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::Title: San Francisco City Guide ::Editor: Brian Lucas <lucas@ccu.umanitoba.ca> ::Filename: north_america/usa/california/san_francisco ::Date: 1993 January ::Note: I would be very happy if someone from San Francisco ::Note: would volunteer to take over maintaining this guide! This and other travel information is available by anonymous ftp from ccu.umanitoba.ca (130.179.16.8) in the directory /pub/rec-travel. For more information about the rec.travel archives, contact Brian Lucas <lucas@ccu.umanitoba.ca>. ======================================================================== This file contains travel information about the city of San Francisco itself. Other files currently being worked on will cover other parts of the SF Bay Area. Contributors: bgaon cobarruvias@asd2.jsc.nasa.gov 15 Jul 1992 Gary L. Dare <gld@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu> 06 Dec 1991 Debra <hrcoord@igc.org> 92-Jul-18 Tomas Felner <tomas@adnovum.ch> 92-Jun-11 Wayne Hathaway <wayne@ultra.com> David Herberg <Herberg_David@tandem.com> 02 Dec 1991 jameison@orion.sybase.com Steve Jeck <sjeck@isi.com> 93 Apr 30 James D. Jones <jimj@cleanplate.EBay.Sun.COM> 14 Jul 1992 Rasmus Lerdorf <rlerdorf@netcom.com> 25 Jul 1992 Hans P. Lorange <lorange@spot.Colorado.EDU> 16 Jul 1992 Mark Nowak <markn@comm.mot.com> Jane Opie <jopie@news.weeg.uiowa.edu> 14 Jul 1992 Jan Penovich <jpenovic@wizard.Berkeley.EDU> 15 Jul 1992 Ruth Radetsky <vpmath1@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu> 1993 Jan 19 John Reece <jreece@sousa.intel.com> 27 Jul 1992 Ilana Stern <ilana@kiowa.scd.ucar.edu> 1992 July 30 Ed Suranyi <ed@wente.llnl.gov> 25 Jul 1992 Ken Taylor <Ken.J.Taylor@cray.com> 93 Apr 30 Some of the above contributors collected articles from other people but lost the original author's name, so a few of the statements in this file may be incorrectly credited. I have attempted to keep this to a minimum. Further submissions or corrections are welcome. I have attempted to organize this file into the following categories: General Financial District North-Central North East Japantown North Shore Presidio West Accommodations Nightlife Restaurants ======================================================================== ------- GENERAL ------- Baseball If you're a baseball fan, either the Oakland Coliseum (American League Oakland A's) or Candlestick Park (National League SF Giants) is a great place to see a game. I am a died-in-the-wool National League fan so I prefer Candlestick, but it does get VERY cold for night games; take everything you've got in the way of clothes! The Coliseum is warmer, but it is still in the Bay Area, so ... Sell-outs at these places are very rare, although obviously you will get better seats the earlier you buy tickets (unless you want to pay scalper prices at the park, which is actually not a bad thing to do, given the relatively low cost of baseball tickets anyway). There is also a minor league baseball team in San Jose called the Giants (A-level farm club of the San Francisco Giants), and they play in a small, warm, intimate park that's a great "slice of Americana." There are lots of other professional and amateur sports teams around; check the newspapers. (Wayne Hathaway) Beaches Very scenic and beautiful, lots of wildlife (tide pools etc) but NOT very good for swimming, since the water is quite cold. (It comes straight down from Alaska, after all!) About the only real "swimming beaches" are in the Santa Cruz area, where the water is somewhat sheltered from the Alaska current. Driving Downtown SF (Chinatown, North Beach, and Fishermen's Wharf) have terrible parking, but the outlying SF areas, such as the bridges, parks, and Presidio have reasonable facilities. (David Herberg) Keep Out! San Francisco, like any large city, has certain areas where tourists should not go exploring. This is a list of areas known to be trouble spots: (ok, there's only one right now, but a list has to start somewhere!) Hunter's Point, in the southeast of San Francisco, is a housing project notorious for gangs, crack and guns. Scalping Tickets The previous item reminds me of an interesting thing to mention. Ticket "scalping" is completely LEGAL in California. They take the enlightened view that you own the tickets, you can do anything you want to with them. (You can make a profit on your original "Superman" comic book, so why not on a pair of in-demand Rolling Stone tickets?) However, it is NOT legal to sell tickets "at the venue." So you can go to a ticket agency (broker) and pay above face value and get good seats, or you can find somebody selling tickets just outside the "venue" (which is a popular things at Shoreline Amphitheatre, by the way; "outside the venue" simply means across the street, so you'll drive past lots of ticket hawkers on the