Visiting San Francisco

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>berkeley
have fun with the commute.

fisherman's wharf is dumb. alcatraz is the shit, get your tickets now. marin headland batteries north of the golden gate are awesome if you're into history or the military. bring a flashlight to do some creeping.

where are you going to see the redwoods? big basin s.p. has the best old growth, but henry cowell s.p. has a train that runs through the forest to the beach.

if you can rustle up the wheel for it (or are willing to slog through yarts) yosemite is worth the drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPS9bEEEEs0

Think you'll appreciate this vid, m80.

>>1114747
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPS9bEE
Don't tell me that about the wharf, how dumb could it be? I like seafood at least I can have something good there.
Not completely sold on alcatraz.

>>1114748
I don't have the attention span for that, I just clicked around. But it is still apreciated

>>1114747
also whats so bad about the commute? It doesn't look too shit and I'm not exactly going to be heading into the city at peak hours

>>1114750
>going to the wharf for seafood
protip: you'll be paying for the location, not the food

>>1114751
maybe coming from nyc the travel won't be too bad, but peak hours into the city last from about 7-10:30. so just enjoy breakfast in the east bay, and plan to stay in the city until after 8 pm and you'll be okay. or get out the door by 9 am est and you'll be okay. ;)

>>1114752
That is a major protip, coming from NYC and living near great restaurants makes me a food snob unfortunately.
I wonder what bad is considered in SF. Regardless I think I will be out the door by 10am everyday, don't want to lose precious time in the city. Maybe one morning I'll do a 6am departure. I enjoy seeing an early morning or late night city.

>driving in SF
Why bother. The transit's actually pretty good.
>The Wharf
There's nothing good there, it's a giant tourist trap. The farmer's market at the Embarcadero is kinda nice though.
>Seafood
Go to chinatown m8. Unless you want white people seafood.

Check out the Mission. If you want food, it's all in the Mission. If you're not at Tartine by 9, you might as well just give up waiting in line. Bi-rite market has loads of neato stuff. If the El Gallo Giro food truck at Treat/23rd is still there, I'd totally recommend that. If you like dishware and stuff, there's Heath Ceramics in the Mission too. Soma's a bit sketchy at night, but during the day, it'll feel like New York to you. Consider going up to Twin Peaks to take a look at the city.

Whatever you do don't rent a bike and try and go over the Presidio. It looks flat on a map. It's anything but. The beaches on the west side are ultra nice. Pay attention to the forecast; weather can change in a snap in the Bay Area.

What is redwood forest? There is a lot of forest close in to the Bay Area. I'd strongly recommend driving down skyline to Santa Cruz and taking highway 1 the other way.

I hope you're planning to check out Berkeley and the east bay while you're there. Berkeley is a really cool city and there are some nice parts of Oakland, like around lake Merritt, rockridge, and temescal. I'd avoid West Oakland and East Oakland though.

I don't know what that fucking guy was talking about with the commute to SF from Berkeley. It's like 10 minutes driving without traffic, and probably 20 on Bart. I know many people that commute daily to SF from much, much farther away (Brentwood, Stockton, Santa Rosa, Fairfield).

In SF I'd skip fisherman's wharf, it's really not great at all, and instead spend more time checking out different neighborhoods. Most of the action/density is in the northeast corner. SF is very safe, but the bad neighborhoods are in the southeast pocket (bayview, hunters point, visitation valley).

If you have a pocket knife you could go bum-hunting.

The local teens love to do this!

Chinatown is weird and smells like urine everywhere

Japantown is based

>>1114957
>Japantown is based

Does "based" mean filled with weeaboos, all the restaurants run by Koreans, and hardly any Japanese people at all?

Spend a day checking out golden gate park, its massive. Over near the beginning of the park is Haight Ashbury, center of the 60's hippy movement and the area kind of feels like a living relic. Taking some time to walk around the Castro and the Mission district would definitely be worth checking out as well.

