Solved: San Francisco Sight Seeing Suggestions

Off-topic Chatter
1

I’ll be at San Francisco for the next few days before school starts.

I plan to hang out with my friends there, but are there any suggestions as to where I should visit on my spare time?

I have visited San Francisco before, but didn’t really have time to explore at my own pace. Popular attractions, restaurants, etc are all welcome. :slight_smile:

2

In no particular order:

  1. Golden Gate bridge - walk across the bridge and also see some of the old forts around there (free)
  2. Alcatraz Island - cruise (short) to the prison and then take a tour of it (pay)
  3. Exploratorium - fun place to see and explore (pay)
  4. Golden Gate park Academy of Sciences (free to walk through the park but have to pay to get into the museums, etc)
  5. SF Zoo (pay)
  6. drive over to Sausalito and have lunch and walk around the shops (free to walk around :laughing:
  7. Cable car ride (take the Powell-Mason and Powell- Hyde lines and not the California street line) (pay)
  8. Bike ride through Golden Gate park and/or the Presido (Golden Gate bridge is at the end and you can also ride over to Sausalito) (cheap fee to rent a bike)
  9. Wine tasting in Napa (pay)
  10. Walk through Chinatown and then head down to the Exploratorium…and you can have (expensive) lunch on the piers. Or a cheap lunch in Chinatown.
  11. San Jose tech museum (1 hour drive from SF when it’s not rush hour…approx 9am to 3pm)
  12. free city walking tours (pay what you want at the end)

Bring a jacket and prepare for possible chilly weather (for example right now it’s 60 degrees at noon). The weather can move as much as 10-15 degrees during the day…more if you’re closer to the ocean. On the other hand it could get as hot as 75 :slight_smile:

3

If you rent a car:
The countryside along the coast, both north and south of SF, is very nice.

4

Last time I was there—-I took a Segway tour of the Wharf & North Beach—it was awesome.

5

Fishermans wharf,
Lombard street,
Union square

6

I really enjoyed the night tour of alcatraz. Totally different feeling when it’s getting dark outside.

They closed the cells (for show) but that sound is something I remember like yesterday.

7

If you are into WWII history, there is a Liberty Ship and submarine you can tour (costs money, when I was there they had a package deal for both). The Liberty Ship was at the D Day invasion. There is also a maritime museum with several ships you can tour within walking distance of the wharf.

EDIT: The night tour of Alcatraz was posted while I was typing this. It was great. They open up areas of the prison building that aren’t open during the day, such as the second floor hospital and the birdman of Alcatraz cell. You usually have to buy tickets several days in advance, and bring a jacket. It gets cold on the island at night.

8

Pier 39 is near Fisherman’s wharf and has little shops that are somewhat interesting. I’d avoid Lombard street myself as it can get crazy busy at times. Interestingly it’s only the second crookedest street in SF but the other one is in an off-the-beaten part of the city. I think some of the walking tours start in Union square so you can join one after doing some high-end shopping :slight_smile:

Watch out for pick pockets when walking around crowded areas of the city.

9

Suggest you visit Stanford University next to Palo Alto

10

Better yet to see a real university….UC Berkeley :slight_smile:

11

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately all Alcatraz tours were full, should have booked earlier.
I’ve decided to go on a hop on, hop off bus tour for two days to go see major attraction sites.

12

Farallon Islands

Farallon Islands

Farallon Islands

13

Alcatraz Tours usually say that—but you can go to the Ticket window EARLY!
and wait in the line.
But you gotta go Early, cause the line gets crazy long.

Truly a unique city.
I’d walk around the Haight-Ashbury part of town where hippies and musicians
and their influence can still be found.
One of the last great music stores—with 1000’s of vinyl albums, and even Buying vinyl—
Amoeba Music is great.
Also unque shops like “Loved to Death”—which was featured in the Netflix series
Oddities.

I went to a great bar called Bourbon and Branch on the site of an old speakeasy.
The entry door is unmarked—and you have to give the code word you got when making your reservation. Serious cocktails here—old school—nothing trendy.

Kinda fun if you happen to be in the right place 2 or 3 times a year when they are a host city for a leg of the WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE DAY.
Its not pretty—but it is unique!

This is a city for Foodies!
The over the top Farallon is there to see, also Gary Danko, Jardiniere, etc.
On the low end—you can go to great Sausage shops or
24 hour eats in the Mission District.

14

DANGER WILL ROBINSON DANGER:

If you like the rolling ocean and being cold and possibly lots of bird guano.

or if you not a salty soul you could be in for sea sickness and gruesome killer whales eating whale calves (that’s why the Spanish correctly call then Whale Killers, we transposed it).

Just a warning

15

“This is a city for Foodies! The over the top Farallon is there to see, also Gary Danko, Jardiniere, etc.
On the low end—you can go to great Sausage shops or
24 hour eats in the Mission District.”

Every time I go to San Fran I pick one day to not eat lunch then have a Boudin’s clam chowder sourdough bread bowl for dinner. I’ve tried the Boudin’s in San Diego but they don’t taste the same.

16

Thanks to those who have mentioned Alcatraz Island; I was very lucky to get last minute tickets without waiting, and it was a great experience. I was really impressed with the audio tour with headphones on. as all my previous audio tour experiences were quite shoddy.

I’ll try to add photos later on.

17

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Here are some places I’ve visited:
Tech Museum of Innovation
Computer History Museum
California Academy of Sciences
de Young Fine Arts Museum
Museum of Modern Art
Alcatraz Island
Fisherman’s Wharf
Lands End
Union Square

I also had the chance to meet up with some friends. :slight_smile: