San Francisco

[ringtail]

Planet Granite San Francisco in the Presidio by the Golden Gate Bridge. CLIMBING WALLS

Farallon Islands Whale Watching from San Francisco, where you might get to see Great White Sharks (as well as whales)

Haight Ashbury Hippy Culture Walking Tour - San Francisco

Grateful Dead Tour, San Francisco

the Ferry Building (eat here)

Levi Strauss & Co - Factory Tour

Beat (nick) museum (Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, etc)

City Lights Books (Lawerence Ferlengheti's, hub of beatnicks, etc)

Various Philo Farnsworth things (he invented television while he was a teenager)

Vedanta Society of Northern California, interesting, unusual

Green Gulch Farm - San Francisco Zen Center, ditto

Fisherman’s Warf, Pier 39, and Ghirardelli Square

Walk up Coit Tower (fee)

Chinatown - just go all through Chinatown

Go over to tour UC Berkeley, and the science visitor's center on the hill above it

Visit California Institute of Integral Studies (succesor of Academy of Asian Studies, e.g, Alan Watts)

In case $$$ runs short, then Whole Foods in SOMA is also a delicious place to eat.

 

[ringtail]

Hmm, intriguing. Can I bring a girl? :hmm:

KT

In San Fran you can only bring a girl if you are a girl.

 

[Sephire]

In San Fran you can only bring a girl if you are a girl.

 

[ManyBeers]

972 Kansas St. Don't miss it. Potrero Hill
235 Benton Ave. Another treat. St. Mary's park is right there. The neighborhood is shaped like a bell if you look at a map. Mission St. and 280

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Elephant Sushi was really good, but just make sure that you don't try to walk there from the wharf. I don't care how close it looks on the map.

 

[SSSnail]

Fuck! Nooooo! Any recommendations for other art galleries??
KT

If you're into arts and stuff, check out Legion of Honor, small art gallery but worth visiting, then enjoy the awesome view of the GG bridge and SF Bay inlet from there.

Also, go to the Golden Gate park to see the Japanese Tea Garden, and De Young Museum, pretty much in the same spot.

If you're planning to get out to The Cliff House at Ocean Beach, book dinner at Beach Chalet and enjoy the sunset. It's breathtaking.

 

[zinfamous]

If you're into arts and stuff, check out Legion of Honor, small art gallery but worth visiting, then enjoy the awesome view of the GG bridge and SF Bay inlet from there.

Also, go to the Golden Gate park to see the Japanese Tea Garden, and De Young Museum, pretty much in the same spot.

De Young is good; and it's right across the parking lot from Academy o' Science

 

[RossMAN]

We might be in the Bay area in late summer, to track down zin of course.

Any good food truck recommendations?

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Another vote for bourbon and Branch. Also, come check out Haight Ashbury.

 

[KeithTalent]

Awesome, I'll be there on the 14th. PM me your cell or some way to contact you and I'll hit you up. I'll be with some randos but I can dip out for a beer at least.

PM sent!

Hey--we have one of these over in Berkeley now. Would that make a Canuck feel more at home?


(just kidding--I've been there, and can only assume that it is considered low rent and gross to a Canadian)

Haha, Smoke's! I've actually never tried it, but they are all over the place here. So are you a poutine guy now after trying that?

The bike ride over the bridge is nice. My bike commute to work follows a chunk of the same route the bike rental places have the tourists use. Pic from yesterday:

It probably won't be that clear when you're there. Yesterday was particularly clear, which is why I bothered to take a (crappy) pic. The climb up to the bridge is the toughest part. There's one small climb before that, then you go downhill after the bridge to Sausalito.



If you visit the Exploratorium, be sure to reserve some time in the Tactile Dome. Crawling around a mazelike thing in pitch dark is really cool.

I showed your pic to my friend and she literally squealed with excitement.

Planet Granite San Francisco in the Presidio by the Golden Gate Bridge. CLIMBING WALLS

Farallon Islands Whale Watching from San Francisco, where you might get to see Great White Sharks (as well as whales)

Haight Ashbury Hippy Culture Walking Tour - San Francisco

Grateful Dead Tour, San Francisco

the Ferry Building (eat here)

Levi Strauss & Co - Factory Tour

Beat (nick) museum (Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, etc)

City Lights Books (Lawerence Ferlengheti's, hub of beatnicks, etc)

Various Philo Farnsworth things (he invented television while he was a teenager)

Vedanta Society of Northern California, interesting, unusual

Green Gulch Farm - San Francisco Zen Center, ditto

Fisherman’s Warf, Pier 39, and Ghirardelli Square

Walk up Coit Tower (fee)

Chinatown - just go all through Chinatown

Go over to tour UC Berkeley, and the science visitor's center on the hill above it

Visit California Institute of Integral Studies (succesor of Academy of Asian Studies, e.g, Alan Watts)

In case $$$ runs short, then Whole Foods in SOMA is also a delicious place to eat.

