San Francisco, CA, USA

[LuNaR]

i dont feel like typing up a whole page summarizing everything since u guys can probably find it on google anyways but if u are coming to san fran and need help on like where to get good food/shopping/entertainment or cheap things, then just post here and i'll respond to it

[jay_z]

Three Days in San Francisco


Day 1: Castro District, Haight-Asbury (home of the hippies), Golden Gate Park, SF Shopping Center

Get to Market Street, hop on the F trolley, which takes you to Castro District. Don't be surprise seeing guys holding other guys' hands, girls holding other girls' hand. This is San Francisco and Castro District is the home turf of the largest gays/lesbians/transexuals/transgenders in the world.

After walking around the district, now go to Haight-Ashbury, home of hippies. At the corner of Castro St/Market St., hop on #24 bus and get off at Haight St. Get off #24 bus and get on #71 bus. Get off at Masonic St.

Once done with Haight-Ashbury, go to Golden Gate Park. At Haight St, hop back on #71 bus and get off Lincoln and 9th Ave. (If hungry, lunch at Park Chow. After getting off the bus, turn left and walk half a block.) Turn right and walk into the park. Check out Golden Gate Park (Japanese Tea Garden, De Young Museum, and Stow Lake).

After Golden Gate Park, get out to Lincoln St and walk 2 blocks up to Judha St to take the N street car back to Market St.

If want to visit San Francisco City Hall, get off at Civic Center Station. Stherwise, continue on to Powell Station. Get off Powell Station and walk toward Powell St up to the street level.


source: sf chronicle

Apple Store is across the street from Virgin Megastore, on 4th and Ellis St, which is just a block away from Powell St.



Day 2: Golden Gate Bridge, Legion of Honor, California St, and Embarcadero St

Get to Geary St. and hop on #38 bus. Get off on Park Presidio or 14th Ave and walk across the street to Park Presidio and take #28 bus to Golden Gate Bridge.


source: Aaron Logan

After GGB, Take bus #29, get off at California St and hop on bus #18 to Palace of Legion of Honor.

After Legion of Honor, take #18 bus down or walk down to Clement St. Take #1 bus to Van Ness Ave. Get off and walk 2 blocks right and take the California St Cable Car all the way to the end.

Walk to Market St, go on the F trolley going towards the bay. It will go around The Embarcadero and under the Bay Bridge.

Dinner at Houston's and enjoy some cool cocktails and good steaks and slow-cooked ribs.



Day 3: Chinatown, Transamerica Building, North Beach/Washingtown Square, Coit Tower, Levi's Plaza, Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard St

Get to Bush St/Grant St. See this chinatown gate:


Start walk up Grant St and see many souvenir shops. Nothing worth buying imo. When get to Washington St, turn left and walk up half a block and see alley.



See the home of the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

Walk through the alley, turn right and walk down 3 blocks down. See Transamerica Pyramid, the symbol of San Francisco.

Then walk up on Columbus Ave. and check out the famous City Lights bookstore.

Continue walking on Columbus Ave., will be North Beach. North Beach used to be home of Italian but is now mixed with many Asian. Nevertheless, all the Italian restaurants are here. If hungry, eat at The Stinking Rose or Panta Rei.

If continue walking, see Washington Square Park. Turn right and walk up Filbert St (see photo) to Coit Tower.



Once done with Coit Tower, walk down to Stockton St and walk towards the bay to Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf. Hard Rock Cafe, USS Pampanito the submarine used in WWII, Wax Museum, Hooter's, Rainforest Cafe, Bourdin Sourdough Factory.

Continue walking to the end of Jefferson St, hop on the Cable Car. Enjoy the ride as the car goes up and down the hilly streets of SF.


If have an extra day, go to Alcatraz Island, aka The Rock. Need to book in advance.

[annaaa]

i really liked that street in SF that snakes around and is slanted. was it called Crooked street or something like that? but the sunsets in SF were beautiful.

