San Francisco tip-topic

[Georgie]

Voor mensen die binnenkort naar SF gaan en tips nodig hebben, of forummers die er al zijn geweest en tips kunnen geven. Hier kun je het uitwisselen.

Een vriendin van mij gaat volgende week naar SF en aangezien ik een jaar in Marin County heb gewoond (vlak boven SF) vroeg ze mij om een lijst met tips te maken over toeristische en non-toeristische dingen. Omdat ik het altijd leuk vind om dit soort dingen te geven, heb ik een grote lijst gemaakt en deze op mijn website geplaatst. Hier heb ik tips geplaatst over allerlei wijken zoals Fisherman's Wharf, Financial District, North Beach, Chinatown, Haight, Mission and Castro, etcetera. Ook eet- en drinkgelegenheden, maar ook musea, winkels en straten.

Ik ben benieuwd of anderen ook tips hebben voor mij of voor een ander, of dat ze iets aan mijn lijst hebben.

Edit: Hier onder in een volgende post heb ik de lijst ook geplaatst op verzoek.

[Maartje]

Bedankt voor het opzetten van deze site, Georgie, echt geweldig, ik weet nu waar ik heen moet met mijn meiden om lekker vintage kleren te shoppen, een mooie diner te bezoeken, enz.

[Rob]

Je zou kunnen beginnen om de lijst die je zelf al gemaakt hebt hier te posten daar kunnen de forumleden dan gelijk hun voordeel mee doen en het voorkomt ook het geven van dubbel advies

[Georgie]

Haha dat is een goed idee Rob. Stom dat ik daar zelf niet aan heb gedacht! Ik ga het direct doen, al duurt het denk ik wel even voordat ik alle plaatjes over heb genomen, dus nog even geduld.

[Georgie]

Naast dat de lijst op mijn website is te vinden, heb ik 'm hier onder ook geplaatst:I recently had to give some tips to a friend of mine who is going to San Francisco. Having lived there for a year, I know most of the touristy places very well and can give some insight in some of the less touristy places such as the Filbert Steps or Balmy Alley. I thought it would be nice to share this piece of information with you on my website so that more people can benefit from it. If anything, it has certainly inspired me to go to all of the places again this summer!

The maps aren't very big on here and unfortunately cannot be enlarged. If you'd like to see a bigger version, please email me. (or for the AA message board: Send me a pm)



San Francisco

Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf, also known as Fish Wharf, actually is the most touristy area of San Francisco. It is situated at the bay and has magnificent views of the water and Marin County. (where I used to live) It has many fish restaurants, but offers a lot more: Seals sunbathing next to Pier 39; plenty of shops across the boulevard; The Rasta People making music right next to the seals and Pier 39; and much more!





1) Pier 39 (dark blue, upper right corner if you can't find it)

This has to be the most touristy area of San Francisco, a pier full of fun fair attractions, souvenir shops and seals! When I was living in Marin, I used to come here a lot, both during the day as well as at night. It is awfully cheesy and touristy, but a lot of fun.







2) Boudin (pronounce Bo-deen) (red)

This is so typically San Franciscan, you’ve got to try this! Boudin is an original San Franciscan bakery which specialises in sour dough bread. Sounds yuk, but it isn’t. The real big hit is a bread-bowl of sour dough bread with clam chowder or for non-fish fans it’s filled with tomato soup. It’s delicious. You can get it here at Fish Wharf, but also at many other places across the city, i.e. at Macy’s food cellar, but this is a top-notch location.




3) Johnny Rockets (green)

Classic diner. I have spent so much time in this place. Very American. You get a few coins to pick a song from your very own jukebox at your own table. Good for lunch and dinner, but maybe even breakfast!




4) Ripley’s Believe it or Not (light blue)

I have never been here myself, but this is great for kids and adults who like weird and crazy unbelievable stuff.




5) In 'n Out (yellow)

Fastfood can be so gross, but In ‘n Out (only in California!) is truly delicious. Everything is prepared fresh and you can taste the difference. I always want to keep the palm tree-decorated cups and napkins.






