Visiting San Francisco, ideas?

The wife and I are heading out to SF for a week in early September and I wanted if anybody had any pointers. We were planning on 3-4 days in the city and a few (2) in Sonoma (Healdsburg). In particular I was wondering about things I should not miss, especially those that would not surface in the usual list of tourist must sees. So far we are considering the following:


SF
Attractions:

Coit Tower
Alcatraz (night tour)
Segway tour of Golden Gate Park
Muir Woods
Bicycle ride across The Golden Gate Bridge
China Town
Ghirdelli Square
Lombard Street


Food:

North Beach Pizza
House of Prime Rib

Sonoma:

Bicycle Wine tour

Vineyards:

Lynmar
Gary Farrell
Quivara
Ziblichi
Pasterick

Food:

Willies Seafood & Raw Bar
Dry Creek Kitchen

Now that said, anything I should remove from the list? Also I'm interested in suggestions for the following things:

SF

Food:

Restaurants that are SF "institutions" and should not be missed
A nice contemporary 4 or 5 Star restaurant in the city
Good, authentic place for dim son in China Town

Attractions:

Things that we should not miss, but those that are not the "touristy" things to do.

As an addendum, two of my favorite movies, Bullitt and the Dirty Harry films were filmed in SF so I'm all for any landmarks from those movies.

Sonoma:

Vineyards and restaurants I should not miss. That said I am more interested in places where I can see the winery as opposed to just visiting the tasting room.

 

WONDERFUL time of year to visit SF!

Hop one of the harbor tour boats - $10 for a 45 minute tour under the
Golden Gate and around Alcatraz (can't go to the actual island unless on
the specific tour boat that goes there - but that tour takes 2 hours to see the whole
thing - any of the 8 or 10 harbor cruise boats are just fine).

Just a tourist myself - but I just LOVE SF in September/October.

Jedi

 

Local favorites.

Dining
Than Long outer sunset
R & G Lounge chinatown
Tadich Grill embarcadero
Gary Danko north poiint
La Cumbre mission

Must do.
Catch a ballgame at ATT park
Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Club
Dimsum at Yank Sing

One to check off the bucket list.
Have a meal at The French laundry in Yountville

 

Good list... but I would do it differently.

Forget Coit Tower, Tour or Golden Gate Park, and Ghiradelli square.

Replace with :

1. Sitting at the top of the steps at Lyon street and Broadway
2. Rent a car, drive across the bay to Oakland, and on up to Grizzly peak, drive along the peak and stop at the wall and watch the motorcycles while enjoying the best sunset in the bay.
3. 18 hole at the Lincoln Park, or just visit the Legion or Honors museum.
4. visit the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate park
5. Walk from the Marina toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Stop along the way to admire one of the 3 artists building rock sculptures along the bay.


Except for the Academy of Sciences, none of those things above are what regular tourists would do.

 

San Francisco is a great place to live and visit, great walking city, with lots of places to see and things to do… Food & restaurants are the big specialty here…

North Beach Pizza- Really? You can get that kind of pizza in any US City, trust me don’t bother.

House of prime Rib- Yes a great restaurant if you want a martini or Manhattan with Prime rid and creamed spinach, yes it’s a good place. But what they offer can also be found in any US city..

If you have a desire for pizza and you need to be in North Beach, Than-

Tommaso’s on Kearny st. has been there since 1934, wood oven pizza, been very good over the years

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana on Stockton st, around the corner from North Beach pizza, wood fired pizza over great crust

Or if you just love pizza than consider leaving north beach and try.

Una Pizza napoletana on 210 11th st, a strange kind of no where part of town, but pizza is really great, bewhere people are know to start lineing up at 5pm

Flour and Water- Harrison st at 18th? Mission District, a kinda no where part of town. Great pizza and pasta, all hand made in their kitchens. Locals start lining up by 5:30 to get a table

Delfina Pizza at 18th st Dolores st really great food go for lunch and go early. I just went to lunch there with my kids 6+12 they had a lot of fun

If you looking for general Italian food I would suggest staying away from North Beach, try these places

A-16 Marina district, great place and they have pizza as well

Delfine on 18 th st, ( next door to Delfine Pizza) very good food reservation well in advance

Perbacco- California st. Downtown, Great food only in SF. Great raw fish items

I you looking for higher end food try- sa mentioned before

Restaurant Gary Danko- great service, food good, expect to pay 200 per person +

Quince- On Jackson st. Excelent food and service 200+ per person

Coi- 373 Broadway- Expect to pay more than 250 per person, but you will eat flavors you have never thought of before, ONLY in SF restaurant
A Little cheaper are-

Foreign Cinema- Yup- a well know restaurant that show a movie on their out door dinning area, a big restaurant with a local fell, well know reservation recommended.

Zuni- Been in their location for 30 years, still great fun Market st location

Slanted Door at the Ferry Building always a winner

If your in the city for Sunday Brunch try-
Foreign Cinema Bruch one of the best in the city Great crowd, outside dinning

Yank Sing at Rinkon Center really great dim Sum…

There are tons of restaurants in this city some are tourist traps, Stay away from restaurants on the wharf and eat the wharf street food at your own risk

Things to do in the City,

Hayes Valley shopping area
Haight street shopping and wandering
Ferry Building and ferry plaza
Filbert street Steps really cool walk.....

If you love coffee try-
Coffee at Blue bottle in Mint Plaza try the French siphon-- about 10 bucks a cup

Four barrel coffee on Valencia st, a true locals place, roast their own beans
The locals , at four barrel, tend to look scary- lots of piercings and tattoos and long beards and such, but for the most part they are mostly computer guys and chic

It’s a great food city. there is so much more, check Yelp for any of my recommendations.

