Comprehensive list: What to do in S.F.

<p>Alright. This will be the thread to end all threads about what to do in S.F. If you find something interesting, post it here. Let's begin.</p>

<p>Fisherman's Wharf:</p>

<p>The biggest tourist trap known to man, but it's not without it's charm. Food and accommodations are usually more expensive in the Wharf than average for restaurants of comparable quality. This area tends to be heavily traveled by people who eventually come to find that they are lost. Street vendors, street performers abound in this northeastern S.F. location. I don't frequent this area too often but from people I hear back from Scoma's (a seafood restaurant [F.Y.I. most of the food in the wharf is seafood]) seems to be mentioned more often then all the rest. Worth a look but nothing to spend all your time exploring.</p>

<p>Muni lines*:
10 and F-train</p>

<p>*Note about Mass transit: While inside the city during the day you should always be on foot. S.F. has one of the best mass transit systems in California and it can be nearly impossible to find a parking space during the day. Plus, I've seen more than a few reckless drivers (and cable car operators) cause trouble for the rest of traffic. FYI, Cable cars are called cable cars, not trains or trolleys; and the driver didn’t close the doors on you, they open and close automatically when you step on the platform.</p>

<p>Chinatown:</p>

<p>Cheap food and great architecture. Chinatown is probably one of the must see's of S.F. A trip to the bay area without a stop in Chinatown is like ordering a happy meal without the toy. The best part of Chinatown is you don't need to look hard to find something interesting. Be warned however that, from Market St, it can be a very steep climb. Grant Ave and Broadway St have all the typical touristy trinkets and useless goods but go a few blocks deeper, south along Stockton St and you'll get a true feel for real Chinatown life. Food is cheap in Chinatown and sometimes the best food can be found in the most unsightly of places. Sam Wo's is one of those places that looks like a hole-in-the-wall joint but actually has some very good dishes. It's a bit hard to find but not too hard, it's south of Broadway and East of Stockton on Washington St. I've heard a lot of people say Chinatown is where you can get the best food/dollar ratio.</p>

<p>Muni line:</p>

<p>Multiple as it’s in the downtown area
Cable cars* are a good way to get there from Market St</p>

<p>*Note on cable cars: DO NOT pay $5 to ride the cable cars from the beginning. It’s a rip-off considering the busses are only $1.50 and they give you transfers to take another bus later on. Go a few blocks up the track and take the place of people as they get off the cable car, you’ll probably have to hang on the outside, but hey, it’s free and that’s half the fun.</p>

<p>Beaches:</p>

<p>There are several beaches in the bay area but I’ve only been to two of them: Ocean beach and China beach.
Ocean Beach is the main beach on the west side of S.F. and, because of the strong tides and large waves, is often frequented by surfers. If you’re not a big ocean swimmer you should probably stay out of the water, as there are usually no lifeguards. The beach is about a mile long with a pier at the south end, which people are free to fish off of, and volleyball courts and fire pits on the north end. The Muni N-line will take you all the way up to the sand.
Another great beach, with calmer waters, is China beach north of California St. and just east of Lincoln Park. It tends to be less crowed because it’s secluded in it’s own little cove. There are restrooms and picnic tables so if you just want to get away and relax this beach is a good place to do it. Take the Muni 1 or 2 lines and hike a few blocks north of 28th streeet.</p>

<p>Bars: To be completed…
Union Square: To be completed…
Feel free to add.</p>

<p>If you're looking to save cash, ride the AC Transit bus "F" all the way into downtown San Francisco. This saves you about $6-7 (round trip) if you were to take BART. As I recall, it's about 20-30 minutes slower than BART.</p>

<p>I haven't even done all of the "tourist-y" things in the City, except hit up Pier 39 and Coit Tower. Oh, I've been to a Giants game, but that's not really tourist-y.</p>

<p>Oh, and the beaches in the Bay Area blow. It's better to spend that $25 or so for the 3-hour Greyhound to Santa Cruz for a day.</p>

<p>hey, i've been wanting to visit friends in santa cruz for a long time but haven't been able to locate the mysterious greyhound bus that takes u there....where can i find more info on it? and is the 25 dollars one way? or round trip</p>