way in), or you can look in the classified ads (or the sport section) and find somebody selling tickets. You will also note that there will in fact be people scalping tickets "at the venue" itself, such as in the Candlestick parking lot. This is NOT legal, so you are taking a chance. You will probably not get into any trouble for BUYING, but of course you have no recourse if the tickets are fakes or something. (Wayne Hathaway) Tacky tourism? One good thing about most tourist spots in San Francisco is that they became tourist spots because people liked them. They were not artificially created to be tourist spots like Disneyland and Universal Studios. Except for the advises about the restaurants and the hotels, AAA tour book's star attractions are safe starting points. (Ken Taylor) Weather Weather: It gets COLD, even (especially!) in the summer. So be prepared for when the fog and wind arrive; always have at least a jacket with you, preferably something heavier. The old saw about dressing in layers is a good one for this area. --------- CHINATOWN --------- Chinatown is worthwhile, but you have to be on your toes. Tourist traps and genuine finds stand side-by-side, and it's tough to tell just by looking from the outside. (John Reece) Stores in Chinatown are open 8 or 9 at night. Stick to Grant Street where the tourist stores are - you'll have a great time! (Debra) Chinatown is great. I turned a corner (which corner, I don't know) and suddenly was looking down a Chinatown street, with lanterns strung across the street, and a knot of tourists standing at the head of the street, taking pictures and apparently unsure as to whether they should enter this strange land. I dove in and lost myself in the press of people. The streets were crowded, but not with tourists (I visited in late October) and I tried hard to convince myself that I had stepped across a magic gate. I bought lunch by pointing and smiling. "OK?" "OK!" I wandered down back alleys. It was great fun. I went back late at night, when everyone seemed to have vanished; that was eerie. (Brian Lucas) Touristy it may be, but it still has kept most of its traditional character, and certain nooks and crannies look almost as if they could be pre-earthquake (I mean 1906.) For background, try to find a book of Arnold Genthe's photos of old Chinatown. Grant is the main tourist street, with parallel Stockton being more of a working and shopping boulevard for the residents. The numerous little side streets are interesting too -- try Ross Alley, where you can go into the fortune cookie factory and watch the cookings being made on a charming Rube Goldberg mechanism. (Wayne Hathaway*) ------------------ FINANCIAL DISTRICT ------------------ A financial district may not seem like a very exciting tourist prospect, but San Francisco's is an interesting mixture of supermodernistic architecture with smaller and nicer buildings left over from the old days. A number of good old-fashioned bars and restaurants survive here, as well as modern chic malls like Embarcadero Center. The Jackson Square area on the fringe of the Financial District has lots of Old San Francisco atmosphere, though there's nothing to "do" there unless you're interested in all the antique shops. (Wayne Hathaway*) I like the Embarcadero Center for its interesting shopping mall architecture. (Ken Taylor) --------- JAPANTOWN --------- Japantown (Nihonmachi) is one of the cleanest area of San Francisco. Areas north of Geary and East of Sutter is safe. Funny thing about San Franciso is that there are invisible demarcations: go one block the wrong way and you are in trouble, the other, you are in heaven. (Ken Taylor) Walking up north on Fillmore is fun, the street is turning into another Union Street. There is even a unique take-out sushi deli on fillmore near Japantown. Once you get to the top of the hill, the view of the bay and the mansions is great. You can always bus up if the hill is too much. Japantown itself is geared towards the Japanese clientelle, not tourists. You will find mundane, but interesting, things like Japanese grocery stores and hardware stores there. If you like to eat Japanese, Chinese, Korean food Japantown has wide range of restaurants all reasonablely priced and good. The two ramen restaurants there are the best of Northern California. My favorite mochi (Japanese rice pastry) store is few blocks away. Try the taiyaki cooked fresh by the indoor-outdoor coffee shop. The antique, the pottery, and the gift stores are all reasonablely priced. The stores there have Japanese flavor, no hassle and gift wrap everything. Summertime is good time to be there as there usually is a festival every weekend. Cherry blossom festival and the fall festival usually are the biggest celebrations. (Ken Taylor) Parking is not a problem during the week. On weekends expect to park