6) Rainforest Café (purple)

Reasonably pricy, but worth a try. A restaurant completely decorated as rainforest. Including moving (fake) monkeys, elephants and snakes.






7) Ghirardelli (pink)

This used to be the chocolate factory of Ghirardelli, the chocolate of San Francisco. Nowadays it is a shopping mall with some little fun shops. Downstairs is a little café where you can get the yummiest ice cream, chocolate of course. I vaguely remember something about a big chocolate fountain or big bowl of chocolate. Lots of liquid brown gold at least!




Cable car hop on(Cable car logo)

Right next to Ghirardelli is the cable car hop on. There are often large waiting lines, so be early. This is a nice place to hop on, because the drivers turn the cable car around at this place.






Financial District



1 en 2) Embarcadero & Ferry Building (Ferry logo)

The Embarcadero actually is the large boulevard next to the bay. You can also find the Ferry Building here, the place where the ferries depart. (see other tips: Ferry) The Embarcadero is also the place where Market Street starts, the main street of SF which leads to the financial district with its New York-esque skyscrapers.






3) Hyatt Regency (dark blue)

The Hyatt Regency is a hotel in the Financial district. My prom was here! The main hall is really beautiful and you can take a ride on one of the glass elevators.






4) Market Street (big street diagonal on the map)

As previously mentioned is Market Street the artery of San Francisco. There are many shops, such as Old Navy, Virgin Megastore, Sephora, Urban Outfitters and Gap and a big shopping mall with American Eagle Outfitters and Abercrombie & Fitch amongst others. Again, here’s another cable car stop, on Market and Powell, next to the Urban Outfitters.






5) Union Square (red)

Union Square is the main square right behind Market Street. You can find some of the more expensive shops suchs as Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany, but also Macy’s; a big department store with a nice food cellar where you can get a good lunch. (tip: Get a Jamba Juice, delicious smoothies) On Union Square you can also find a large Borders (bookstore) and the Disney Store! (Both on the west side of this map)




6) Metreon (green)

Good for rainy days. Indoor shopping mall, but with random funny shops such as the Discovery Channel Store and a Sony Store. Also has a cinema.




7) Mel‘s Drive In (light blue)
Another classic diner. Also with coins and jukeboxes.




Yerba Buena Gardens en SFMOMA (yellow)

Nice park with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, photogenic architecture. Unfortunately, I’ve never been inside, never got around to visiting it. Will definitely do it this year! Apparently it’s got nice pop art collections and such.





Chinatown


I can’t give a detailed description of Chinatown as I’ve only ‘passed’ it a few times. It’s strange to see all these dead ducks dangling in the windows. Interesting detail: Fortune cookies did not originate from China, but from San Francisco. Here in Chinatown you can find the fortune cookie museum.






North Beach




North Beach is San Francisco’s Little Italy. Many tourist sights can be found here, but also a few less touristy things. Some tips:


1) Coit Tower (dark blue)

Named after Lillie Hitchcock Coit, this tower is based in North Beach at the Pioneer Park. Inside the tower are beautiful murals which were created during the New Deal in order to get artists back to work. The view over the bay is stunning.






2) Filbert Steps (red)

The Filbert Steps lead you from Telegraph Hill (next to Coit Tower) down to the Embarcadero. Nice stroll.




3) City Lights Bookstore (green)

Authentic bookstore, visited a lot by the beatniks in the 50s such as Jack Kerouac and Allan Ginsberg. Very nice bookstore!




4) Caffe Trieste (light blue)

Above mentioned beats sat down here for a drink in the 50s and 60s.




5) Lombard Street (yellow)

The crookedest street of San Francisco! Take your car and drive down the road with its crazy curves.