Thanks for all of this. Made note and will add some things to my list. :thumbsup:

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

I'm just gonna leave this here.

Ugh, just clicked that at work.

972 Kansas St. Don't miss it. Potrero Hill
235 Benton Ave. Another treat. St. Mary's park is right there. The neighborhood is shaped like a bell if you look at a map. Mission St. and 280

Cool, thanks man. Noted.

If you're into arts and stuff, check out Legion of Honor, small art gallery but worth visiting, then enjoy the awesome view of the GG bridge and SF Bay inlet from there.

Also, go to the Golden Gate park to see the Japanese Tea Garden, and De Young Museum, pretty much in the same spot.

If you're planning to get out to The Cliff House at Ocean Beach, book dinner at Beach Chalet and enjoy the sunset. It's breathtaking.

Definitely into art and with the MOMA out of commission, I certainly need some alternatives. I'll look into these; thanks!

KT

 

[zinfamous]

Haha, Smoke's! I've actually never tried it, but they are all over the place here. So are you a poutine guy now after trying that?


KT

no, it was pretty awful; but then a Canadophile explained that it was an awful example, anyway--gravy was bland--like from a powder.

 

[zinfamous]

We might be in the Bay area in late summer, to track down zin of course.

Any good food truck recommendations?

D:

That famous NYC Halal truck is supposed to show up in SF at some point, not sure when...there are a few foodtruck spots in Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito throughout the week. There are more in SF, I'm sure...I forget where they hang out.

My favorite is the taco truck next to my place (Albany/basically Berkeley). Did I mention my closet?

 

[KeithTalent]

no, it was pretty awful; but then a Canadophile explained that it was an awful example, anyway--gravy was bland--like from a powder.

Yeah, the gravy is key. You can put all of that other weird shit on it, but if you do not have a solid fry and gravy base, it is going to suck.

KT

 

[IAteYourMother]

the drive to Napa is nice

 

[zinfamous]

the drive to Napa is nice

It truly is

 

[Imported]

It truly is

I normally avoid going the Golden Gate Bridge route.. only times I hit traffic is trying to go through Berkeley. We make the trip once every few months.. though it'll be more often in the first half of this month since we're getting married up there in a couple months.

That being said.. I almost always take Silverado going through the area too. Much less congested.

 

[Imported]

We might be in the Bay area in late summer, to track down zin of course.

Any good food truck recommendations?

My favorites are:

Chairman
Curry Up Now
RoliRoti - skip the chicken. Get the porchetta sandwich.
BaconBacon
Frozen Kuhsterd
El Tonayense

 

[skyking]

We sneaked into Napa from the north and never got into that crap traffic. We may be heading that way in March as well, depending on wife's work. it may coincide with all the rest of you, who knows?

 

[K1052]

I normally avoid going the Golden Gate Bridge route.. only times I hit traffic is trying to go through Berkeley. We make the trip once every few months.. though it'll be more often in the first half of this month since we're getting married up there in a couple months.

That being said.. I almost always take Silverado going through the area too. Much less congested.

The majority of times its actually fine, pretty much always take the 101 since it's a slightly more scenic drive than the east bay and to hit up the In and Out in Mill Valley on the way.

The two cases of wine I brought back last weekend are whispering to my bank account that I should go less often.

 

[Imported]

The majority of times its actually fine, pretty much always take the 101 since it's a slightly more scenic drive than the east bay and to hit up the In and Out in Mill Valley on the way.

The two cases of wine I brought back last weekend are whispering to my bank account that I should go less often.

My issue is getting through 19th Ave to get to the GGB. I hate that road.

 

[Ns1]

That famous NYC Halal truck is supposed to show up in SF at some point, not sure when...

they're expanding everywhere. i can't wait (assuming it's as good as the OG and within 25% of the price)

 

[Platypus]

We sneaked into Napa from the north and never got into that crap traffic. We may be heading that way in March as well, depending on wife's work. it may coincide with all the rest of you, who knows?

Let me know, we'll be in Sonoma around this time period too.

 

[K1052]

My issue is getting through 19th Ave to get to the GGB. I hate that road.

Yea, that can be a bitch. Usually not coming from that direction since we are in the city. Hopefully they'll wrap up the construction through the presidio sometime before the end of the decade also.

 

[skyking]

Let me know, we'll be in Sonoma around this time period too.

We will be going to San Francisco proper this time, staying at a B&B.
Looking to get into and out of there on the weekend. I am assuming weekday traffic is magnitudes worse? I know it will have traffic 24/7, just looking to avoid the nasty stuff.
It will be the first weekend of a California driving tour.