What to do in San Francisco

Angel177

My wife and her friend are going to SF(cause I'm going to PAX:P)

For some background, they both like Art, Food, Some shopping(outlet malls) they like to take photo's, and will be seeing the city by public transport, but did talk about a day trip to Napa.

Now Oh Great Group Mind, recommend things for them to do please as I've never been and have no clue how to start helping them but would like too.

Quid

The Jejeune Institute.

My wife and I did this while we were there on the recommendation from someone here and absolutely loved it. It's a sort of alternate reality game. It boils down a scavenger hunt that takes you all over China town and the surrounding area to see various pieces of art, but under the guise that you're uncovering clues to figure out what the deal is with the institute that you just "escaped" from.

A lot of fun, and almost completely free.

Dracil

Citypass is nice if you want to actually hit the general downtown tourist stuff it covers. I used it for NYC and it was decent.

Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf/Ghirardelli Square is the other main tourist spot on the North Side. Visit the Golden Gate Park (lots of routes, simplest is probably the N rail line), the Cal Academy of Sciences is in there (I thought it was kinda small personally but the Thursday night thing might be more appealing since it's adults only + alcohol), and so is the de Young museum. I like the Botanical Garden in there. Japanese Tea Garden is also in there but costs money so I've never actually been myself. There's also http://www.mindspring.com/~nemoyten/ggpb/Home.html and I believe some swing lessons on SUnday as well. Try to look for the Shakespeare Garden while you're there, but I think some of the plaques were stolen. Japantown has some shopping opportunities (38 bus). Definitely go to Golden Gate Bridge and walk around Crissy Fields. Alternatively, you could also walk along the beach on the West side. The NW also has the Lands End trail and the Sutro bathhouses.

Chinatown is another common spot to visit if you like lots of crowds and cheap Chinese food. North Beach has the fancy Western restaurants and Transamerica building (which is right next to the main Scientology building (you've been warned :P)). The famous Citylights bookstore is also around there (though honestly, it's just a bookstore). Justin Herman Plaza/Ferry Building is at Embarcadero station and is pretty nice for photos and you can also visit the Embarcadero Center for more shopping if you don't want the main downtown location at Powell.

Food-wise, just check Yelp and you'll probably be okay. If they have specific preferences I might have some suggestions. Some famous gimmick spots that are really expensive and maybe not worth it are Foreign Cinema (open-air cinema of some random indies while you eat, more of a romantic date place), supperclub (eat on beds), AsiaSF (crossdressers), Opaque (eat in total darkness (for $100/person, just do this at home)). SF is also known for Dungeness crabs. Restaurant.com can get them some nice deals. livingsocial.com, groupon.com, kgbdeals.com have random deals for major cities including SF. Just check the map, some of those places are out of the way.

South of Market and West of Civic Center is generally considered less safe and there's less to check out there unless they like to check out the local homeless and wall murals.

nextmuni.com and 511.org and perhaps bart.gov are their main transportation planning sites. 511.org is the only one that covers the entire region. Don't expect buses in SF to be on time. BART is pretty good though. If they need public transportation help, they can call 511. If they have some problem or really need help, they can call 311 for general info. I recommend they download the map at the SFMTA website so they can easily see what buses to take.

TLDR, most of the main tourist spots are the NE area of SF. West side has park (people usually stick to the East half of the park), NW has the GG Bridge.

I don't know much about Napa other than it's North. Might wanna look for a tour group for that. If they're willing to explore outside SF, I'd say go check out UC Berkeley which is right next to the Downtown Berkeley BART station. There's also a couple board game stores if that's their thing. There's a nice lake kinda close to the Fremont BART as well.

Skeith

If I remember right, Napa and wine country in general is like a two hour drive from San Francisco. Might be worth looking into a motel or something for a night. If they're fine with some hiking, Muir Woods and Alcatraz make for good day trips.

mightyjongyo

I think market st. and civic center are good spots for shopping, if i remember correctly (it's been a few years since I took BART to SF). The Metreon is right next to one of those exits, it's a mall. I think there's also some major stores (aldo, h&m, etc) around there if you walk around.

