Fun Stuff! I've compiled a list of activities and events that I thought would be of interest to our guests. All descriptions are my opinion and should be viewed in that light. I hope this list is helpful and of course it will be incomplete because there is always so much to do here! It is my intention to update it regularly so check back. Happy Wanderings! Please feel free to contact me with any questions about attractions, restaurants, neighborhoods, etc. I will be happy to help as much as I can: Contact Jennifer San Francisco - a note about the weather If you've never been here before, the important thing to know is that Summers in San Francisco are generally COLD and we have many microclimates. For instance, it can be sunny and warm in the Mission and foggy and cold in the Richmond (temperatures range from 55 - 80 degrees Farenheit). We do have nice days, but it helps to be prepared so you don't freeze. Once the fog starts rolling in, it can get positively arctic. The key to SF weather is layering. Packing a wool sweater and a jacket is not a crazy idea. There is a great iphone app called SFClimes that shows you the weather in every neighborhood in the City. It is a great planning tool and it's free. By contrast, our winters are pretty mild. It usually does not get below 50 degrees farenheit in the daytime. Winter is our rainy season, so rain gear is a good idea. Our best seasons are Spring and Fall. That's when we have the most sun. Transportation
Muni (the bus) If you are planning on taking public transportation and are flying into town, it's a good idea to pick up a muni pass at the airport. A Visitor Passport can be purchased for 1, 3, or 7 consecutive days of unlimited rides on Muni, Muni Metro, historic streetcars, and cable cars. Single ride Cable Car tickets are also available. Click here for info. You can work out bus routes and times if you have Google Maps on your smart phone. If you’re willing to shell out a couple of bucks for an app, I have Pocket Muni, which I think is great. It shows you where the bus is in real time.
Bart BART is our bay area wide subway system. In San Francisco, it runs straight through the City but does not branch off. So it’s great for getting downtown or to the East Bay or to the Airport (SF or Oakland). Bart is a 15 minute walk from the apartment. (see map).
Taxi It’s pretty easy to catch a cab in this neighborhood. Stand next to appliance store at Bryant and Cesar Chavez. Cabs coming from their hub or from the airport are contstantly streaming up Cesar Chavez and you can hail them there. If you’d like to call a cab (they are not alway super reliable during high demand times — weekend evenings): Yellow Cab: 415.333.3333
Uber Uber is a car service that takes advantage of the down time of town car drivers. You have to download the app to your smart phone and enter your credit card information beforehand. You contact them through the app. They can see your location and send a car out. I can’t emphasize enough what a great service this is. It’s a bit more expensive than a regular cab, but thoroughly quick and reliable. The cars are really nice and the drivers are friendly (again in direct contrast to the taxi drivers in this town). uber.com |
Local Attractions I put this at the top of my list, it is wonderful and there are so many things to do there. First off, there are the museums: Academy of Sciences, De Young and Conservatory of Flowers. You can visit the Janapense Tea Gardens or go on a Segway ride. You can ride a paddle boat at the newly renovated Stow Lake. Find a secluded spot and take a nap or walk to the ocean. My favorite thing to do is pack a picnic and head for the Botanical Gardens. There's a little lake where you can hang out, or go walking through the different International plant zones. Wildlife spotted on our last visit: turtles, blue heron, quail and the Park's psychotic and fearless squirrels. The Bridge is 75 years old this year. It's beautiful and you should definitely go see it and walk or bike across it. It can get really windy and sometimes that makes the walk kind of scary (vertigo, not real danger). The cafe has only healthy food, so eat first or pack a snack if you're not into that. They have a really good gift shop with great stuff. Alcatraz is really cool. You should go. I believe you need to get tickets well in advance. The tour is really interesting and it's creepy there. Fun! I hear they've recreated the garden from the time of the prison and that it's pretty great. And there's a boat ride. The home of the San Francisco Giants, this ball park is a beauty. Sitting in the stands, you feel like you can practically jump in the bay. Doesn't matter who's playing, it's worth going to a game. Ferry Building Farmer's Market At the foot of Market Street on the Embarcadero, this beautifully restored ferry building now houses food vendors and a thrice weekly farmer's market (Tues, Thurs and Sat). This is the fancy farmer's market in the City. It's worth going just to browse. San Franciscans don't go to Fisherman's Wharf much, it's extremely touristy. Just skip Pier 39 altogether. There are a few cool things in that area, however, that are worth checking out.:
Discount Theatre, Concert and Sports Tickets
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Cool Stuff Porchlight Storytelling Series For the past nine years, Porchlight has been San Francisco's premier storytelling series. Each month, co-founders Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte invite six people from different backgrounds to tell ten-minute true stories without using notes or memorization. At The Verdi Club in the Mission. Cultural and historic walking tours along the Mission Street and 24th Street corridors in the Mission District. Every weekend, Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center offers several different guided mural walks. Each walk features different murals and all of tours are conducted by muralists. Organized through the public library, they offer free walking tours of San Francisco. We are the only City in the United States that offers such a program. There are 300 volunteer guides offering over 60 different walking tours. My parents did one of their tours and they loved it! Alemany Farmer's Market - Every Saturday The original San Francisco Farmer's Market is just one exit away. Take 101 to 280 South and exit at Alemany. The market is right there. Sundays is an antique flea market. Food trucks are all the rage in the City these days. Many travel around, but there are a few permanent gathering places. Click on the link above to find them. The closest to us is Soma Street Food Park at Harrison and Division (across from the Costco). Between The Castro and The Mission, Dolores Park is the spiritual home of the hipsters. On a sunny day it's more crowded than the beach. Bring your PBR and enjoy an afternoon in the sun. Or visit one of the many popular cafés and restaurants in the area. First run and classic movies, film festivals and midnight shows, this 90-year-old movie house is one of the last historic theaters in the City. And it has a real person playing the organ before every show.
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Events by Month * Denotes event is walking distance from the apartment January February March April SF International Film Festival May Carnaval Parade and June July San Francisco Silent Film Festival August September Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival October November December Nutcracker ~ San Francisco Ballet
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