Going on Vacation to San Francisco what to do? where to eat?

[flunky nassau]

If you got some money to spend, here is a place where you are guarenteed some bomb-azz food:

http://www.roysrestaurant.com/


If you're going with friends, here's a fun place to eat & watch... (watch what? that's the surprise)

http://www.asiasf.com/

 

[Kerouactivist]

Got a hotel, staying at the Renaissance Stanford Court for $87 a nite not bad...IMHO

So looks like I'll be starting out my days on Nob hill .....

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Asia SF on 9th and Mission. Definitely a night to remember. It's fusion food and then there's gender illusionists.... if you know what I mean.

House of Prime Rib on Van Ness is nice too.

I've ALWAYS thought of Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 as a touristy area. Don't even BOTHER eating there. It's a nice place to walk around, but skip out on the food.

Ghiradelli Square is always worth checking out too.

As for Chinatown there's a famous bakery that might be on vacation but it's called Golden Gate Bakery. Egg tarts for 95 cents are pricey, but there must be a reason why there's a line outside everyday and why they can go on vacation for months at a time. Delicious stuff. If you want Dim Sum there's some places like New Asia or Park Hong Kong (not in Chinatown but on Geary). I believe there's some good Korean Tofu place called My Heart Tofu? Chinese desserts rock too if you go down Geary. Yeah you can tell I'm big on Asian foods. If you do head to Chinatown make sure you avoid the touristy areas. You can tell there's like 2 streets. The one street where the entrance is (Stockton I believe?) is where all the tourists go, but the next street down is where all the Asians go =).

There's also a nice Italian place called Steps of Rome. It's more for desserts and stuff, but it's fun. There's also The Stinking Rose which is excellent food.

 

[namelessentity]

I know that it's nothing spectacular, but the Cheesecake Factory has decent food. I never really go for the food though, I just love sitting on balcony. The view of the city is awesome.

 

[Pheran]

Originally posted by: bthorny

Originally posted by: Pheran
I went on a combo Muir Woods/wine tour from Extranomical Adventures that was pretty good. It's $69 if you book online.

WOW...that was pretty much exactly the kinda thing I was looking for....I'm thinking that might be a good thing to do on my last day in town before i catch the redeye....

I would guess, I could either leave my luggage at the hotel or maybe they have storage space on the shuttle....

So was it worth the $$$ in your opinion?

I wouldn't have described it as "pretty good" if I didn't think it was worth it. If you're really into wine I'd recommend a full-day wine tour, but we just wanted to see the area and check out a few wineries, so the combo tour was perfect. The wineries you visit may be variable, but our tour included Cline Cellars, Larson Family Winery and Viansa. You also get stops at the Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts. The shuttle was a small van-type thing so it probably couldn't store much luggage, but hotel bell desks will usually store it for you.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: mitaiwan82
I'll be going at the end of the month...keep the suggestions coming!

which part of the Pacific Coast Highway is just jaw-dropping? I'm hoping to check out PCH...but not too far from the city.

Big Sur...but I think it's some 2+ hours away iirc.

There was this great thai-japanese-euro fusion restaraunt in the Haight. not sure of the street or name, but it was close to the park. While I'm not a fan of cider beer, they have Sierra Nevada Pear Cider on tap. One of the best damn beers I've ever had, perfectly complements the food, and it may be the only place that serves it (Sierra Nevada doesn't even mention it on their website)

 

[zinfamous]

Also, Alcatraz is worth the trip, but you have to sacrifice the better part of a day to do it...

 

[GooeyGUI]

Earlier question covering same topic

Originally posted by: GooeyGUI
Buy a munipass for a week. Bus frequency is pretty good. If you're in a hurry, then take a cab. Avoid holidays and weekends if you don't want to stand in a long line to ride the cable cars. Parking will kill in SF so a car is usually a spendy choice. If so, some of these places that people are suggesting would be hard to reach. There are bus tours out to Muir Woods though. (Redwoods)

"Coit Tower" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coit_Tower

"Japan Town" http://www.sfjapantown.org/

"Exploratorium" - http://www.exploratorium.edu/
(make reservations for the Tactiledome as soon as you get there.)

Palace of the Legion of Honor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...of_the_Legion_of_Honor

"Fisherman's Wharf" http://www.fishermanswharf.org/

" SF MOMA (SF Museum of Modern Art)" http://www.sfmoma.org/

"the Golden Gate bridge"

"Ghirardelli Square" - http://www.ghirardellisq.com/ghirardellisq/ (Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory)

"Sutro Baths"

"Maritime Hall" - The Maritime Museum is closed for restoration and will reopen in 2009

"the Bay"

California Academy of Sciences - http://www.calacademy.org/

"Japanese Tea Garden" - Link

"Ocean Beach"

"Treasure Island" beautiful view day or night of SF.

"the Presidio" - http://www.nps.gov/prsf/

"Mission Delores" Link

"the Cliff House" http://www.cliffhouse.com/

http://www.baycityguide.com/citysights.html

 

[joecool]

just got back from a cali trip with my family ... we started in san fran. don't waste your money eating on fishermans wharf - the food isn't bad, but you can get better elsewhere, and it's overpriced. we did rent bikes there, tho, and rode to and over the bridge - that was fun. china town is also very neat - not really so touristy, lots of cool shops to poke around in. we could have stayed there a lot longer. have fun!

btw, for highway 1, head south. it's awesome all the way down.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: joecool
just got back from a cali trip with my family ... we started in san fran. don't waste your money eating on fishermans wharf - the food isn't bad, but you can get better elsewhere, and it's overpriced. we did rent bikes there, tho, and rode to and over the bridge - that was fun. china town is also very neat - not really so touristy, lots of cool shops to poke around in. we could have stayed there a lot longer. have fun!

btw, for highway 1, head south. it's awesome all the way down.

Yep. Bean Hollow State Beach is an awesome rocky area where you can explore and poke at the little rock crabs with your finger. The coast along Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur is amazing as well.

Oh btw, if you want to see whales, they are in pretty close to the shore at Moss Landing. I was out there kayak fishing for Salmon right close to the shore and they were passing by literally inches away from our kayaks at times. Smart animals too, they made sure not to come up under us and flip our yaks. Pretty exhilarating experience.