But yea, ghirardelli square and pier 39/fisherman's wharf are good SF places, as is botanical gardens for something free to do.

There's also MOMA (museum of modern art) if you're into that.

as far as food goes a "classic" is clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.

CrossBuster

For art, there's the Museum of Modern Art.

If your wife's taste in art is more classical, there's the Legion of Honor. It's got an impressive collection, and its setting is hard to beat.

For food, there are too many choices to list. A16 is an excellent restaurant, and it's not terribly expensive, considering the quality.

Incanto is also a very good choice, if you're willing to dive into the (delicious) world of offal.

Avoid most of the restaurants you see in the Fisherman's Wharf/Pier-39 area. Like any area frequented by tourists, the food is overpriced, and better, cheaper alternatives are available elsewhere. North Beach is a fun Italian neighborhood, and easy to get to from downtown, either walking or on a bus. The main drag down Columbus Street is a little over the top with the Italian look (it looks like something out of Epcot Center), but there are some great restaurants nearby, especially on the side streets. If you like Indian food, Kennedy's (an Irish pub and Indian restaurant) is in the neighborhood, and it's got some of the best Indian food I've had in the city.

Finally, since it re-opened about 2 years ago, after being closed for a 3-year overhaul, I've been recommending the California Academy of Sciences to anyone who discusses visiting San Francisco. It's an absolute must-visit, no matter who you are, or what you're interested in. I'm pretty confident recommending it to anyone, no matter how little I know about the person. It's that amazing.

As far as Napa goes, there are, of course, the wineries and restaurants. I don't know a ton about wine (except that I like to drink it) so I can't really recommend specific wineries. But if they find some tasting rooms that are reasonably priced, it's pretty hard not to have fun. My favorite town in the Napa area is Calistoga . It's very small, but it's got a petrified forest, and a natural geyser. Both places have a certain old-school, tourist trap-type charm.

Angel177

thanks to everyone so far the ideas have been great, my lady is now wondering if there are any good Gluten free bakery's in town?

CrossBuster

Many bakeries in the city, especially the ones that focus on vegan food, will have some gluten-free options.

I found this thread on Chowhound about gluten-free options in SF: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/42874

I also found this place: http://www.yelp.com/biz/zadin-san-francisco

Apparently it's a Vietnamese restaurant with gluten-free options, including desserts.

mts

Napa is only and hour if that depending on traffic

what time are you going? Summer is the coldest time of the year there so if then make sure you bring a jacket

Kerbob97

The Stinking Rose, great restraunt if you like garlic. Even better that you will be in another state, as she will literally sweat garlic afterwards. 40 clove chicken ftw!

Fagatron

Clement St. is way better than Chinatown if your goal is the food and not the ambiance, your odds of food poisoning are at least halved.

Haven't seen anybody recommend the Academy of Science and the De Young Museum but both are pretty awesome and they're right next to each other in Golden Gate Park.

Sutro Baths is cool and not too far from Golden Gate Park and Clement St.

Best Taqueria in the city is on 24th and Mission. It is on the same corner as a BART stop, El Farolito.

toolbert

mightyjongyo wrote: »

I think market st. and civic center are good spots for shopping, if i remember correctly (it's been a few years since I took BART to SF). The Metreon is right next to one of those exits, it's a mall. I think there's also some major stores (aldo, h&m, etc) around there if you walk around..

The Metreon is just ok, but mostly for the theater since it's pretty bare now. The Westfield Mall that's on Market (Powell BART station leads into it) is the place to shop downtown. Some great stores and fantastic food court (hit the Korean BBQ place). If they go to the Embarcadero on Saturday Morning, there's a cool famer's market/street fair type thing with some cool local wears. It's close to the ferry building and BART as well. You can also go out to the Cliff House area and have a good brunch and hike. There's a great view of the Golden Gate on the trail.

mts

eh stinking rose is ok, its more the gimic. the food was so so

Angel177

Thanks so far for the answers some more querys

Whats the best movie theatre in town (they want to go see Eat,Pray,Love)?

and Outlet mall shopping? wheres big and simple to get too?

