I am heading out to your neck of the woods this week with my lady (wed-sun) and was looking for some tips on what to do, what to see, what to avoid...etc...So far we planned on maybe going to alcatraz on Fri. and renting a car and driving up the coast to wine country on Saturday...But not much else before that...So what's to do in your town ???Any and all advice is mucho appreciated....

first obvious post: AMOEBA

avoid fucking fisherman's wharf.

head out to the neighborhoods and check out the real san francisco - the mission, castro, noe valley, inner sunset/richmond, etc.

amoeba on haight is a good stop.

go to the one in haight or berkeley.

haight is good for shopping if you like trendy spots but i think berkeley might be a better bet... it's a cool little area.

definitely avoid fisherman's wharf like the plague- way too touristy. you probably want to avoid union square also. all the shops there are shops you can find anywhere. treasure's island is touristy, but it's an awesome view of the city which might be "romantic" per se.... you take the exit off the bay bridge which is on the left if you're coming from the city, so if you're renting a car, i would suggest checking out that view.

although, a MUST in sf is getting a clam chowder bowl. yum. i also suggest chinatown for AWESOME chinese food.

there's lots to do and if you want to research things yourself: SF Station is a good site for telling you about restaurants, shows, clubs, bars, etc.

Golden Gate park and the other park where the exploratorium is. They're both really romantic spots. I remember going there on my trip to SF and just being blown away by how beautiful it is. I don't know much about fisherman's wharf but I bet the clam chowder is good.

If you cross the Golden Gate bridge and take the first exit right after getting off the bridge, there's a great place to stop and take some pictures (of the bridge). Nothing too exciting, but a pretty cool view.

check out the redwoods....i think its like 20 mins north of the gg bridge.......


when i went out there last year - that was the highlight of the trip for me.....i am sure fellow SF obners can tell you how to get to the state park. some really cool hiking there as well.

Berkley is better.

OH YEAH. if you can, go to twin peaks.... it's at the top of a hill somewhere (yeah i know like that really helps - perhaps if you google it you can find directions) but there is an AMAZING overlook of the city as well.

also, the ghiradelli factory is awesome. every woman loves chocolate so your wife might dig that.

besides the clam chowder & chinese food that sf is known for, i also highly recommend sushi in little osaka. a-ma-zing. there's also an awesome dim sum place near mission, i'll find out the name for you-- it's known as the best dim sum place in sf.

ditto on twin peaks.....if i remember right its on the southwest side of SF

also check out lombard st
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/No ... -BR-9.html

Don't forget Monterey.

Monteray isn't too close.

I'd vote for crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, stopping to take photos and then heading thru the Redwoods.

Coit Tower provides a nice view of the city, and from there you can walk to that zig zag road, and from there catch a trolley to Market Street, and then take the Bart over to Berkley to hit Ameoba, and Rasputin's if it's still there.


[img][650:488]http://www.mit.edu/~oozcan/photos/SanFrancisco/MenderesYokus.JPG[/img]

uhm hello .... Ghirardelli Square

[img][650:488]http://www.springfieldconnection.net/mss/assets/multimedia/wallpaper/chocolate-800.jpg[/img]

Tong Kiang - Dim Sum on Geary...check it out.

Thanks for the suggestions people... My 1st time in Sf, so my eyes will be wide open..Ameoba and the Redwoods will no doubt be on our list...

Another quick questions..How easy is it to get to Berkley ??

i meant avoid pier 39. but ghiradelli square, yum.

as far as berkeley, it's about 1/2 hr. away from the city with no traffic... and if you're going to rent a car, that'd be the way to go to get to berkeley.

amoeba is on telegraph ave. in berkeley and there's a bunch of other cool stores too. also, top dog has the best hot dogs ever.

If you want REALLY good Chinese food avoid C-town and instead go to the Richmond. I think the food is better and much less expensive. The service is also better and easier to park!

Here is a good place for Chinese seafood. Small hole in the wall and usually filled with only Chinese. http://www.google.com/local?hl=en&lr=&client=safari&rls=en&q=ocean+restaurant&near=San+Francisco,+CA&sa=X&oi=locald&radius=0.0&latlng=37775000,-122418333,17426019253593041681

Also don't be afraid to go try out some of the really good Vietmanese places there. The Bay Area is home to one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the U.S.

I used to live in the Haight and it's also a cool place to walk around but now is full of the usual chains.

You CAN walk across the Golden Gate Bridge It's kind of fun/scary but really cool.

You can get to Berkeley, and SHOULD get to Berkeley on BART... subway under the bay and then you walk up to Telegraph and campus.

I can't believe no one has mentioned MY favorite part of The City, North Beach. The beatnik, boho history is palpable. The best Italian restaurants in the world (Rose Pistola) the square, the coffee houses, the bars... Vesuvio's...Tosca... and breathe in the spirit of Kerouac and Ginsberg and listen to bongos and poetry seeping up through the floorboards of City Lights. Then up to the top of Coit for the best views of the city. Bring your black turtlenecks.

Muir Woods is the closest redwoods to walk through. 30 minutes north of the city.

Save Monterey for another trip. Big Sur!

I agree with Harry about North Beach. A little bakery place right on Columbus has really good canolis. One time when I was there a guy stopped by and said he always does when in town. The girl working there asked where he's from and he said New York.

Fort Point is cool because you get views from under the bridge and good views of the city to the east. Near the Cliffhouse is Sutro Heights, which will also give you some good views of the ocean and the Sunset District. Definitely do not go to Pier 39.

Don't listen to any of these people who try to tell you the Berkeley Amoeba is better. Haight Street itself pretty much sucks ass in my opinion, but the Amoeba there is probably the best record store in the world. Better than LA and Berkeley, and better than anything else I've ever been to in any other city (including London--only say that cause its big). In the Mission District is Aquarious Records, which is really only worth it if you like obscure stuff at pretty high prices.

Lots of really good Mexican food in SF!! I recommend El Castillo at Church and Market across from Safeway!