Spending a weekend in San Francisco, any tourist advice?

I live in southern California. I've never been to San Francisco, at least not right in town. My good friend who lives on the east coast is going to be there and I plan to fly up for a weekend and hang out with her. I'd like to get a room and hang around downtown and/or wherever the fun, touristy stuff is. Anyone have any advice as to where to stay, where to eat, what to visit? :shrug: By the way, I am not wealthy, and though I don't want to stay at a Motel 6, I would like to get a relatively good price at a decent hotel. Same for the food. I need to stay within a budget but hope to find some good eats I can afford.

Oh, and is there a metro or what? I need to get back and forth from Oakland Airport. Of course I am researching all of this, but advice from any DUer familiar with the area would be valued.

you may be able to find some deals online. i stayed at the westin market for $99. it's in the financial district, so there's not a lot of touristy stuff to do (seems like all the bars closed at midnite), but you're a 15 minute walk from the wharf. the public transport in the bay area is among the best in the nation. lots of bus lines, and yes, they do have a train. the BART will get your to and from the airport.

you'll really like it up here. i'm staying in hayward for a couple more days after backpacking around point reyes for the week. doing some turista stuff later today. finally going to check out alcatraz!

That's more down my line that hanging around in the city, but my friend is kind of a girly type, so......

Thanks for the info, I figured they would have great transportation there. So the wharf is a good area to check out?

It was lovely at the time, but I have heard the city is not quite as "livable" as it used to be... that its quality of life has deteriorated greatly... but of course I cannot confirm or deny this because I haven't visited SF in 30 years.

There's a shuttle from the Oakland Airport to BART. BART will you take right into downtown San Francisco. Around San Francisco you take MUNI (consider getting a day pass) via busses, the Muni Metro (underground train) or Cable Cars. It's a great walking city. My favorite neighborhood is North Beach - great cafes and inexpensive restaurants. My favorites are Tosca's, Sodini's Green Valley Restaurant and Tommasos (google 'em). Can't help you with hotels (it's been too long since I lived there) but you might find some affordable rates along Lombard Street. It puts you in the Marina close to Chestnut and Union Streets, other great neighborhoods in which to hang.

Pack layered clothing (summers are usually cold and windy). And good walking shoes. Enjoy.

I do want to eat at some places with atmosphere and good food but can't afford to pay out the whazzoo for it. I'll definitely check out North Beach. Maybe I can find a room nearby. My friend and I are splitting, so we should be able to afford something not too far from downtown.

It's so hot down here in SoCal, I might have forgotten to pack a jacket, so thanks for that tip, too. :)

Guardian. That will give you all the info you need on restaurants, nightlife and politics

You can google youth hostels in SF - there's another one closer to the government center- definitely the thing to do. BART doesn't yet connect from the Oakland Airport but the buses do and they can take you to BART. Check out Valencia Street in the Mission and Telegraph in Berkeley . The best thing to do is rent a bike in addition to transit - bikes go on most transit options.

private rooms for less than 100 dollars, or bunks in a dorm for less. Make sure you have reservations. It is in the heart of things and very comfortable. I recommend Muir Woods in Marin.

If money is your thing then by all means stay in Cow Hollow or the marina district. Motels, but nice ones and the one at the corner of Divisidero and Lombard is cheap and the rooms are suites for some of the units.

Chestnut Street has Judy's, the best breakfast in the city.

That area is nice, both Chestnut and Union street have great restaurants all over. Greens is also in the Marina area and is considered the best vegetarian place in the world.


North Beach: Avoid The Stinking Rose. Rose Pistola is way better, but I love Steps of Rome myself. Hit up Vesuvio and Caffe Trieste and City Lights and touch where Kerouack and the beats hung out. Also the Beat museum is here too. And a great greasy spoon diner is Sam's, on Broadway across Columbus. The church is great to photograph too.

Powell steet, market street, Financial District, Union Square Shopping and tons of it. Neiman marcus, Sacs, all the big names. huge mall. Union Square is very nice to hang in too. The big Hotels are here and all the activity.

Impressionist show at SFMOMA right now in coordination with another impressionist show at the De Young in Golden gate park. MUST VISIT!

GG Park. the De Young is fabulous, one of the most interesting buildings I have ever seen. The exploratorium is all new, haven't been yet but a good place to see. the Hall of Flowers is incredible. The Japanese tea garden is nice too.

The Zoo, if you have never been to a big city zoo is great (just don't screw around with the tigers!)
Baker beach is nice to hang too. Lands end is nice and the ealk down to the old pools is fun. The view from the Beach Chalet is wonderful if the right weather conditions. Good beer too, good food too.

The lower Haight is great Tornado is one fo the ebst beer bars in the wrold. All kinds 100's of them. Rosamunde sausage and Memphis Minnies are cheap places nearby...

Upper Haight (near the park and Kezar)is sweet to. magnolia brewery is my fave as is the Pork store. be ware of kids offering you anything, most likely it is burn. Lost of old school head shops mixed in with street people and trendy botiques.

The Embarcadero: The ferry building, Nice place, great restaurants (kind of pricey)and some very unique stores like the mushroom store or the caviar store. All artesian stuff in here including a fresh fish market. A farmers market out front. Headed to the ballpark, the walk is nice, lots so art and stuff on the way. Reds java Hut is great, nice place to pre game for the Giants. Great burgers. The ballpark is great, a very nice place to see a game. The 21st Amendment is a great place to pregame too, (Brew pub).

Going the otehr way is the Wharf and Pier 39. If you must you must. Some decent places here, but still the prices are high and the quality not all that.

By Ghirardelli square is Buena Vista inn, home of the best irish Coffee in the world Or so they say. Also a cable car terminus.

Chinatown. Be sure to look in the shops, lots of real cool art mixed in with the trinkets. The carvings are outstanding, even the ivory (bad I know)...Yank Sing and Mayflower are probably the best places in Chinatown, but I like Sammy Woos cuz it is so different. The Empress of China has great view and prices to match. Almost every place now in Chinatown has dim sum so beware..

The murals inside the Coit tower are great. Also on the way there are the birds of Telegrpah Hill.

My favorite coffee joint is Java Beach... there is one by Baker Beach and one by the zoo.''be sure to check out the dining room at the Palace Hotel (financial district) even if you don't eat there (PRICEY!!) be sure to check it out. the walk from Powell Street to the Embarcadero is great. All the open spaces and building design are really something. Lottes fountain is down here too...
.

Walk over the Golden Gate bridge. There are buses that go there (check the Muni website); there are also places near the bridge where you can climb over Cold War and WWII gun emplacements.

Climb a street or three. There's a book, Stairway Walks in San Francisco, that lists a lot of the hidden staircases.

Walk along the Marina to Fisherman's Wharf. At the wharf, there's a US National Historical Park (or maybe it's a marine park) that has a museum about the maritime history of the area.

The DeYoung and SFMoMa are free the first Tuesday of the month. Other museums have different free days. Their worth paying for, though.

It's right on the streetcar line, next to a cafe and across the highway from the beach, a block from GG Park. It's not fancy but you might get a good price there. Worth checking out.

You can use the BART to get to the Oakland airport, however it kinda sucks because you need to take an Oakland Airport shuttle bus from the BART station to the actual OAK airport. Not the most convinent but it works.

Try this hotel:
http://www.metrohotelsf.com/
Not bad for SF if you want to stay in a safe but fucking awesome part of the city.

great place to stay out by Ocean Beach and the Cliff House. Nice place - more quiet and out of the way. You can always catch the 38 Geary bus downtown if you like. :)

http://www.sealrockinn.com/

View from the Seal Rock Inn FYI:

have drinks in the Tonga Room. Sadly it's gone now.

There are a lot of great Peruvian Cevicheria's opening up now around the city.

:hi:

I have a lot of friends and relatives living in the area still, but it is a long drive for me to get there.

I lived in SF for about 20 years and maybe some day I'll return. It sure is expensive to live in SF and you need a pretty big income to make a go of it. My g/f that lives there was telling me she paid $15.00 for a sandwich! :wtf:

Sorry to hear that the Tonga Room is gone now. I sure used to like to go to some of those places downtown in the olden days as I call them.

to the Oakland Airport.

when did BART start going out to SFO? I wish I'd known this. I can fly into SFO from where I live and it isn't a long flight either.

Thanks for the info.! :D

Oakland is another possibility as I have friends living not far from there. :D

Thanks again!

http://redvic.net/

Welcome to the Red Vic Peace Center
As a living landmark and modern peace enterprise the 100 year old Red Victorian Bed & Breakfast sits in the heart of the historic Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco. Its 18 themed guest rooms and bathrooms pay homage to the 1967 Summer of Love and to our non-profit Peaceful World Foundation’s mission of teaching, learning and modeling peace by bringing together travelers from around the world. Centrally located, with quick access to all major SF attractions, the Red Vic Peace Center offers its guests a uniquely complete San Francisco experience.

A visit to City Lights bookstore is required.

A great baseball experience!

and get some nature in. Lots of amazing scenery over the mountain on the West side of town.

Leave Sac, get to Fisherman's wharf in 2 1/2 hours for 23 bucks one way.
Sure beats driving & parking fees. Cabs in SF are about 15 bucks to anywhere
in the city.