't Bonesy from the Bay area? He might be a good person to talk to.  

[ithanos]

6 hours ago, ljkeane said:

WI definitely want to walk/cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge and I'll probably give the cable cars a look.

I recommend cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge if you get the chance. I did this a couple years ago. Rented a bike down by the ferry terminal and cycled/meandered around the waterfront and then over the GGB. Make sure you cycle over on the Pacific Ocean side - its a fantastic view, the railing appears low and gives you the impression you could be blown over in a gust of wind - of which there was ample even on a fine day. Hills? yeah once you come in off the waterfront there are a few, but it shouldn't be a problem for a lock like yourself right? I also did a 1/2 day tour with sosfbiketours - I recommend it as it was a great way to get introduced to the inner city!

[Xray the Enforcer]

I would also urge you to see Muir Woods over Yosemite. Not because I don't love Yosemite, but because the redwoods are really something quite amazing and distinctly Pacific Coast. Make sure you get up into the highlands in Marin above the Golden Gate bridge. Some amazing views up there, and that is one of my favorite places in CA hands down. For weird, fucked-up shit, go out to the Sutro Baths along the Pacific. Go to the Toronado in the Lower Haight and drink a Pliny the Elder beer. Ride the cable car. Sit in the Embarcadero, then go to the Ferry terminal and get raw oysters from the Hog Island Oyster Company. Get a mission burrito, but beware the fuckheads who flock to the Mission. Trendster shitfucks, all.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Also, I would suggest going to the Asian Art Museum over something like the Legion of Honor (although I'm fond of the de Young). Better collection and much more relevant to the general culture of California. The Palace of Fine Arts is an interesting architectural edifice. 

To get a much better sense of the history of the city, wander around the back alleys of Chinatown. I have no idea what time has done to North Beach, but it used to be fun to walk around there for the Italian places, strip joints like the hungry i (not to be confused with the folk music venue hungry i) and Beach Blanket Babylon musical revue. 

[Bonesy]

I am from the Bay Area and I could tell you all about Silicon Valley and the peninsula, but I pretty much only went SF or Oakland for live music or sporting events.

Though I could recommend a few things in Santa Cruz or Monterrey.

[Lykos]

Chuck Prophet makes me want to come to SF in April as well, but I don't think I'll manage to do so.

Temple Beautiful Tour of San Francisco - Part 1 (4:48 min)

Temple Beautiful Tour of San Francisco - Part 2 (6:29 min)

[DireWolfSpirit]

I would make the the Redwoods, Chinatown and Fishermans Wharf my priority and then see what else I can fit in. Alcatraz seems the least appealing (to me) of the ideas you mentioned, although I love ferry rides and going out on the water is always pleasant. Fitting Yosemite into that timeframe seems like an overreach with the distance. Good Luck.

[Sir Thursday]

Most of the other stuff I did and found cool has already been mentioned here. But here are a couple more slightly off beat options:

- Segway Tour of Golden Gate Park: It's a pretty big park, so going via segway gives you a chance to see all of it. Plus you get to do a tiny bit of Segway off-roading, which is fun :).

- Elephant Seal Watching: There are some beaches a bit outside of San Francisco where the Elephant Seals come to breed/sit around and be lazy. It's amazing just how big they can get! Plus if you go at the right time of year you can sometimes see them fighting. I believe in April they're supposed to be around so they can molt, so it might be a good time to see them. The place I went to was called Año Nuevo Park - it's about a 45 minute drive south in the direction of Santa Cruz. Plus it's a beautiful drive - along the coastline for a lot of the way. Might be worth considering if you're into that sort of thing and have access to a car.

ST

[Xray the Enforcer]

As an aside, years ago when I was still living in California, I ran across a road sign (or maybe it was a marking in an official map) that was spelled "Ano Nuevo". Those who speak Spanish will understand my mirth.

But yeah, I loved kicking around that section of the Pacific Coast. Some really great tide-pooling at Half Moon Bay.

[ljkeane]

Thanks for all the tips guys.

I'll definitely check out the redwoods as there seems to be universal consensus on that.

18 hours ago, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

If you are traveling with your kids, the Exploratorium is pretty damn cool.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/

No kids but that does look pretty cool so I might go anyway.

18 hours ago, Taphien said:

If you are interested in old ships the SF Maritime Historic Park at the Western End of Fishermen's Wharf has a good visitor center and some historic ships - in summer they sometimes offer a sailing trip around the bay.

That's probably not something I would have thought of but that does sound good. By the look of it the tour to Alcatraz leaves from near there as well so it's pretty convenient. Thanks.

13 hours ago, MercifulChief said:

if you are going to a baseball game i would suggest going across the bay to oakland or if you must go to sf to see the game be certain to shout brutal obscenities at all wearing black and orange. they are scum and deserve it. more fun will be it coming from a guy with an accent.