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i live about 50 min from the city, but its a ritual to get chinese at house of nanking (EXPECT A LINE) - sesame chicken to go... and some lamberts ice cream in saucilito on the way back.

hit up tartine bakery on 16th and guerro, the picnic in dolores park?

alamo drafthouse just open up in the mission...so there always a fun night of drinks and a movie...

go to ameoba music if you want to find something you never knew existedplus theres a sweet pinball arcade just behind the macD's parking lot

or just stand outside on haight and someone will try and sell you weed.

tiger army is playing at regency ballroom next friday if you want to wreck and get a face full of pompadour

scalp some giants tickets....

as for the redwoods, humbolt redwoods state park tall trees and ave of the giants is really the only place youd need to go unless thats too far and muir woods / mill valley falls is a nice stroll...

oh and stop into the oasis for a buger/visit stanford campus is you are going to santa cruz (which i think is a waste of life, unless you intend to surf mavericks)...www.egyptianmuseum.org is worth seeing in san jose (that may be childhood fieldtrip nostalgia talking) and the legion of honour museum is probably worth seeing above the rest in sf for quality


take the bart, dont be a cunt

>>1114964
protip
>lapperts hawaiian ice cream sausalito

>>1114960
>Over near the beginning of the park is Haight Ashbury, center of the 60's hippy movement and the area kind of feels like a living relic.
I can really recommend Haight-Ashbury. It's my favorite neighborhood in SF.

Don't forget to hit up the Tenderloin. Ideally sometime after midnight. You will meet the most interesting people, I guarantee it.

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>>1114917
>I don't know what that fucking guy was talking about with the commute to SF from Berkeley.
answered your own question anon
>It's like 10 minutes driving without traffic
>without traffic
>without
and 45-60 with traffic, which is a long ass time to go 3 miles.

>>1114917
Uh I've no idea, I'm guessing the RedWood Forest thats like an hour north of SF. I'll probably find myself walking around Berkley in the morning to check out the local scene.

>>1114957
>weird
>smells like urine
I like weird and urine is a common smell to me

>>1114960
Both of those things are on my list and I'll also be checking out some other cool looking places like fort point.

>>1114964
Dang, some good stuff here. But I'll be going to Santa Cruz with someone who says it's really nice, so I imagine she knows some sweet places there. Also I really like aquariums and she says they have a bitching one.

And yes I'll be using the bart for almost all my travel except for the places far out of the city.

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>>1115121
>Also I really like aquariums and she says they have a bitching one.

probably monterey. if you have a couple extra hours down there after the aquarium rent a kayak by the beach and cruise down the edge of the bay there. no experience needed, and you can share a double.

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>>1115121
>And yes I'll be using the bart for almost all my travel except for the places far out of the city.
BART is only a commuter service m9. MUNI services the city proper. The only place in SF that has BART stations is market street which also has a MUNI metro line as well as on the surface, trolley lines.

>>1114750

The Wharf is extremely touristy. The food can be good, but it's not cheap, and you'll be eating with people in "Frisco" sweatshirts. There's an enormously tacky collection of junk/souvenir stores -- all plastic crap. But, it's worth starting there and taking a walk over to Ghiradelli Square and The Cannery, then through Fort Mason, down the Marina Green, through Crissy Field, and ending at Ft. Point. It's a few miles, but very scenic. If you want good seafood, in a nice atmosphere, you can go to Waterbar on the Embarcadero. The historic streetcar line runs most of the way from Fisherman's Wharf in that direction.

Chinatown ? Skip House of Nanking, as it's actually in North Beach and very touristy. For Dim Sum, go to City View. Straddles the Financial District and Chinatown, so quality is very good. Skip Yank Sing -- sky high prices. In Chinatown proper, try Shanghai Bund, Sam Wo, and Capital. The last two are old-time SF institutions. Get the dry-fried chicken wings at Capital.

If you like Northern Italian food, try Perbacco (or the more casual Barbacco, next door) -- both downtown.

If you're a beer drinker, and like divey joints, drop by Toronado (in the lower Haight). 50 or so beers on their tap list, almost all craft (or Belgian). Happy Hour from noon to 6:00, and you get a dollar off already inexpensive pints.

Visit Golden Gate Park and the Presidio.