many blocks away (north of Geary to be safe.) (Ken Taylor) ------------- NORTH-CENTRAL ------------- Alamo Square Alamo Square in the City is the place where they take those famous photos of colorful Victorian houses all in a row with the City skyline looming in the background (as used at the start of the television show "Too Close For Comfort," as well as on numerous postcards etc). A nice little park, and an interesting photo opportunity. Find it on any City map. ---------------- NORTH-EAST Cable Car Museum North Beach Telegraph Hill ---------------- Cable Car Museum. Washington @ Mason. As to cable cars, it's a little easier to get on the California St. line, since it's the one that doesn't run to Fisherman's Wharf. The cable car barn/power station is interesting. (John Reece) North Beach The old Bohemian and Italian quarter remains one of the jewels of the city, in spite of the sex shops, of which there seem to be fewer all the time. Possibly the most concentrated conglomerations of shops, bars, restaurants, and cafes in the Western Hemisphere. Walking, window shopping, eating, drinking, and generally hanging out lookin' cool -- all excellent. (Wayne Hathaway) Telegraph Hill The most San Francisco part of San Francisco. Don't drive your car up like all the rubes: it can take an hour or more to get your car up to the lookout point, versus a ten minute walk from North Beach. There's also a bus if you aren't up for climbing hills. The WPA murals in Coit Tower and the view from the top are worth the $3.00 admission. (Wayne Hathaway*) ------------------------------- NORTH SHORE Fisherman's Wharf Alcatraz Angel Island Aquatic Park Pier 39 SF Nat'l Maritime Historic Park ------------------------------- Fisherman's Wharf What is Fisherman's Wharf? It is the northern waterfront area, and one of the major tourist attractions. To the west is the National Maritime Historic Park and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. To the east is Pier 39, a major shopping mall development. In between are street performers, seafood cafes, souvenier shops, more seafood shops, and more shopping. It is a very lively area. But is it too "touristy"? You be the judge: You'd be wise to skip all of Fishermans Warf -- it's a tawdry tourist trap. (Jameison Martin) Stay away from Fisherman's wharf, chinatown, and North beach, unless you really want a touristy experience. (Dan Gezelter) The irony of Fisherman's Wharf is that there's no longer much of the original attraction to see! It ceased to be a real fishing center at least 30 years ago. The first wax museums went in over 20 years ago. I think the few boats remaining there are subsidized just to keep up appearances. And the restaurants which once dished up quality seafood right off the boats deteriorated long ago under the crush of legions of undiscriminating tourists. IMHO the only reasons for going there are 1) it's where two of the cable car lines terminate, and 2) it's where the very worthwhile harbor and Alcatraz tours depart from. (John Reece) I would recommend AGAINST eating at Fisherman's Wharf; the ultimate tourist trap, with mediocre food, surly waiters, and ridiculous prices. (Wayne Hathaway) On the other hand: Almost all of the visitors I've shown around SF have thought Fisherman's Wharf is quite interesting. There's the huge pots of crab cooking, the terrific views of the Bay, the boats in the dock, and the street performers. Of course, the "tourist trap" aspect comes out when you want to buy something -- souvenirs are expensive and, I agree, tacky, and restaurants are considerably more pricey than the equivalent elsewhere in the city. But just as a place to walk around, most out-of-towners I know think it's neat. (Ed Suranyi) I thought it was extremely fascinating watching hundreds of sea lions lying on the docks at pier 39. Of course it is a tourist trap, and I like to avoid tourist traps, but most tourist traps are created because there is something interesting to see. Try going to Niagara Falls and see the incredible amount of tacky tourist trap kind of things they have there. Actually Fisherman's Warf reminds me of Niagara a bit. They both have a Ripley's Believe it or Ignore it, "museum". (Rasmus Lerdorf) Alcatraz I'm surprised no one suggested the tour of Alcatraz. It was just super! But beware, it gets sold out real fast! So call ahead and reserve tickets! (cobarruvias) Alcatraz is interesting but not something to rave about. When you buy your ticket, go for the cassette option and you get to wear a little cassette player and listen to the tape-guided tour. So what you end up with on the island is a mass of people wearing headphones, not saying much to each other, walking around the cellblocks like a bunch of sheep. Kinda silly. But it *was* interesting and the price was fair. (Brian Lucas) Angel Island If you feel like a