OT: Anyone from San Francisco? Know San Francisco?

I'm not from SF, but somewhat nearby in the same state- I've been going there since I was a kid....the mountains ( The Sierras- is that what you were talking about?) are roughly 4 hours away- past Sacramento, so no real way to get there from the City in an hour unless maybe you fly into?
There are some nice areas around there- There are some coastal mountains nearby- not sure of the driving distance though...Napa- Bodega Bay ( where "The Birds" was filmed) Marin
(where San Quentin is)
I'm sure somewhere in SF, you can find a tour of a winery or Wine Country day trip around the Napa area- very pretty out there.

SF is known for its French Bread, Ghiradelli Chocolate, Rice A Roni and earthquakes...I have no doubt you 'll be earthquake safe ( its rare, but of course I cant promise anything), but do indulge in a taste of the city...
The area of SF can keep you pretty busy-
Union Square has lots of stores- everything from Levi to Neiman Marcus, etc. Trendy and a bit pricey.
Pier 39- Interesting shops, restaurants, some 'touristy' stuff, but overall, pretty fun. There is an Aquarium and an arcade at Pier 39 as well. At the end of the pier is where sea lions have camped out for years on the docks...really fun to watch them and a popular attraction.
Fisherman's warf- Again,lots of shops, restaurants, things like Wax Museum, Ripleys Believe it or not- a great place for souveniers/touristy stuff. Fishermans Warf and Pier 39 are close together, basically within walking distance. Both of these have street vendors, street performers, etc...but heads up...also somewhat of a targtet area for theives- NOT to make you paranoid, but just be aware of your surroundings and play it safe. Lots of tourists there, so of course theives will be on the lookout for vulnerable prey, as they are everywhere.
From Fisherman's Warf you can see Alcatraz- the infamous Island Prison that's been the highlight of several movies...its an interesting tour( can get tickets at the pier), not terribly expensive if I remember- tour the cells, the guard housing, learned how the families lived. I think its worth it- a boat takes you out there, so you can get a different view of the city.
Chinatown- Not knowing other chinatowns, I'm going to guess this is a pretty typical Chinese Influenced neighborhood? I've heard comparitavely its extremely authentic- I've never known any other Aisian based areas like that, so I always assumed it was truly the real thing...definitely seems like it.
Japantown- again, I liked this area, shopping, dining, etc. its pretty cool.

Golden Gate Park is awesome too- I once heard someone say its like a mini Central Park...HUGE, and really pretty. All kinds of botanical gardens and whatnot.

Palace of Fine Arts- never been there myself, oh, yeah, when I was about 4 I did...but I've heard its definitly worth visiting.
Exploratorium- I'm not sure this is unique to Frisco, but its interesting. I know other places have these as well.
The SF Zoo of course -- famous for Albino gators.
You can also take a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge for some excercise- that's a popular activity.
You should also take a cable car!! They are really fun and totally safe. Driving in SF can be hectic, depending on where you are from(NY drivers tend to think its mild-LA drivers relate to the traffic)...Most visitors I know prefer not to drive in the city, but I like the challenge, myself. Its fast, rude and generally crazy and busy for the most part...if you drive anywhere, be sure to allow plenty of time for traffic, pretty much any time of the day.

Shows: Beach Blanket Babylon- check out the website (www.beachblanketbabylon.com) REALLY funny poking fun at everything and anything.

I hope I didnt scare you off- SF is truly a WONDERFUL and AMAZING city. Like I said, I've been going there all my life (my dad grew up there/g'ma and sisters lived there) so I know it well and have been thousands of times- literally. and I always want to go back. It never gets old, never gets boring and is changing constantly. Its busy, interesting and jam packed with history that is oh so cool. I've never known anyone not to fall in love with the city and want to go back more and more and more. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, but you've probably done some research already, so I hope upi have a great time!! Let me know if there's anything else you want to know!!

Best food in the world, AJ!

Wear some comfortable shoes so you can walk up those hills & burn it off! :laugh:

The wharf, Alcatraz, Chinatown* are all definitely worth seeing. Fun city, you'll have a great time!