If you can get a ticket -- definitely Alcratraz. Most locals have never gone -- "oh it's too touristy", and I was one of them. But I took visiting family there, and it was very interesting. Go on the self-guided headphone tour.

The Mission is now a mix of hipsters, techies, and Hispanic culture. It can be a bit sketchy, especially around the 16Th and 24th St. BART stations. Plenty of restaurants, but they tend to be a bit pretentious. Foreign Cinema has excellent food, though.

>>1114959
As someone who speaks korean and japanese I still.hear tons of japanese while rambling through jtown. Although it is always painfully obvious when Koreans are trying to pass off as japanese.

>>1115040
I second this. the tenderloin is my favorite part of town

>>1114743
The new moma finally fucling opened. Also make sure to take 1 down the coast. Stop in halfmoon bay or some place wilder for seafood. You can also get great food if you go a bit further south from sc to moss landing area.

>>1114957
>Chinatown smells like China

>Japantown is actually "Koreatown Presents: Japantown"

OP, for gods sake don't just do Grant Street in Chinatown, go to Stockton, too. That's where the majority of actual Chinatown Chinese people do shit. Grant Street is a tourist trap.

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>>1114743
To add on to your Chinatown adventure, you should just keep heading north and you'll hit Broadway and Columbus, which is the beginning of Little Italy. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND going to Molinari Deli on Columbus. It's that kind of old-timey family run Italian deli that you just don't see anymore where they'll break your balls a bit while making you the best god damn sandwich of your life.

pic related

>>1115328

Also -- if you're going to see redwoods 1 hr. north of SF, it's probably Muir Woods, which is beautiful but extremely crowded and overrun with tourists. The ride out there is extremely slow due to traffic and if you can even find a place to park, you'll probably have to hike a mile or so.

Alternatively, drive up Mt. Tamalpais from Fairfax (Bolinas-Fairfax Rd to Ridgecrest Rd.) Beautiful scenery, some redwoods and a nice lake.

If you have to see Lombard St, go ahead. But there's nothing to see. And, really, it's a tourist-packed mess. The Japanese Tea Garden is highly recommended. If you go MWF, before 10:00, admission is free. You'll also miss a lot of the crowds. If you go, be sure to visit the DeYoung Museum -- pretty much next door. There's admission, but you can actually skip that to go up the observation tower for free. The view gives you a good idea of the hilly topography of western SF.

The Tenderloin -- do not go. There's a strong Vietnamese presence there, so some good places to eat. But it's homeless, drug-addled, psycho Central. You won't really miss anything.

You can take a tour of the Anchor Brewery, though it's a bit off the beaten path. They charge $20 now and require reservations. You do get to taste about 5 or 6 of their beers afterwards. Good tour, I took it when it was free, but probably still worth it.

buena vista irish coffees

like at least 4 or 5 to get the full experience

>>1115127
Sweet, is there lots of marine life around?

>>1115202
Cool this is useful, I'm sure I'll figure it out. Are there any tickets or cards that work for all forms of public transportation? In NYC metrocards work on busses and trains and can be bought for a period of time like a weekly.

>>1115328
Cool thanks for the in depth suggestions for food etc. I wanted to do an alcatraz night tour but they're sold out until August.

>>1115340
hah live in Brooklyn so I know all about those kind of Italian establishments, but I'll have a look.

>>1115348
The chick I'm going with says she know's where to go for Redwood Forest and says its pretty hippie out there. She's been in North Bay her whole life so I imagine she knows where to go and where not to go.
Glad to hear the tea garden is sweet! Before 10am? Shouldn't be a problem.
Might push on to the Tenderloin since I do like Vietnamese food, the crazies are fine with me(better than tourists)

>>1115412
Why are you here

>>1115666
>marine life
sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, gulls, cormorants, fish, jellyfish, and if you look carefully at the kelp you're going through you can find little snails and crabs living in it. might even see some dolphins or porpoises if you go a little ways out. last time i went i saw a mom sea otter teaching its baby to swim. frickin' adorable.

>tea garden
that's a great suggestion. perfect if you need a chill day. my wife and i had our wedding pictures taken there. super peaceful and beautiful.