[PJ]

I'm gonna be in the bay area in early March. Any of you kidz living out there?

jay_z, that is a nice to-do list!

[jay_z]

PJ

A good place to have a drink after dinner is a Cityscape Bar & Restaurant. It's on 44th floor of Hilton Hotel. Thus, you get a great night view of SF. The prices of drinks are average prices; the food is a little pricey.

Lately, the weather is perfect, neither hot nor cold. Jeans and t-shirt during the day, but need a jacket in the morning and at night.

[bellamia]

One thing to remember about SF is that the weather there is much colder than the rest of the state. I was fooled into thinking that the weather would be similar to that in LA or OC and didn't pack appropriately for my trip. My wardrobes consisted of skirts and dresses, so I was freezing my *** off when I was there. I can’t remember what time of the year when I was there, but I do remembered it being 90 degrees in LA and when I got to SF, the temperature plummeted to 60 degrees and it was windy as hell.

[PJ]

Jay-z, your bus recommendations are a great help. Are the bus tickets transferable between buses?

[Ren Ying Ying]

One thing to remember about SF is that the weather there is much colder than the rest of the state. I was fooled into thinking that the weather would be similar to that in LA or OC and didn't pack appropriately for my trip. My wardrobes consisted of skirts and dresses, so I was freezing my *** off when I was there. I can’t remember what time of the year when I was there, but I do remembered it being 90 degrees in LA and when I got to SF, the temperature plummeted to 60 degrees and it was windy as hell.

norcal is generally colder than socal. like in all places in the northern hemisphere, the north is colder than the south.

my experiences with SF, it's winters are often just as warm as its summers (& vice versa) . but then again, i don't live there 24/7

on a side note, if you like curvy streets & flowers, visit lombard street.

[jay_z]

One thing to remember about SF is that the weather there is much colder than the rest of the state. I was fooled into thinking that the weather would be similar to that in LA or OC and didn't pack appropriately for my trip. My wardrobes consisted of skirts and dresses, so I was freezing my *** off when I was there. I can’t remember what time of the year when I was there, but I do remembered it being 90 degrees in LA and when I got to SF, the temperature plummeted to 60 degrees and it was windy as hell.

I guess you've never heard Mark Twain said about the weather of SF.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" -- Twain

Jay-z, your bus recommendations are a great help. Are the bus tickets transferable between buses?

Glad the info will benefit someone. Bus ticket is $1.50, and it is good on all buses/trolleys, except cable cars and BART, and has a time limit of 2.5 hours. You will see the time on the transfer.

more info...click here

Bring your laptop, many cafes have free WiFi.

[PJ]

hey jay-z, do you know if there is a transportation that can take me from SF to Berkeley (and back)?

[jay_z]

hey jay-z, do you know if there is a transportation that can take me from SF to Berkeley (and back)?

Sure, take BART, underground trains that run around the Bay Area. They are convenient and fast. Thousands of people take them every day.

Hop on the Richmond train and get off at the Downtown Berkeley Station, about 25-30 minutes. Buy one-way ($3.4) or round trip ticket($6.8).

[PJ]

San Francisco -- loved it when I was there; miss it after I walked away. Somebody told me that SF is the city of food like NYC is the city of nightclubs. Indeed, food was one of the highlights of my visit; but there was a lot more that I enjoyed.

I wish I had the time to visit every place on jay-z's recommended list of activities. His advice on public transportation was especially helpful, and I am grateful for his help. I am saving the Legion of Honor, Haight, and cable car for next time. Meanwhile, I am just reflecting back on what I enjoyed the most. Here are my top 5 favorite areas/neighborhoods in SF:

1. Berkeley -- my favorite place to hang out in SF is not in SF, but in nearby Berkeley. From the legendary and evocative People's Park, to the magnificent homes in the hills bound by blooming flowers everywhere, everything in Berkeley resonated with my inner soul. "This is a place where everyone is welcome," I kept thinking to myself. "Man created barriers against his brothers, but today I saw people who embraced them with open arms."