*Don't go to Chinatown first thing in the morning. The dead fish smell & blood will knock you over sideways! :sick: :sick: (From lessons Shannon's learned with a hangover!) :embarassed:

You could go to John Muir Woods and climb Mt Tam (tamalpais). It's just a half hour north of the city, and you'll see redwoods. I haven't been there myself yet & I've been living near for 3 years :grumble:
Enjoy!

The BEST seafood restaurant in "The City" is Scomas on Pier 47. They have a huge menu, and calamari that melts in your mouth. It is always my first choice.
www.scomas.com

Mountains may be a bit of a challenge for you, as the snow is about 2 plus hours away. For being in the City, I'd recommend going thru the Presidio (great museum up there), and work your way down highway 1. If you follow the scenic drive signs, you'll can either work thru one of the following:

1. Go down the 280 to tthe 92 and cutover towards Half Moon Bay. You can either take a left on the 35 (Skyline Blvd) and go down to the 84 Junction, grab some eats there, take a right on the 84 and go down to Pescadero, then either take a right on Hwy 1 back to the City, or go south to Santa Cruz.

Or,

2. Stay on the 1 and do a "Lighthouse" run. Visiting at least three of the lighthouses on your way to Santa Cruz. You can come back up the 17, stop off in Mt. Hermon and eat up in the Santa Cruz Mtns in Felton; work your way back up North on the 17 into the 880, then take the 101 North back into SF.

I take it you like views from the mountain; therefore, you may want to head up north on the 1/101 onto Golden Gate Bridge, and get some views of Sausalito, and work your way in the hills to Mt. Tamalpias State Park.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=golden+gate+bridge&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

One last option for this post is since you may be interested in close activities, and you don't mind the water, you may want to take the ferry to Angel Island and do a lunch an hike over there. The water is a bit too cold for Kayaking, but a hike and Lunch is always fun.

Last, last, option, is to hike through Golden Gate Park. Great times, a new Museum and Acquatic area...Tea Garden, Stow Lake...hey! What am I doing at work???

Have a great time!!! Cheers!

I'll third that recommendation for Scomas....then again, depending on your budget, you really can't go too wrong on the Wharf.

Every once in a while, just going to the wharf and grabbing some seafood from the street-side cooks of these restaurants is very good. Grab some sour dough bread, a bottle of wine...

...hey, I gotta stop thinking about the Wharf! Ciao'

I haven't heard of the slanted door, but I very highly recommend the Carnelian Room- the food and the views are just amazing. It's also maybe a block from where you are staying. Take heed o fthe warnings about cold- the Bay being right here keeps the humidity high and the fog makes it COLD COLD COLD.

Lou is right about the wharf- it is worth saving your calories all day to have clam chowder in a bread bowl from Boudin's. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. (but please dont feed the seagulls- flying rats!)

I have been to San Francisco a couple of times. I really liked This City despite the fact that the first time I visited I got scared to drive there. Some of the streets looked as if they where built on top of hills lol… but you get the hang of it after a while.

Anyways, I remember dining at the Rain Forest Cafe. If you like you can check out this web site to learn more about them and the food they serve. www.rainforestcafe.com/

Also if you like leather you will be able to get some pretty good deal there. I did. Enjoy your trip.

RainForest is okay, but it is touristy and kitschy and not really a good example of authentic San Francisco. It's a chain restaurant whose menu is on par with Applebee's that has a bunch of animatronic animals and rainforest decor. Looks like the Jungle RIde at Disneyland. But they have them in LA and Vegas, and they are really overpriced (imho) for what you get.

Assurance must be referring to Lombard St. aka "The Crookedest Street in America" It is very steep and full of switchback turns. Pretty neat, but scary to drive down.

AJ I would not worry about an earthquake :laugh: they are really not very common- you'll be fine. I guarantee that you will want to come back, because the city is a place you cannot see all of in just a few days- I hope you have lots of fun- come back and tell us all about your adventure-

And if you go down to the Wharf, look out for the Bushman!!:laugh: