SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco is shockingly cold. You might go expecting warm weather, but chances are that you’ll end up investing in a sweater. Travel 20 minutes out of the city though, and you’ll be out in the sun.
Staying downtown is pretty ideal since you can purchase a MUNI pass (good for 3-7 days) as soon as you get into town. This lets you use the busses and cable cars in the city as often as you wish for a set price. The city is very hilly, so walking everywhere will prove to be very difficult.
If you want to save some money you can get a hotel closer to the airport. Simply take the BART or Sam Trans KX Line to get downtown SF.
FISHERMANS WHARF
The liveliest place to be and a great place to start your trip. If you like crab, go to the Wharf. They have all kinds of grub. Stands along FW are great for clam chowder & Dungeness Crab. Try Boudin’s or ‘Franciscan Crab Restaurant if you want to sit down. Close to the Wharf is the very weird looking Lombard Street. If you’re a chocolate lover you’ll have to go to Ghiradelli Square for a sundae or milkshake. In fact, you might want to start at Ghiradelli square so that you can make your way to Pier 39. Pier 39 is a beautiful festival marketplace full of shops and touristy restaurants like Bubba Gumps. This is also where you can find sea lions and the aquarium.
From the Wharf, you’ll either want to head to the Golden Gate Bridge or the Ferry building (opposite directions). I recommend saving the GG bridge along with the GG park for a whole other day. The park is a short bus ride (but a very long walk) away from the start of the GG bridge. The park is bigger than central park and beautiful, but you have to pay for almost all the attractions. I suggest the deYoung Museum, Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden.
If you don’t care about the park, you can walk the bridge and take the ferry back to the Ferry Building. The Ferry building Is full of delicious restaurants. The Slanted Door is a personal fave, but the fish tacos at Gott’s to Go are hard to resist. Hog Island Oyster Co (Ferry Building) has the best oysters. Go Mondays and Thurs between 5-7pm for $1 oysters happy hour.
If you’re interested in Alcatraz, BOOK EARLY. Its very hard to get tickets when you want them. You’ll probably have to book at least 1-2 weeks in advance.
The Haight
The Haight Ashburry area is a nice stop after the park. Its full of exclusive boutiques, high-end vintage clothing shops, second-hand stores, hip restaurants. Best time to go is during the day, avoid weekends since it gets crowded. Perfect for breakfast before Golden Gate Park. For fresh and cheap food served on skewers try Asqew Grill (1607 Haight). Veggie friendly too! Fun décor and atmosphere. Three other nice places for affordable grub are Ploy Thai Cuisine (Cozy consistent Thai, 1770 H.), Chabela (Good veggie burritos, 1801 Haight) and Naan N’ Cutney (Indian Food, 525 Haight). For a more colorful eatery look out for El Balazo (1654 Haight). Good for homemade tamales and cactus burritos.
China Town
A must visit. Snap a pic @ Bush Ave China Town Dragon Gate. See where the fortune cookie was invented at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (56 Ross Alley) and buy some tea at Red Blossom Tea Company (831 Grant Ave). For Dim Sum, Yank Sing outside of China town is probably your best bet. City View is a great option for Dim Sum though. Very popular. House of Nanking (919 Kearny St) is one of the better restaurants in Chinatown, but still pretty hit and miss. Trust the waiters when they recommend a special.
Little Italy in North Beach is really close by. Not much to look at, but home to some great restaurants and bars. Tony’s Pizza makes great pies using a variety of different pizza ovens. For a cool experience try the garlic loving Stinking Rose.
UNION SQUARE
Not much to tell you. If you want to shop, this is probably where you will go. Outdoor shopping, tons of stores like Macy’s, Apple, and Sak’s to name a few.
MISSION DISTRICT
The heart of San Francisco’s predominantly Latino neighborhood is 24th Street, a colorful collection of authentic restaurants, taquerias (El Farolito Taqueria a favorite), Mexican bakeries, produce markets, specialty shops and murals. Mission Dolores at 16th and Dolores streets is the oldest structure in San Francisco (many of San Francisco’s Spanish pioneers are buried on the site). Two blocks away on Dolores and 18th St., the palm tree studded Dolores Park still has a Spanish flavor.
A favorite for Indian is Dosa. It’s more of a trendy atmosphere and more expensive, but has some really fabulous South Indian food and great mixed wine drinks.
Possible Side Trip
If you have time, I suggest you rent a car and head into Napa or Sonoma Valley for wine tasting. If you head to Napa, Whitehall Lane is a nice little winery, and Rutherford Hill gives tours of its wine caves (just make sure to call ahead and reserve). Robert Mondavi had a great tour as well.
Saturday evening (12-3:30) is the perfect time to enjoy a picnic at the beautiful V. Sattui. Either bring your own food or enjoy their fabulous weekend bbq. They have a terrific selection of wines and cheeses inside, complete with a deli.