2. Mission -- This area is pretty run down, and that's exactly why I love it. As I hustled down Mission St near dusk trying to locate my youth hostel, I saw so much diversity in the faces walking towards me. I sensed danger from the shady folks. And I was carrying 2 baggages and dripping with sweat, which only added to the excitement. The Mission-Dolores Park, which borders the Castro district, is a nice place to jog, sunbathe, or fog-watch.

3. Embarcadero Plaza -- The exact opposite of #2 has its own charm, and plenty of it. Anything but run down and rusty, this place is home to a commercial hotspot near downtown. The food in the Embarcadero buildings aren't that great, but across the street on the waterfront, I had the best meal of my trip @ the Slanted Door, a royal Vietnamese cuisine experience. The cellophane noodle is to die for.

4. Golden Gate Bridge -- beautiful, just beautiful. No introduction necessary.

5. Outer skirts of Chinatown near North Beach -- The intersection of the Chinese and Italian neighborhoods is very much alive well past the bedtime, more so than most of Chinatown. I had some very fond memories at Steps of Rome (bonus: open late for dessert and beverages).

And there you have it, my short summary of my SF experience. I had a truly wonderful experience with the people, the food, and the sights. At some point I would like to jot down some thoughts on the food I tasted. But for now, this is yours truly signing off

[imthatlady]

i heard the nightclubs in the bay area are much better than LA's..is this true

[PJ]

i heard the nightclubs in the bay area are much better than LA's..is this true

I heard the opposite.
But I guess you should define "better".
LA is famous for being glamorous and celebrity-oriented (and ultra stuck-up).
SF is arguably edgier, and maybe not so extravagant.

But I'm no expert on this subject matter.
Perhaps the Expert on SF, jay-z, can shed some light.

[I_luv_HZL]

i really liked that street in SF that snakes around and is slanted. was it called Crooked street or something like that? but the sunsets in SF were beautiful.

Its called Lombard st. Its pretty cool weither you drive down it or walk down it

[pandamao]

Any yummy restaurants in Chinatown?

I'm dying for some delicious snacks =)

I'm leaving tomorrow evening ... any recommendations? greatly appreciated.

[LuNaR]

Any yummy restaurants in Chinatown?

I'm dying for some delicious snacks =)

I'm leaving tomorrow evening ... any recommendations? greatly appreciated.

the best pho place in SF is in chinatown in that hall way by "fa yuen" park. but im sure u didnt come for pho lol. u can go to "golden mountain" for morning tea or in other words "yum cha." its a bit expensive, but the place is better service and cleaner than other area.

tell me if u dont like both, got many more

[pandamao]

the best pho place in SF is in chinatown in that hall way by "fa yuen" park. but im sure u didnt come for pho lol. u can go to "golden mountain" for morning tea or in other words "yum cha." its a bit expensive, but the place is better service and cleaner than other area.

tell me if u dont like both, got many more

Any snack like places? I miss HK snacks a lot =(

[LuNaR]

Any snack like places? I miss HK snacks a lot =(

theres this 1 smoothy place on stockton and forgot that other street but its right at the corner and theres a huge wall drawing on the opposite side so u cant miss it.

also theres a green tea place on grant and forgot the cross street too lol.

and more snacks... lets see..... theres like a tapioca store everywhere. o theres a place on stockton and broadway, like if u go right a little its called "ping gei' and inside theres lots of hk snacks and japanese snacks too

[pandamao]

theres this 1 smoothy place on stockton and forgot that other street but its right at the corner and theres a huge wall drawing on the opposite side so u cant miss it.

also theres a green tea place on grant and forgot the cross street too lol.

and more snacks... lets see..... theres like a tapioca store everywhere. o theres a place on stockton and broadway, like if u go right a little its called "ping gei' and inside theres lots of hk snacks and japanese snacks too

Any stinky tofu? hehe.