Thanks again for all answers!

CrossBuster

Fagatron wrote: »

Best Taqueria in the city is on 24th and Mission. It is on the same corner as a BART stop, El Farolito.

YES

Fagatron

Also Best Dim Sum I've found that is of the cheap 3 items for a buck fiddy variety is in between 7th and 8th Avenue on Clement, on the left side if you're going up the street (ascending numbers).

They have excellent baked goods in addition to the normal fare, and mushroom porridge.

EDIT: Also on the same street Pizza Orgasmica has an excellent lunch special where you get a personal pizza, a salad, and a one of their beers for 8 bucks.

mts

i think the nearest outlets are in vacaville, about 1hr 15 east of SF on the other side of the hill from napa

toolbert

You could also go out to Gilroy for some good outlets too, but that's quite a drive as well. For the movie, if it's at the Westfield Center, I'd go there. The theater is only about 3 or 4 years old and it's pretty nice. Plus, the whole mall thing is there and like I said, it has an excellent food court.

Fagatron

toolbert wrote: »

You could also go out to Gilroy for some good outlets too, but that's quite a drive as well. For the movie, if it's at the Westfield Center, I'd go there. The theater is only about 3 or 4 years old and it's pretty nice. Plus, the whole mall thing is there and like I said, it has an excellent food court.

Trufax. Popcorn is shitty at the Metreon and the armrests don't go up so you can't snuggle. Unless you want to see an Imax movie just avoid the Metreon altogether, it's incredibly depressing and empty.

The Westfield is a really neat mall. It doesn't really feel like a mall aside from the fact that it is, and all the stores, but it doesn't have that cookiecutter rectangular building feel most malls have, and it's really fun to just walk around in.

Dracil

For something a little different, if you're willing to go to Oakland, the Grand Lake Theater there has an organ that gets played before the movies.

http://www.renaissancerialto.com/masters/grandl~1/GLOrgan.htm

Angel177

ok folks What is the best way to get tickets for Alcatraz when the site says there booked up? The Wife tried but could only get ONE ticket not 2, can you get them at the pier? or another way?

Dracil

Huh? What day and time are they doing? I see loads of time slots available on the site for the weekend of PAX.

Angel177

sorry I should have said she goes on sunday till thursday of this week.

MuddBudd

http://www.hobsonschoice.com/
Bar near Haight/Ashbury (on Haight). They serve alcoholic punch in a big bowl. Very tasty.

http://www.sutrobaths.com/
Cool ruins on the west side of the city, great nature area and good for photos.

http://www.andalusf.com/home.html
Restaurant between Mission and the Castro. Sort of modern tapas place. I recommend the sea bass.

http://www.wokwiz.com/tours/index.html
Eating tour of Chinatown

http://www.porkstorecafe.com/
Great breakfasts. I recommend one they call 'Eggs in a tasty nest'

mts

AFAIK there are different companies that have different slots for alcatraz tours so you can try going through a different one. or just show up and hope you can get it. I hvae done it both ways. its all teh same once you get in line. try and get a night tour if possible.

MuddBudd

mts wrote: »

AFAIK there are different companies that have different slots for alcatraz tours so you can try going through a different one. or just show up and hope you can get it. I hvae done it both ways. its all teh same once you get in line. try and get a night tour if possible.

Why are night tours better?

Angel177

funnily enough my wife asked that! is it spookier?

mts

i think they dim the lights to prison levels and overall the general ambiance is enhanced. its pretty eery as is during the day but take away the light and it gets creepy and isolated

CrossBuster

I've never done the night tour of Alcatraz, but it sounds cool.

I have gone during the day a few times, and I can say that the standard audio tour is really well done. If she can't do a night tour for whatever reason, the regular tour is still pretty good.