Haight & Ashbury




The hippie neighbourhood! This is one of my favourite spots in San Francisco. You can really feel that hippie vibe lingering around the shops and houses. Take the tram from Market Street (Muni line F, goes from Fish Wharf on the Embarcadero to the whole of Market until Castro, stop a bit earlier at Haight Street and walk from there)



Vintage shops
Vintage clothes and other strange gadgets can be found anywhere on Haight Street. I bought my prom dress in this street, in a little shop called Ambiance!






1) Haight & Ashbury sign (dark blue)

Although the original sign has been removed, you can still find the street signs of the Haight and Ashbury crossing. It’s also painted on the walls.







3) Amoeba (red)

Really nice big music store




4) Golden Gate Park (light blue)

Buy a bucket of mint & chocolate chip Dreyers icecream at the little supermarket (see green pinpoint) and sit down at Hippie Hill in the Golden Gate Park and make daisy chains for in your hair. Furthermore, you can take a nice stroll and do other park activities such as boating on Stow Lake, visiting the Young Museum of Art or the Arboretoreum, or go to the Japanese Tea Garden and Dutch Tulips Garden with windmill!





Castro and Mission





Castro is the gay district and Mission the latino district. They are relatively close to each other and are slightly less touristy than the rest of the SF neighbourhoods. Castro is full of rainbow flags and it has a nice atmosphere. Harvey Milk (of the recent movie) lived here as well and opened a photo and camera store (Castro Camera). The dark blue pinpoint is the Castro Theatre.






1) Balmy Alley

Tiny alley in Mission full of beautiful murals.







Other tips:

Alcatraz
I have personally never been to Alcatraz. I guess it’s just one of those touristy things you never end up doing when you live there. Apparently it is quite impressive. Book your tickets a day (or two) in advance and save some time in the waiting lines.




Palace of Fine Arts

On Marina Blvd you can find a nice park with the pretty Palace of Fine Arts





Golden Gate Bridge + Marin Headlands

Anyone visiting San Francisco cannot miss the Golden Gate Bridge. If you don’t have a car, just walk over it, but it’s much nicer to be able to drive a bit on to the Marin Headlands for some beautiful scenery! Also, if you are visiting San Francisco during the summer, don't be disappointed if the bridge and bay are covered in fog. This is normal for this time of the year. Actually, the best time to travel is the fall, during September and October the temperature in the city may be much higher than during the summer. It is normally much warmer in Marin than in the city too, the temperature may differ from 50/60 in the city to 80/90 in the county!






Ferry to Sausalito of Larkspur

I always give this tip to people because I always enjoy this boat ride a lot! From the ferry building at the Embarcadero you can take the ferry to Sausalito (artsy and lovely village across the bay) or Larkspur. (and have dinner at the Marin Brewery) This way you get to see the bay and the city (and the Bay Bridge Golden Gate Bridge!) from the water (really nice views!) and you enter the county in which I have lived!




Ocean Beach

On the west side of San Francisco you can find Ocean Beach. It also border the Golden Gate Park.




SF Zoo

If you have some time left (whether with or without kids) you can visit the SF Zoo, which is a very nice zoo.

[klaus]

Mooie tips Georgie, bedankt!

Ivm de Golden Gate, het is wel leuk om een fiets te huren en zo Marin County te gaan verkennen (Bike the bridge). Je kunt er oa huren bij Blazing Saddles. Let wel op, ze zetten een borgsom vast op je credictcard, afhankelijk van de fiets. Wij hebben voor 2 fietsen bijv $1000 moeten laten vastzetten die uiteraard weer vrijkomen na inlevering van de fietsen. Zorg dus dat je nog genoeg saldo over hebt.

[Stan.Gobien]

$1000

tegen dat wij in SF zijn is onze card al aardig dicht tegen z'n limiet denk ik.
Toch nog maar eens goed nadenken over de limiet !

[Carlala]

Super!!!
En bedankt dat je me hiervoor tipte op mijn web-log!!
Duurt nog wel even voordat we er zijn, we zijn nu in Needles en gaan richting grand canyon!

[Stan.Gobien]

Heb al copy/paste in mijn reis documentatie. bedankt !