 As appealing as that sounds I think I'll give risking getting in a fight and getting arrested a miss. Going from my extensive experience watching tv shows going to American jail doesn't look like fun.

I actually did think about going to an A's game if there wasn't a Giants home series while I was there but from the baseball I've watched I do far prefer the National League. I think having the pitcher batting adds a lot, the tactics are interesting and I like seeing guys trying to do stuff they're not too good at in professional sports.

12 hours ago, ithanos said:

 Hills? yeah once you come in off the waterfront there are a few, but it shouldn't be a problem for a lock like yourself right?

A lock who's had three knee operations but I'll give it a bash. I know far less fit people than myself who've done it to be fair so I think I should be ok.

Did you go as far as Sausalito when you went over the bridge? I've seen a few things suggesting cycling down to Sausalito then getting the ferry back to San Francisco.

11 hours ago, Xray the Enforcer said:

Also, I would suggest going to the Asian Art Museum over something like the Legion of Honor (although I'm fond of the de Young). Better collection and much more relevant to the general culture of California. The Palace of Fine Arts is an interesting architectural edifice.  

Cool. I tend to only make the effort to go art museums when I'm away but I usually really enjoy it, the Met in New York was great, I'll definitely give the Asian Art Museum a look. Thanks.

1 hour ago, Sir Thursday said:

- Segway Tour of Golden Gate Park: It's a pretty big park, so going via segway gives you a chance to see all of it. Plus you get to do a tiny bit of Segway off-roading, which is fun :).

That's another idea I probably wouldn't have thought of myself but looking at the website that looks like great fun. Thanks.

 

[James Arryn]

You could go to Santa Clara and view the roots the 49ers are laying for a future dynasty, but you'd better bring a microscope and shovel.

 

More realistically, check out the Mouth Organ and the Mission.

[Whitestripe]

While I've never lived there, I've been visiting my family in the Bay Area my entire life. (My mother bought her wedding dress at a dressmaker whose shop was located at what is now the El Cerrito BART station)  Every time I go, I discover something different.  All through college and grad school I'd visit my sister in SF for two weeks in the summer. I'd just spend my days wandering. Take a sweater. I've been at all times of the year and the wind is always cold. 

Golden Gate Bridge: I have to admit that every time I've been on it (not in a car) I've been freezing and windblown. Looking at it from Crissy Field  has always been a better experience for me.

The Coit Tower murals are great (free to get in, make sure you sign up for the docent talk) but the charge for the elevator ride to the top isn't worth it.

You can also take a walking tour of the murals  in the Mission.There are also some pretty cool little bakeries.  If you wander far enough in the Misson, you will end up in Noe Valley 

Shopping in Noe  Valley is good. 

Fisherman's Warf/Ghiradelli Square is VERY touristy, but some of the street merchants and buskers are cool. 

] Sutro Baths are an interesting piece of history, and there are beautiful views. 

Bay Lights  are back and very nice.

Get your shop on in the Haight. Fleuvog's   YUMMMM! My sister and I used to spend hours and hours in Amoeba Records. 

The Exploratorium is cool. Even without kids. (I've been with and without children) 

SFMOMA is good also. 

Chinatown is interesting. 

I loved my tour of Alcatraz. 

Half Moon Bay is great, but April is not the best time of year for tide pools. 

We loved the Marine Mammal Center  in Sausalito. 

EDIT. Damn links not working. I'll edit and put them in again later

 

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

10 minutes ago, Whitestripe said:

SFMOMA is good also. 

 

Was going to suggest this as well, but apparently it's closed for renovation until May of 2016. 

Bonesy's post reminded me of all the great music venues in the city. The Fillmore is pretty amazing. It was one of the centerpieces of the whole Summer of Love and many legendary bands have played there. I would check their calender and see if any one of interest is playing there during your stay.

http://thefillmore.com/calendar/

 

The Great American Music Hall is another.

 

http://sanfrancisco.eventful.com/venues/great-american-music-hall-/V0-001-000363518-9

 

And finally The Bottom of the Hill if you're into Punk

 

http://www.bottomofthehill.com/calendar.html#sthash.ChOGPn50.dpbs

 

 

[Fez]

There's more human feces on the sidewalks than you'd expect, so watch your step when walking around (SF has a real bad homeless problem and has not done much to address it).

[Taphien]

If you are interested in a walking tour

http://wildsftours.com/ are doing some good ones (often with music) and aren't too expensive

Free tours on specific topics and areas are offered by volunteers here: http://www.sfcityguides.org/ it has been a bit hit and miss for me, some guides are great and some present their topics a bit dry, but as it's free, you can just leave if it's boring