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>>1115666
nice trips

>>1115328
and dont be talking shit about house of nanking, ive been going there since the nineties never had a bad experience...people wouldnt wait in line for an hour is it wasnt good...but hey enjoy your dank lairs of authenticity

>>1115412

sure it sucks that it has turned into an expensive place and it sucks that the tech industry is starting to dominate but aside from that San Francisco is a beautiful city with amazing vibes and an incredible history and remains one of the best cities in the world in my opinion. So as >>1115666
said, Why are you here?

I've been reading this thread and is driving in San Fransisco really that bad? I was going to visit there (mostly just want to see chinatown again) and my dad said I will hate driving there so I should just drop my car off with one of his friends who lives there and take the BART to get around but I kinda laughed him off because how bad could it be but reading this thread is making me wonder if I should heed his advice.

>>1115749
it's pretty miserable. lots of cars, lots of one-ways, lots of bikes, lots of tourists who don't know where the fuck there going or what local traffic laws are like, people not giving a shit and just crossing the street, etc. it's probably the worst city i've ever driven in, and i've driven in l.a., rome and jamaica.

>>1115749
Driving has gotten a lot worse in recent years with the population increase without the infrastructure increase to handle it. The drive from the east bay to SF is particularly brutal with some of the worst traffic in the country. The "rush hour" has expanded to be so huge that it starts at 5am and ends around 10-11am just in time for another lunch hour mini-rush hour then another break until the same clusterfuck going from SF back to the east bay.

I too am planning a trip to San Francisco.

I don't plan on renting a car or anything (going solo and I think getting a car might make me want to cram too many activities into the amount of time I'll be able to go).

I was thinking of going somewhere between 8-10 days. Is this a good amount of time to be able to satisfactorily explore San Francisco and a bit of the Bay Area (like parts of Oakland and Berkeley and Alameda for the Pinball Museum). Or might it be too much?

I am mostly interested in the local museums and parks and some of the historically/culturally significant areas like Alcatraz, Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury, etc.

And eating good food, of course...

I know it might sound silly, but I only worry about potentially spending too much time somewhere due to my parents taking me to Atlantic City for four nights--before I could drink or gamble--and it got awful pretty quick...

I also plan on staying in a hostel. Anyone have experiences with hostels in SF? Recommendations perhaps? The one I was looking at is in the Tenderloin, only because it seems like a quieter area...But apparently the Tenderloin a sketchy place? I don't exactly mind that, however. More concerned with safety over sketchiness.

Also, just out of curiosity...What might be an analogy for the BART to the NYC subway system? I live close to NYC and know it pretty well. So I'm wondering, would a trip to Oakland on the BART from be kind of like, say, a ride from midtown Manhattan into Astoria, or maybe Flushing, in terms of length? I guess it depends on how far into Oakland one wants to go...But I'm just looking for a general idea.

>>1114743
The Full House House

>>1115983
there is waaay more to do around sf than ac. only problem might be that without a car you'll be limited to the immediate bay area (sf, bezerkely, oakland, etc.). you should still be able to keep entertained for a week+ with access to those areas. though with an early enough start and high enough tolerance for public transportation pace amtrak+yarts will get you to yosemite and back. just don't expect to show up and grab a campsite for a night.

>>1115983
Unless you're looking for gay hookers or injectable drugs I'd stay out of the 'loin.

8-10 days might be a bit long for just the City but if you get out to the surrounding area a bit would be fine.

Smart not to rent a car. There's lots of Lyft and Uber too if you need it.

>>1115202
So looking at this public transportation map, it seems to just move people from the northeast to south or south west (and vice versa), what if you are staying on the west part of town or like the west part of the Marina distirct?

What would be the best way to get to the east part of town from there? Uber/Lyft?

>>1115202
Are you talking about Powell St?

>>1117395
buses, trolleys, metro, uber

did you not catch that he said that was just the BART map?

>>1117398
Don't be so harsh. That was a combined BART/MUNI METRO map.

>>1117406
Plus cable cars, Caltrain, and "vintage streetcar line".