[Georgie]

Onwijs leuke tip om te fietsen ipv auto of wandelen over de GG, Klaus. Wel erg onhandig van die borg, dat wel. (Vooral omdat mijn limiet op m'n CC maar 1000 is ) Marin zit sowieso vol fietspaden, dus dat moet geen probleem zijn. Ik zit zelf over een maandje ongeveer in SF en hoop naast de dingen die ik al zo vaak heb gezien en gedaan toch ook nieuwe dingen te ontdekken. Deze zal ik later ook toevoegen.

[Walnic]

1000 dollar voor 2 fietsen. Wij willen deze zomer met 5 man fietsen huren, dus ik hoop niet dat dat betekent dat we 2500 dollar moeten neertellen. Dit hebben we aan het eind van de vakantie vast niet meer over op de creditcard. Weet iemand of je nog ergens anders fietsen kan huren waar de borg wat normaler geregeld wordt.
Nicole

[nakedrunner]

Wij hebben vorig jaar ook gefietst in SF echt heel tof maar een beetje fysiek is wel vereist. Wij hebben onze fiets bij Bike en roll gehuurd en die kun je vooraf boeken op hun site of terplaatse maar op de mapje van SF die in de meeste hotels liggen kun je een bon vinden van 5$ korting per fiets die je huurt.Bij het online boeken is die korting direct verrekent maar je hebt dan ook kans als je je fiets van te voor boekt dat je op een regenachtige dag mag gaan fietsen.En ik geloof dat ze bij ons maar 100$ borg op onze visa gezet hadden,die ze enkel crediteren als je de fiets niet terug brengt natuurlijk
http://www.bikerental.com/sanfrancisco/ ... ntals.html

[klaus]

Na wat reviews te lezen over Blazing Saddles blijkt het merendeel toch slechte service gekregen te hebben. Buiten de zware borg hebben wij geen klagen gehad. Bike & Roll lijkt me een betere keuze.

De hoeveelheid borg hangt ook af van welk type fiets je neemt.

We had some friends come into town so we rented bikes with them and rode over the Golden Gate. The ride was stunning, but the bikes sucked. My bike was terribly heavy and I had to pedal so hard at all times just to make the thing go. It was a really uncomfortable ride and I hated the bike at every minute of it. Also, the service was bad (the people were rude), the bikes were WAY overpriced, and we had to get insurance of like $200 bucks per bike (which was $1000 on my fiance's credit card for the 5 of us). I was honestly really embarassed that we were in our own city of San Francisco and that this was the service we received.

[CrosstownWoman]

Oeh! leuke tips! Ik ga ook een paar dagen naar SF, dus heb nu wel wat ideetjes!

Thankjoeee!

[Hanny65]

bedankt voor de tips. super

[Sing]

Super tips! Die gaan weer in de Google Maps.. valt niets meer te zien door alle stipjes

[Marjol]

Ik gooi er ook nog even een tip in.

Het leukste wat wij gedaan hebben in SF was de Segway Tour met City Segway Tours. Een drie uur durende tocht per segway door San Francisco. Bij deze organisatie werken ze met kleine groepjes, max. 6. Wij waren maar met z'n tweeën, dus hadden een privé tour.

Ik vond het echt een super ervaring en ondanks dat het niet goedkoop is ($70) zou ik het iedereen willen aanraden!

[Walnic]

Nog een adres voor fietsen : www.baycitybike.com. Weet niet hoe de borg is of het bedrijf zelf. Wij gaan komende zomer pas voor de 1e keer die kant op, maar de kids willen heel graag over de Golden Gate Bridge fietsen, dus zijn we druk op zoek naar adressen. Blazing Saddles wordt het dus niet, die gooi ik uit mijn favorieten.
Nicole

[Georgie]

Ha zo''n segway is wel cool inderdaad. Is het niet vermoeiend, de hele tijd staan o; zo'n ding? Minder vermoeiend dan lopen natuurlijk, maar omdat je in een houding staat steeds..