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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)