In Healdsburg you should stay at the H2 Hotel, really nice rooms

Contact me if you want any further info-

 

I'd start with dinner at Kuletto's. Then after a bottle of wine with dinner, hit every sleazy bar you can find. Oh god the good old days when I could stay up after 9:00PM. In the 80's San Francisco was the place for a white single straight male, who liked to drink. Think about it for a second.......Asian girls!!!!

 

And remember to stop by Fantasy Junction for some car drooling.

 

Alfred's in the Alley

 

Ice Cream

 

for car nuts: +1 on Fantasy Junction
You can add the Blackhawk Auto Museum in the East Bay as well.

If you want the finest local food go to Yountville where there are at least 6 Michellin stars within walking distance. If you are not going to the Napa valley and only staying in Sonoma county/ Healdsburg: try Cyrus.

If you want to combine both exotic cars (ferraris) with world class driving experience and good food, Join us on a FOG (ferrari owners group) drive when you are in town. We will be gearing up for our charity road rally from SF to LA on Sept 23-25, but could join us on one of the bimonthly Saturday drives. I'm sure we could spare a passenger seat for you and your wife, if that is your type of thing.

 

This is a pretty good deal for some of the things others have described...

http://www.citypass.com/san-francisco

Plus you can ride the cable cars and light rail all over on multiple days.

 

I grew up here and advise you to avoid Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, and all the other crap that is in the guide books. Great suggestions from others so far for restaurants and activities. My tip: rent a fast car and explore Highway 1 (north or south) on a weekday. For great sushi without 5-star prices, look into Hamano or Ebisu. House of Prime Rib is an institution but not the best for great, unique food, and if I went on a cool vacation it would disappoint me.

 

Tadich grill is real old school San Francisco in the best way.

Anchor Oyster Bar another old time favorite for lunch

House Prime Rib

See the buffalo's in Golden Gate park they exist!

Show and drinks beach blanket babylon

Take Hyde street cable car, stop at the end of the run and have a Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe

Thats all

 

Well, my guidebook on Northern California won't have any of that crap in it!

Sorry I can't add what I want to atm..busy posting pictures about Monterey..

 

Delete:

Coit Tower
Segways in GG Park

When you ride bikes across the GG bridge, return on the Sausalito Ferry to the Ferry Building. Enjoy Sausalito while there. Go to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. You ARE a tourist. If you don't like it, leave.

Food in SF: N. Beach Pizza is my favorite. House of Prime Rib is good for SF, but not particularly worthy of world class status if you have ever had good beef. I would go somewhere with a view like Chaya, Waterfront or Waterbar, Slanted Door. Gordon Biersch is fun. For Chinese food, I like Brandy Ho's or Henry's Hunan.

Biking around Sonoma can be challenging, as the wineries are farther apart than in Napa. I would drive and walk. Healdsburg is a great little town. Go to Sonoma as well and just walk around. Buy food at a market for a picnic, buy a bottle at a winery and have a picnic. Bear Republic in Healdsburg is also fun.

 

May I ask why this particular Vineyards? Not knocking them, just curious.

I've compiled a list of Napa/Sonoma Wineries of my own that are "car related" wineries...and none of yours are on my list.

 

The Cliff House for dinner & drinks at sunset!
While it's been a few years since I was last in S.F., it's still there, isn't it? The food may not be world-class, but the view and general ambience is memorable! Any first time visitor should go, have dinner, then head to Chinatown after dark.

Another suggestion is to pick up a bottle of nice wine, then drive to the Marin Headlands Park (@ the north end of G.G. Bridge) and watch dusk fall upon the city.

KevFla

 

The wife compiled the list and I am open to any suggestions. Care to share your list?

 

Drive up to the top of Mount Diablo. It's a neat drive. It's about 10 miles from bottom to top. There's a nice visitors center with a small museum there. There's a small park fee. Great view of the bay area on a good day. You can google directions. Just a thought. Enjoy your stay. If you go to Oakland, you may want a bullet proof vest for you & the wife.

 

The Cliff House is still there, fixed up, but lost the nice bar over looking the beach. I loved that bar, but not anymore.

The bottle of wine at the Marin headlands is an excellent idea.

 

I love the Cliff House! It has lots of history. It's really cool for a sunset dinner. If you make reservations requesting an ocean view. And of course the weather must cooperate. Food is good. Prices are not too bad. Have fun.

 

I'm visiting SF right now:

ride a cable car

I just had dinner at Gary Danko tonight: really incredible: atmosphere, service and food. Not cheap.

Maritime museum on the waterfront, if you like that sort of thing.

 

If you go to the Cliff House, you should get there 60-90 minutes before sunset. Once it's dark, then forget it...head to Chinatown. Geary is a major east-west roadway to get you from one side of town to the other.

If you want to ride a cable car, don't buy your ticket right-away. Wait until you have moved up enough in the line/
queue to get a good idea how minutes it might be before you board. Last time I was in S.F., the cable car tickets were good for a certain period of time. Don't burn- up a lot of that time waiting in line.

Depending on your age, it might be worth a trip to the Haight-Ashbury district and walk around. Grab a slice of pizza, close your eyes and let your taste buds and partial sensory deprivation take you back 45 years. Cool bookstores. Go on an empty bladder. It's groovy man, I tell 'ya! Plus, the Haight dist. is right around the corner from Golden Gate Park and Kezar Stadium, featured in Dirty Harry (one of them).

Not sure how much tickets are these days but a boat trip to Alcatraz is a unique way to kill an afternoon. Alcatraz itself is free (open to correction). Found it to be a good entertainment/ educational value.

KevFla

KevFla