picnic, take the Red & White boat to Angel Island for the day. It's a state park right out in the middle of the bay. This'd be a most-of-the-day affair, though. You can also get to Angel Island by driving to Tiburon, over in Marin, and taking a small ferry across from there. (James D. Jones) You will probably not hear any recommendations for visiting Angel Island, so I will make one! In particular, I would recommend taking a ferry over and spending a couple of hours walking completely around the island (there is a paved walk the entire way). You get some really interesting views of the City and other points around the Bay, and it is a nice relaxing thing to do. (Or take bikes with you and ride around, which is a lot quicker.) (Wayne Hathaway) I used to ride my bicyle to the Berkeley ferry and cycle around Angel Island. Fun. Great views. I suppose you can do something similar to the San Francisco Ferry. (Ken Taylor) Aquatic Park Near Fisherman's Wharf, but much nicer, with a spectacular view of the Bay. The Ghirardelli Square and Cannery shopping malls are fairly inoffensive as such things go. (Wayne Hathaway) Exploratorium (adjacent to the Presidio) The Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts (in the City near the Presidio at the west end of Lombard street) is a hands-on science museum that is great for kids of all ages. (I wish I had some kids, so I would have an excuse to go there more often!) A few fascinating hours actually playing with things like prisms and electricity and ant farms and motors and so forth. Note that this is NOT a "high tech" place; the exhibits are more like science projects than computers. Nevertheless, a real kick. (Wayne Hathaway) Palace of Fine Arts Pier 39 (East end of Fisherman's Wharf) It's a shopping mall, built on an old pier. There's lots of little signs scattered around describing how this building is made from timbers taken from pier such-and-such, and how the deals were done. There's a buskers' stage in the centre. One of the dock areas is covered with sea lions. More than a hundred of them hang out there. It's neat watching them. (Jan Penovich) Here's something to avoid: There is a side show at Pier 39 about the San Francisco earthquakes. It claims to have a 50 foot screen, earth-shaking theatre, blah, blah, blah, extravaganza. I suggest if you intend not to heed the warning, then eat before you pay the $7.00 for the 30 minute show. When you hurl, it will be the most excitement those in the audience will have seen in 30 minutes. STAY AWAY, IT SUCKS. (cobarruvias) SF Maritime National Historic Park I really enjoyed this place. It's at the foot of Hyde Street, at the western end of the Fisherman's Wharf area, and it's run by the National Parks Service. There are several sailing ships tied up at the pier and you are free to wander about on them. Park staff do activities such as raising the rigging and so on at certain times of the day. I spent quite a bit of time here going through two of the ships right down to the bottom of the hold. Recommended, and cheap. (Brian Lucas) Great old ships and history if you enjoy the stuff. I can spend hours there just walking around the various boats for only a couple of bucks. (Hans P. Lorange) Walking tour You can walk up to the Golden Gate Bridge and beyond to land's end. Parts of the trail between the bridge and the land's end is covered with a cypress canopy that makes you feel like you are indoors. (Ken Taylor) -------- PRESIDIO -------- The Presidio itself is a large military base. The shoreline is mostly part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area and there are some historic sites like old forts and so on along the shore. Do some beach-walking on Baker Beach on the west side. Golden Gate Bridge crosses to Marin County from the Presidio. ---------------- Golden Gate Park Haight Street ---------------- Golden Gate Park It's a good park, with several museums (Steinhart Aquarium, while not exactly world class, has some great stuff) and a planetarium. Also, check out the Arboretum in the park -- your kids may not be all that interested in plants, but it's really great. Parts of it look like the backdrop for a Maxfield Parrish painting. On Sunday, they close much of the park to traffic and let the bicyclists and skaters take over. There used to be quite a scene at the Eighth Avenue entrance (north side) with skateboarders, bicyclists, and skaters doing acrobatics for the crowd. (James D. Jones) Still lovely, in spite of having the usual problems of an urban American park. The Museum complex is worthwhile, though usually you have to pay $6.00 a ticket (there are often certain free periods though.) The Science Museum here is good for kids. (Wayne Hathaway) Haight Street (Pronounced "hate") No tour of the City is complete without a stroll down the Haight. And I won't even mention