It's been a hectic week so instead of coming up with a way to articulate the musings I've been doing lately I figured I'd share this list of some of my favorite things to do in San Francisco. This list in my no means all-inclusive and is mostly for visitors or extreme newbies. What are your top eats and dos in SF?
Food suggestions:
Breakfast/Brunch
1. Luna Park- Mission District. Great french toast and bottomless mimosas!
http://www.lunaparksf.com/
2. Church Chow or Park Chow. Castro or Inner Sunset http://www.chowfoodbar.com/
3. Hard Knox Cafe- Inner Richmond. Good soul food type dishes. http://www.hardknoxcafe.com/
Lunch
1. The Grove- A few locations, Marina, Financial District, Hayes Valley. Good for salads, soups, sandwiches and excellent chocolate chai lattes. http://www.yelp.com/biz/grove-
Dinner
1. If you're in town on a Friday I highly recommend Off the Grid at Fort Mason. Its a collection of about 30 food trucks that circle up in one parking lot. There's everything from Indian to Vietnamese to Mexican and I've always had a great experience- The Curry Up Now and creme brulee trucks are particular highlights http://offthegridsf.com/
2. Cafe Mystique- Castro. Mediterranean/Greek food and decent happy hour appetizer/drink prices. http://www.cafe-mystique.com/
3. Bocce Cafe- North Beach, Cute Italian restaurant, reasonable prices, good food, somewhat loud inside, fri-sun live music, when it's warm sit on the patio. http://boccecafe.com/
4. Osha Thai- Several around the city. This one isn't exactly off the beaten path because it's a city wide chain but all of the ones I've been to had solid thai food. www.oshathai.com
5. The Blue Mermaid- Fishermans Warf. While this is not at all off the beaten track, quite the opposite actually, they have good sea food and they have friendly service. I would go here over the other places in the area, and it's perfect because Ghirardelli Square is practically next door. http://www.bluemermaidsf.com/
6. Cha Cha Cha- Mission District and Haight-Ashbury. I'm not sure the exact type of food, I am gonna call it "Latin" (not to be confused with Mexican or Spanish). I have been to both places but prefer the Mission location because the have a great vegetarian plate. If that isn't an issue for you then I would say both are of the same high quality. Also Cha Cha Cha claims to have the best sangria in the city and I have to say I agree. http://www.yelp.com/biz/cha-
Other
1. Armenzdi Bakery- Inner Sunset. All types of breads/personal pizzas/bagels etc.
2. Tartine- Mission District. Wonderful desserts, usually a line on weekends, but if the line is moving quickly I think it's worth the wait.
3. Bi-Rite Creamery- Mission District. Good ice cream, usually with a few crazy flavors. This is across the street from Delores Park, so if its a nice weekend day the park will be packed and its fun to hang there for a little while for some interesting people watching. http://biritecreamery.com/
4. Naia Gelateria- North Beach. While we're on the subject of frozen treats I have to recommend this place. Whenever I go to North Beach I make a point to go here. I love gelato. http://gelaterianaia.com/
4. Samovar Tea House- Several locations. Good for an afternoon snack. They have all types of tea service not just English high tea with crumpets. http://samovarlife.com/
Things to do:
When people ask me what my favorite part of SF is I am usually stumped because it's impossible for me to pick one thing. I think one of my favorite things about the city in general is the fact that there are so many parks that you can entirely forget you're in a city, until you happen upon an amazing view. The bulk of what I recommend to do is outside but I'll try to include some indoor things too in case it's cold, which lets face it is likely.
1. Hike at lands end- Outer Richmond. The Lands End area has several hiking paths that can be pretty steep but most include stairs and all are 100% doable. On clear days the views of the GG Bridge + Marin County + the ocean can be breath taking. I HIGHLY recommend everyone stop over here even for an hour. http://parksconservancy.org/
2. Climb the 16th Ave tiled stairs. -Inner Sunset. I always end up breaking a sweat but the stairs keep me entertained on the way up and the view of the city at the top is worth it.
3. Exploratorium, Embarcadero- If you're traveling with kids this hands on science museum is a must. The whole thing is basically a ton of interactive psychology/brain type exhibits that range from somewhat silly to mind blowing. If not they do "After Dark" nights on Thursdays for adults. http://www.exploratorium.edu/
4. Academy of Science- Golden Gate Park. Same goes for this museum. This one focuses more on environmental/animal stuff, complete with rainforest, living green roof, and planetarium. They also do "Nightlife" on Thursday nights for adults. The ticket is half off the price of a daytime entry and each week is a different theme and drinks are available. I prefer Nightlife here because I have always felt a little crowded when there are a lot of families running around as well. http://www.calacademy.org/
5. Drive the real crooked-ist street in SF. -Vermont St. going one way south starting at 20th St. It's a doosy!
6. The Castro Theater- Castro. This is one of my favorite theaters in the city. They show a wide range of movies ranging from Wizard of Oz sing alongs to James Bond double features. http://www.castrotheatre.com/
6.5. The Roxie and Balboa Theaters- These theaters place current though usually more indie movies and are both pretty small, a little funky, but I like the intimate experience and try to go here more than the larger cinema-plexs when I can.
7. Take a long walk through Golden Gate Park. The eastern side is full of fun/pretty little nooks to explore. I find it easiest to enter at 9th and Lincoln and just wander from there. Highlights include, Aids Memorial Grove (so peaceful), Botanical Garden, the whole area in front of the Academy of Science and De Young Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, and Strawberry Hill (the island in Stow Lake). The west side is where I go running in the mornings. There are less "attractions" there but it has a lot of trails and open fields. Anyway, the west side is good for biking because there is less traffic and the buffalo padlock is also there. https://maps.google.com/maps?
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