what to do in san fran?

[KeithTalent]

Awesome food everywhere and Giants stadium is gorgeous. You should go to a game.

KT

 

[AreaCode707]

Lol, poor San Jose...

Meh, it's a suburb. It's not a destination city in and of itself.

 

[Craig234]

Hasn't been mentioned yet but I really like the ferry building farmer's market. There are several throughout the week though I've only been on the weekends.

I mentioned in my previous post I referred him to. I like it too.

To help people understand what it is, it's a big building in a district on the edge of SF on the bay, next to the (being rebuilt) Bay Bridge, with very nice restaurants etc.

It's at the end of the main street of SF.

It's filled with food stores and gourmet places. A treat, literally. Next to BART.

Gelato, Grench Bakery, two olive oil stores, two high end chocolatiers, an Italian deli, Vietname, diner, organic food stores, a cheese store and much more.

The Farmer's Market is Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday.

 

[SAWYER]

count bums and druggies using the bathroom in public

 

[Craig234]

Is there some type of history as to how the nickname "the city" came about?

Just from an outsider's perspective, it seems kinda presumptuous and arrogant (IMO)...

Well, I think you have accurately captured that.

It's like pointing out that New York's street banners that it's the 'capital city of the world' are presumptious and arrogant. They are.

On a somewhat related not, is it okay to call Los Angeles "LA" or will the locals frown on you for that?

LA is the normal name. Almost no one says "SF" though.

Who knows how these norms become established?

One difference - people in LA don't think much of the city LA generally (last I know). They'll say they're "from LA" but mean a huge surrounding area of several million.

They understand and will sometime joke that "from LA" almost never actually means "from the city of LA". It's just sort of this place you don't go that is the middle of the area.

San Francisco on the other hand is seen as a very nice city surrounded in effect by a suburbe 5 million people large. It's a place to go for all kinds of nice things.

The city LA technically has nice things too, a restaurant here, a museum there, but still has this sort of 'icky' feel to it.

If you asked people what to do in LA, you'd get mostly suggestions outside the city.

 

[Craig234]

Meh, it's a suburb. It's not a destination city in and of itself.

Yup. San Jose has the most people, but just seems like one huge sprawl.

The saying "There's no there, there" was said about Oakland, but I think it applies much more to San Jose.

It tries - like the Santana Row shopping center - but it's mostly just sprawl.

 

[brianmanahan]

this is why atot is my favorite place on the internet! you guys are so helpful but still managed to throw in some entertaining debates!

i never realized alcatraz is in SF, i am going there for sure.

i was thinking about driving north to redwood national forest, maybe doing a day hike there. is muir woods just as good but closer?

and NO bars, gay or otherwise D:

 

[brianmanahan]

and it's right next to a liquid nitrogen ice cream place.

this sounds amazinggg

 

[silverpig]

If you stay with all the tourists, yes it is just a flat walk. But there are tougher trails that make it a hike, and they interconnect with trails on Mt Tam, the Marin Headlands, etc. that will let you hike for days.

That's true. We definitely went off the wooden plank path and up on the trails into the hills, but it was still pretty easy and just a quick 90 minute or 2 hour trek.

Didn't know about the other longer paths though.

 

[silverpig]

this sounds amazinggg

It is quite good, but could be improved a bit though.

They use pretty much pure cream, which normally I'd be all for, but the ice cream is just too high fat IMO. I got a thick layer of fat on my tongue and wasn't able to taste the flavour of the ice cream as well (mint chocolate chip... with real mint!).

I kind of wish they cut some of the cream with milk just to remove the waxy tongue feeling and let the natural flavour of the other ingredients come through. Otherwise, it was fantastic.

 

[Craig234]

It is quite good, but could be improved a bit though.

They use pretty much pure cream, which normally I'd be all for, but the ice cream is just too high fat IMO. I got a thick layer of fat on my tongue and wasn't able to taste the flavour of the ice cream as well (mint chocolate chip... with real mint!).

I kind of wish they cut some of the cream with milk just to remove the waxy tongue feeling and let the natural flavour of the other ingredients come through. Otherwise, it was fantastic.

I've never had ice cream better than Gelato in Italy. You can get some in the US that ranges from 'approaching it' to 'not nearly as good but stiill pretty good'.

 

[brianmanahan]

I've never had ice cream better than Gelato in Italy. You can get some in the US that ranges from 'approaching it' to 'not nearly as good but stiill pretty good'.

mannnn i really want to go to europe

i have to do the math but might see if i can swing it financially in the next couple of years

 

[CountZero]

this is why atot is my favorite place on the internet! you guys are so helpful but still managed to throw in some entertaining debates!

i never realized alcatraz is in SF, i am going there for sure.

i was thinking about driving north to redwood national forest, maybe doing a day hike there. is muir woods just as good but closer?

and NO bars, gay or otherwise D:

If you do Alcatraz buy the tickets ahead of time. I haven't done it yet but that is the advice I was given.

If you like the food truck scene wife and I really enjoyed Off The Grid. It was a couple years ago and there seem to be a lot of food trucks around the bay area these days so I'm not sure how it has held up.

 

[KlokWyze]

Muir Woods

This was the best part of my trip. Beware of parking!

Chinatown bar hopping was fun.

The pier area is ok. definitely more for like families and touristy, etc, but there is a ton of awesome restauraunts and bars right next to chinatown. Like on the east side of chinatown.

We went and checked out Stinson beach as well. Had some dinner then checked out the beach to say we made it to the pacific.

 

[KlokWyze]

I've never had ice cream better than Gelato in Italy. You can get some in the US that ranges from 'approaching it' to 'not nearly as good but stiill pretty good'.

That's probably just some sort of psychological bullshit. It's all up to the chef + the ingredients. It's like saying you can only have the best beer in Germany or some shit.

 

[Craig234]

That's probably just some sort of psychological bullshit. It's all up to the chef + the ingredients. It's like saying you can only have the best beer in Germany or some shit.

Actually, the beer in Germany *is* the best I've had.

I'll admit SOME element of psychology to these things, but not all.

Not only that, but it's not even consistently the case.

For example, while Philly is the home to cheesesteaks and they did seem kind of the best, I had high hopes for the home of deep dish - Chicago - and was disappointed.

If it were psychology, I'd have loved the deep dish in Chicago.

Many cases - Nathan's in NY were good but not amazing (the best hot dog I've had is at a nobody strip mall place near me).

(Actually, I picked up some Neiman Ranch Beef hot dogs today I'll have tonight, but can't comment yet, not yet eaten.)

No, my reaction to Gelato in Italy was more than psychology.

I had a lot of anticipation to enjoy real italian food and my reaction to the first bite of Gelato was "eat nothing else, it'd take the place of some of this Gelato".

I had no high expectation of the Gelato being that good (I expected 'good', but not that good).

Sometimes these things are that good, other times not.

 

[Craig234]

mannnn i really want to go to europe

i have to do the math but might see if i can swing it financially in the next couple of years

Get a train pass from the US (it's cheaper that way). You can take trains and sleep overnight on it, saving a hotel some days and seeing more on the trip.

 

[Craig234]

If you do Alcatraz buy the tickets ahead of time. I haven't done it yet but that is the advice I was given.

If you like the food truck scene wife and I really enjoyed Off The Grid. It was a couple years ago and there seem to be a lot of food trucks around the bay area these days so I'm not sure how it has held up.

It's good. I was there a week ago, I think it's on tenth a few blocks south of S. Van Ness.

And there's ONE to get. It's the Bangers with Irish Curry at the Irish truck.

It's actually something like Irish and Erytrian - some African - odd combo. But the bangers are really, really good and the curry goes great with them.

 

[Craig234]

Bay Area people: one recommendation. Someone go there and post about it.

Brown Sugar Kitchen in West Oakland. Waffles. Not just the best ever - amazing.

 

[GoSharks]

Chinatown bar hopping was fun.

Doesn't sound like the Chinatown I know. Where are the bars in Chinatown??

 

[manly]

Well, I think you have accurately captured that.

It's like pointing out that New York's street banners that it's the 'capital city of the world' are presumptious and arrogant. They are.



LA is the normal name. Almost no one says "SF" though.

Who knows how these norms become established?

One difference - people in LA don't think much of the city LA generally (last I know). They'll say they're "from LA" but mean a huge surrounding area of several million.

They understand and will sometime joke that "from LA" almost never actually means "from the city of LA". It's just sort of this place you don't go that is the middle of the area.

San Francisco on the other hand is seen as a very nice city surrounded in effect by a suburbe 5 million people large. It's a place to go for all kinds of nice things.

The city LA technically has nice things too, a restaurant here, a museum there, but still has this sort of 'icky' feel to it.

If you asked people what to do in LA, you'd get mostly suggestions outside the city.

not totally false, but I call BS. L.A. city proper is the 2nd most populous in the country with well over 3 million residents. Obviously, many people are "from there". Certainly there are "nice" parts; not all of L.A. is South-Central or East L.A.

You're partly right because until just a few years ago, you wouldn't want to be caught dead in downtown after dawn, but that's rapidly changing. It's not going to be Manhattan or Chicago's urban core anytime, but it's rapidly morphing. And yes, the "Southland" is a huge megalopolis so many people who say they're from L.A. refer to the county or even broader (Ventura, Orange, or San Bernardino counties).