the Castro... (Dan Gezelter) It is time well spent to walk down Haight Street. Lots of odd little shops selling odd little things. T-shirt stores with every slogan and image unimaginable. Just do it. (Brian Lucas) Actually not much is happening in the evening. The time to come to the Haight (pronounced hate) is on saturday or sunday afternoon. lots of shops and interesting looking shoppers. forget the flowers though, dye your hair purple. (Steve Jeck) ------------- ACCOMODATIONS ------------- Olympic Hotel, 140 Mason Street, (412) 982-5010 It is a simple, but clean place. I paid $35 for a room with bath. It is located just across the Hilton and nextdoor to the Parc 55 hotel, 5 minutes walking distance to Union Square, 2 minutes to Market Street. Next time I go to SF and need a hotel, I'll stay there again (unless I find something cheaper and better.... (Tomas Felner) Sheehan Hotel A friend with a knack for showing up only during my exam periods (when I can't give him a place to stay) recommends the Sheehan Hotel, just a couple of blocks from Union Square, the tourist center of the city. The rates (as of January 1993) are $65 for a double with private bath, $50 for a double with shared bath. Rates are about $10 less for a single. Yes, this counts as cheap in San Francisco. (Ruth Radetsky) --------- NIGHTLIFE --------- For the college crowd - you want to be sure to stay away from downtown and head over to "The Triangle" out in the Marina district. Basically, this is a collective group of bars within proximity of Union & Filmore streets in the city. Of particular interest are the Baja Cantina & Desert Moon on Filmore Street. Also, Tar & Feathers on Union Street is worth a visit. 4th of July festivities are centered around Crissy Field which is within walking distance of the places I've mentioned. If you're going to be venturing over from Berkley, I suggest you forget about driving and take BART - the subway that connects the East Bay with San Francisco. (bgaon) The Saloon. Grant @ Green. Good local acts. Slim's. Slim is Boz Scaggs. It's a night club built in an old warehouse--fancier and more expensive than JJ's [Mountain View, San Jose]. I heard the Texas Tornados; they tend to book more well-known folks than JJ's, more mainstream. ----------- RESTAURANTS ----------- Brothers Korean Barbecue, on Geary near 6th Avenue. >$10. (Ruth Radetsky) Buena Vista Cafe, probably the only place to east at Fisherman's Wharf. Cafe Roma on Columbus is a really good cafe in North Beach. (Jane Opie) Casa Aguilla. Noriega, one block west of 19th Ave. Mexican family-run restaurant, with great, "authentic" food. Very small, but very good. I especially liked the mole--a bit sweet, without being excruciatingly spicy. Also very reasonable. Double Tree Restaurant, 3459 Mission, a little past 30th street <$10. Chinese. Big portions. It's always empty, and I don't know why, but the food is pretty good. (Ruth Radetsky) The Helmand, 430 Broadway in the North Beach neighboorhood. My favorite splurge: ~$20 a head. Persian influenced Afghani food. Quiet, spacious, comfortable atmosphere and superb food. (Ruth Radetsky) Tu Lan, on 6th street just south of market. <<$10. Vietnamese food. Grungy dive--I would never have gone in if someone hadn't recommended it, but it has the best Vietnamese food I've ever had. (Ruth Radetsky) The Little City on Washington Square is good in North Beach. (Jane Opie) Majestic Hotel, Cafe Majestic. I like the Cafe Majestic in the Majestic Hotel. Stick to the seafood dishes (the salmon in a pumpkinseed crust was the best I've ever had, while my SO's medallion of beef was good, but not the best). Around $150 with good wine (for two). (?) Manorah's in the area South of Market is fantastic for Thai food. (Jane Opie) Masas. The place to go for expensive, five-star dining. (?) North Beach Pizza on Grant Ave in North Beach, and Brick Hut Pizza on Castro near 18th street. ~$10. (Ruth Radetsky) OrItalia. Fillmore near Pacific. Sort of like tapas, with Oriental touches, imaginatove, in a lively part of town. (?) Pacific Garden Restaurant, on Jones near Eddy, accross from park. Vietnamese Pho (noodle soup) <<$10. It's always full, but I've never had to wait for a seat. (Ruth Radetsky) Taqueria San Jose, On Mission near 24th street. Burritos, tacos, and a few other things. ~$5. Great cheap food. A burrito will keep you going all day. The freshly made fruit drinks are really good. (Ruth Radetsky) Taqueria La Cumbre, on Valencia near 16th street. The best steak burritos in The City. ~$5. (Ruth Radetsky) Yuet Lee Seafood. On 26th Street between Valencia and Guerrero, in Mission. Chinese. ~$10. The salt and pepper roast squid is a specialty, as is the $4.50 chef's special wor-won-ton, which is a meal all by itself. (Ruth Radetsky) Zuni (on Market Street) is great, eclectic Southwestern. (Jane Opie)