Parks

• Golden Gate Park - the third most visited city park in the US, after Central Park in New York City, and Lincoln Park in Chicago.
  • Ocean Beach
  • Academy of Sciences
  • De Young Museum
  • Conservatory of Flowers
  • Stow Lake
  • Japanese Tea Garden
  • Botanical Garden
• Chrissy Field
• Lands End Park
• Dolores Park
• The Balclutha
• Go Hiking - Multiple hiking suggestions provided by Weekend Sherpa
• Visit Alamo Square Park. See the “Postcard Row”, and a great view of the city. You may recognize the scenery from the opening sequence of Full House.

Museums

• Legion of Honor
• Exploratorium
• Disney Museum

Restaurants

• Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe (Fishermans Wharf) - Good for lunch, incredible bread.
• The House (N. Beach) - Asian Fusion, American (new). TIP: Try to get reservations at least a week in advance.
• NOPA - American (new), Modern European. Reported to have the best pork chops
• San Tung Chinese Restaurant - Chinese. Well known for dry fried chicken wings.
• Isa - French. Really cute patio in the back.
• Belden Place - Often dubbed the French Quarter of San Francisco, Belden Place offers a touristic, American repesentation of European dining.
• Chow (Castro) - American (traditional), Breakfast and Brunch.
• Park Chow - American (traditional), Breakfast and Brunch.
• House of Nanking - Chinese. Great before exploring Chinatown. House Crispy Beef Special highly recommended.
• Firefly (Noe Valley) - American (new). Pricey but really worth it.
• Bar Jules (Hayes Valley) - American (new)
• Boxing Room (Hayes Valley) - Canjun, Creole
• Magnolia Pub & Brewery (Upper Haight)
• Thep Phenom (Lower Haight) - Thai restaurant. Very economically priced.
• Farmerbrown (Civic Center) - American (new), Southern, Soul Food. Great for weekend breakfast / brunch.
• Shalimar - Indian, Pakistani. Two SF locations, Nob Hill recommended.
• Salt House (SoMa) - American (new)
• Franchino (N. Beach) - Italian
• Calzone’s (N. Beach) - Italian, Pizza
• The Stinking Rose (N. Beach) - Italian
• Beach Chalet - American (traditional), Breakfast / Brunch
• Caffe Sport (N. Beach) - Italian, Seafood
• Thirsty Bear Brewing Company - Beer and Spanish food.
• Axum Cafe - Ethiopian
• La Ciccia - Italian, Seafood. Reservation required.
• La Folie - French. $300 a head dinner. Great for rich people.
• Ha Nam Ninh - Vietnamese. Sketchy neighborhood, but near other great restaurants and bars.

Bars / Pubs / Restaurants with Beer Selection

• The Toronado - Dive Bar, Pub. Recommended for beer lovers.
• The Saloon - Oldest bar in San Francisco. Cheapest and greatest drinks with live music.
• The Alembic - Pub, American (new). Drinks with small but good food menu.
• The Mission- Neighborhood in San Francisco well known for Latin culture and hipster nightlife.
  • Puerto Alegre - Mexican food
  • Blondie’s Bar & No Grill - The name explains it all.
  • Rosamunde Sausage Grill - Bar, Hot Dogs, Breakfast/Brunch.
  • Foreign Cinema - Bar, Breakfast/Brunch, American (new).
  • Knockout - strange lounge act - late night bar
  • Boogaloos - American (traditional), Breakfast/Brunch. Recommended Mission District breakfast.
  • La Taqueria - Mexican. One of the best burritos in town.
  • The Ramp (Potrero Hill) - Near the Mission. Brunch on the water.

Other

• House of Air - Indoor trampoline park.
• See a movie at the Castro Theater.
• Take one of those red tour buses around the city
• Alcatraz Island - Buy tickets ahead of time. Audio tour is a must. Recommended by SF residents, so don’t assume it’s a lame tourist activity.
• Angel Island. You’ll need to take a ferry out there, but it’s great for picnicking, hiking, local history, and has a restaurant.
• Japantown
• Chinatown
• Rocket Boat - Ride on a really fast boat
• Bike Rentals
• The Purple Onion - Underground comedy club

Marin County

Attractions available within 20 miles north of San Francisco

• Marin Headlands - Located across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
• Muir Woods National Monument - 12 miles north of San Francisco. Protected forest of old growth Coast Redwood trees.
• Stinson Beach - 19 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Beautiful sights along the drive. Recommended visit if you’re going to Muir Woods.

Sonoma / Napa

Visitors to San Francisco often take day trips north to wine country, located approximately 50 miles North / Northeast of San Francisco. Dry Creek Vineyard, just north of Sonoma, is reported to produce an excellent Zinfandel and Savignon Blanc. Many other wineries are located nearby as well (many of them quirky and interesting), located very close together and easy to find on Dry Creek Road, so you can hit up many in a single trip. At several points you’ll see road side posts with signs pointing off to various wineries on side roads. For example you can take Yoakim Bridge Road down to West Dry Creek Road and visit Raymond Burr Vineyards and Preston Wineries (try the Madam Preston, amazing on a hot day).

Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay is the bay area located between Santa Cruz (approx 75 miles south of SF) and Monterey (approx 112 miles south of SF).

• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Blue Whale Watching - Monterey Bay is located south of San Francisco between Santa Cruz and Monterey. Currently the greatest gathering place for whales during the summer time.