Travel Guide : San Francisco

[dr.shoegal]

So I'm planning a trip to San Francisco mid October. I'm there for approx 9 days. I need to do all my winter wardrobe shopping at that time. I also want to go to all the must-see places for a first time visiter (from Canada).

Thanks in advance!

 

[asta]

coit tower

north beach [little italy]... city lights book store... cafe trieste!!!!!!

china town

fisherman's warf, golden gate park... the golden gate bridge- i would even go across the bay and see it from the other side

all the neighborhoods. you must drive around the entire city. the architecture is beautiful. NOB HILL

sf moma, the asian art museum of sf

the castro

alcatraz

the farmer's market

the presidio

haight- ashbury---- go to original amoeba music in berkeley and then on haight!

if you get a chance to drive... go to carmel and monterey...

in berkeley, please tour the campus... it is beautiful! you must also go to chez panisse http://www.chezpanisse.com/


i will think of more later... this is a shotgun list! have fun! SF is wonderful.

 

[faust]

Shopping:

Gimmie Shoes (the one in Hayes Valley is the best) - should be perfect for someone named dr.shoegal
Cielo - incredible selection of top interesting designers
Nida Boutique.

You can find their adresses on www.citysearch.com

 

[dr.shoegal]

THANKS!!!!!

gimme shoes... that sounds like a dreamland..

sounds like a lot of wonderful places to visit. I had no idea San Fran had so much to offer. I'm very excited!

 

[Misako]

If you want some more big name items, head to Union Square.

 

[dr.shoegal]

I think I'm staying at the Hilton in Union Square.... WOOHOO!

 

[faust]

Originally posted by dr.shoegal@Aug 31 2004, 10:57 PM
I think I'm staying at the Hilton in Union Square.... WOOHOO!

[snapback]352022[/snapback]​

If you can, stay at the Clift. So much cooler (and I'm sure much cheaper), you won't be disappointed.

 

[dr.shoegal]

The Clift? That sounds interesting. Is it near the Hilton? I'm going for a conference, and technically I don't have to pay a cent. I want to at least near by so I can walk to the conference... and shopping....

 

[faust]

Originally posted by dr.shoegal@Sep 2 2004, 09:57 PM
The Clift? That sounds interesting. Is it near the Hilton? I'm going for a conference, and technically I don't have to pay a cent. I want to at least near by so I can walk to the conference... and shopping....

[snapback]354718[/snapback]​

It's on Union Square, so it must be close.

Here, Ian Shrager's Hotels

 

[Pooja]

i use to live in sf. its such a pretty city but the weather sux. and some areas are so pretentious when they have no reason to be. i live in west hollywood now. its WAY better.

 

[mouko]

i have to disagree with pooja, i love san francisco weather..i was just in LA and man did it suck..I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion

My favorite places to shop in the city

American Rag on Van Ness and sutter
Marc Jacobs in Union square (down maiden lane, it's a little hidden street)
Stussy/Vintage stores on Haight
Huf on Sutter and Jones
Vintage stores on Valencia and 16th.

 

[ingenue]

american rag on van ness-- yay!
good shopping on Union Street as well-- very nice unique finds there as well.
clift hotel-- great place to hang!
restaurant Must try: Masa's

Off the city (san jose), must go to santana row and across that is the valley fair mall *its called something else now but ok for a mall, has high end stuff too and TAX is lower haha by like, .25%?!

if you want bargains (cheap), go to great mall of the bay area in milpitas. never know what you may find!

Stanford mall--- i love it there, max opera cafe... and you have to try la nouvelle patisserie's goodies

Coit tower north beach-- you gotta go to Cafe Trieste for the chocolata fantasia, The stinking rose (if you are a garlic lover), and Steps of Rome (for the gelatos and tiramisu!!!!!)

sigh i miss SF .. i used to live there before i moved back to Asia

 

[faust]

Originally posted by Pooja@Sep 3 2004, 11:31 PM
i use to live in sf. its such a pretty city but the weather sux. and some areas are so pretentious when they have no reason to be. i live in west hollywood now. its WAY better.

[snapback]355990[/snapback]​

Huh? You call SF pretentious and LA not? Oooook....

 

[dr.shoegal]

I hear there is a fantastic restaurant, kind of in the middle of no-where, out by the airport. Does anyone know what that might be?

 

[MulletProof]

big bump!.

I've been invited to go to San Francisco for 5 days in September, it's still not very sure as I haven't made up my mind yet, mainly because I don't really know what to do in San Francisco!, and it's openly ignorant of me to say that so I'm just coming here to change my mind and ask for recommendations about places like museums, restaurants, parks, nightlife, second-hand stores, must-sees (the golden gate? ).. keep in mind that I'm eternally on a budget , and even if I wasn't, I'm not really into gourmet type of places, hyper exclusive nightclubs or silly boutiques, I like typical areas but not too touristy, any ideas will be appreciated.

 

[ms-nietzsche]

^For Museums, there's the MOMA and the De Young, both very awesome! For Nightlife, I like Bottom of the Hill and Slims. Bands perform live there, you can check the lineup online but they're mostly not bad. Conor Oberst was at BotH early August. I also highly recommend going to see Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Fugazi. You also MUST visit Ghiradelli square. If you're willing to go a bit further to the Oakland/Berkeley area, there's the "Gourmet Ghetto" in Berkeley which is awesome, and there's also an ice cream place called "Ici" (Oakland/Berkeley border) which has the best ice cream I've ever had. There's also a cute bookstore owned by Lawrence Ferlinghetti you can visit (back to SF), if you're into that kind of stuff.
Secondhand/Vintage shopping at SF is overpriced IMO, BUT (once again) in Berkeley/Oakland there is a place called Slash Clothing that probably is the best place to find secondhand jeans. The SA are always very very helpful.

 

[MulletProof]

thank you nietzsche , precisely the kind of info I wanted to get!.. De Young Museum sounds pretty awesome, I wish I could get to see the YSL exhibit but alas, it doesn't kick off until november.. although for another 100 dollars flight, I might accept a second invite!. the Ferlinghetti-bookstore sounds like my kind of perdition .. and so does Bottom of the Hill!, I haven't seen Xiu Xiu in years and there's playing around the time I'll be there, too good to be true.

 

[MulletProof]

another question , what's the weather like in september?, is it like in Southern California?, or cold?, does it rain in the middle of a heat wave like in NY? , is it too much if I bring a coat or an umbrella just in case?. I want to pack as light as possible but I always imagine SF to be quite windy, very autumn-like.. don't know how accurate is that.

 

[tangerine]

That is a big bump!

There are plenty of things to do on a budget. Golden Gate Park. Dolores Park on the weekends. Many good inexpensive restaurants scattered around town; do you know what neighborhood you will be staying in? Museums: SF MOMA, the Asian Art Museum, the De Young Museum, the Legion of Honor. Galeria de la Raza. The city is small and you can walk most places. There are lots of cool neighborhoods to walk through, all with their own restaurants, cafés and nightclubs.

Check www.sfweekly.com to get some club listings for music. Yelp is also handy for restaurants... I don't always agree with their reviews, but you can get an idea of what's out there...

ETA: weather is extremely variable; may range from cool, foggy and windy to hot and sunny. Bring layers. It probably won't rain, though.

 

[MulletProof]

awesome, tang!, I'll start browsing through SF Weekly.. I like what I hear right now, so I'll just sort some fears out in my head and accept the invitation..

I don't know where I'll be staying just yet, my friend is a bit of a hippie and he's happy with his couchsurfing.. don't know how clean that is but I know how clean I am and as long as there's a place to sleep, hot water and quick exit door, I'm all good.