<p>OH, man. This thread will be good as well.</p>

<p>There's a GH station near Embarc. and that's a round-trip cost.</p>

<p>Sports games...</p>

<p>what are some good clubs in sf? (18 & over, im not 21 yet :) )</p>

<p>are there any in the city of berkeley?</p>

<p>There aren't any good ones that are under 21 in Berkeley. And there really only three four notable ones anyway: Kip's, Henry's, Blake's, and Shattuck Down-Low. Blake's lets under-21 in, but it sometimes isn't worth it.</p>

<p>Some friends in Unit 1 got their hall-association committee to charter a bus and take them to an all day SF event...I tagged along for the late-night portion, where we went to an 18-over club (I forget the name)....anyway, from all the rap songs about being "in da club" I was quite disappointed. I'm all about dancing, but one can only dance for so long till it loses its novelty (and by novelty I mean buzz, hahaha....j/k...sorta)</p>

<p>Anyway, ask around when you get to Cal, some people are bound to know. I personally prefer the frat/co-op scene...it's not for everyone, but if you assemble yourself with the right group of guys and girls, you should have a great time.</p>

<p>BTW: expect loooooooooooonnnnnggggggggggggg lines at the club...we freaking supposedly had reservations or what not to immediately let our group of (40?) people in, but things didn't go to plan.</p>

<p>The Haight: </p>

<p>Located at the intersection of Haight St and Ashbury St., just east of Golden gate park, the Haight is a famous district where runaways and hippies gathered in the 60s. The Haight still keeps it's eclectic feel with smoke shops, record stores, retro furniture/clothes stores, bars, and clubs. For the less adventurous there’s also a Ben & Jerry’s and GAP. The Grill next door is a popular sausage place that I hear nothing but good things about, also Amoeba records is supposed to have all kind of retro music, if your into that sort of thing. Overall, a cool place to go, even if you’re not a big shopper. Hippie hill (southwest corner of Golden gate park) is a good sight to see. Warning: gets crowed on weekends.</p>

<p>Muni:
Take the 6, 7, or 71 from market and it'll take you straight there.</p>

<p>Triangle:</p>

<p>If you’re looking for a good nightclub the triangle could be the place for you. It’s not called the triangle because of its shape, it's an allusion to the Bermuda Triangle, singles tend to disappear in this area of San Francisco. Warning: Increasingly the triangle has become known as a yuppie stronghold; if this stigma means nothing to you continue to read, otherwise scroll down. The most popular bars are the matrix and Eastside West. There’s also a restaurant called the PlumpJack café. I went there once and didn’t think it was all that but, maybe it was just what I had. Plus the place was expensive, but I didn’t pay so whatever. You don’t need to know the difference between a circumcenter and centriod to find the middle of this triangle; it’s at the intersection of Fillmore St and Greenwich St, west of fisherman’s wharf.</p>

<p>Muni:
The 30 line, not too sure if someone knows, post it up.</p>

<p>Coit Tower:</p>

<p>Great place to get postcard-like pictures of downtown San Francisco. Take the Muni 10 line and get off at Lombard St and Sansome St. Hike up telegraph hill park and you’re there.</p>

<p>for the more culturally inclined, SF has a lot of great museums which one never gets tired of visiting</p>

<p>
[quote]
i've been wanting to visit friends in santa cruz for a long time but haven't been able to locate the mysterious greyhound bus that takes u there....

[/quote]
According to <a href="http://www.greyhound.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.greyhound.com&lt;/a>, there is a bus from Oakland to Santa Cruz daily (including weekends) at 7:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. It's a 2+ hour ride that stops in Hayward and San Jose. </p>

<p>The return bus leaves Santa Cruz for Oakland at 6:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 5:20 p.m. and 9:05 p.m.</p>

<p>Standard adult fare is $12.50 one-way.</p>

<p>The Greyhound bus station is on San Pablo Ave. near downtown Oakland.</p>

<p>Union Square:</p>

<p>Some people consider it to be the center of S.F., all kinds of stuff can be found at union square. Upper-scale boutiques, fancy restuarants, street performaers/artists, a cable car turntable, fancy hotels, theaters, and fast food. When people say they’re in the middle of S.F. this is probably the place they mean. Walking around here should keep you busy for at least half a day, I know some people that could spend a week there and still not be ready to leave.</p>

<p>Muni:
2,3,4, 38, Powell-Mason cable car, Powell-Hyde cable car,30, 45, 76. A bunch of busses.</p>