San Francisco Travel Advice?

I'd definitely hit up Yosemite or Lake Tahoe if you have time to do so. I hiked the panaromic trail when I went to Yosemite and it was awesome. Took me about 5 hours but it was well worth it. Even saw a bear that I had to scare off since it was a few feet away from the trail!

 

There's a Burmese restaurant called Burma Superstar or something similar. Probably the best food I had there. Highly rated on Yelp as well.

Also, Santa Cruz is a great town to visit while there. Good food, chill people, good beaches. I think it's less than 2 hour drive from SFO.

 

Muir woods is nice (lots of redwoods), about an hour north and it's a cool drive up the coast to get there. That's if you don't want to drive hours and hours to get to Yosemite.

I've heard good things about Foreign Cinema (restaurant), something about their fried chicken...they didn't have any tables open when I was there so make reservations early.

Also Napa Valley and Sonoma isn't far away if you're into wine

 

Muir Woods is pretty sweet and not too far. If you're planning on doing tour of Alcatraz, better buy tickets now.

 

Muir Woods and Napa are must-dos when you get out of the city. Cakebread Cellars is great for tasting wine and it's across the street from Robert Mondavi, which you should visit too. Ad Hoc, an affordable restaurant from Thomas Keller, in Yountville is a fantastic place to eat after having wine in Napa.

As far as in the city, you can't go wrong. I haven't been to the new MoMA since it opened, but I've heard good things. There are a few Diego Rivera murals open to the public that are worth checking out. Go to the top of Twin Peaks if the weather is nice and check out Coit Tower.

If you like IPAs, go to Toronado in the Lower Haight for one reason: they have Pliny the Elder on tap.

Venture out to Oakland to go to the Kona Club, the best damn tiki bar you'll ever visit.

 

i'd be sure to hit up the usual spots if it's your first time.
Alcatraz - it would be cool to do the night tour but i think they fill up pretty quick. If you go during the day, go early.
Fisherman's Wharf - very touristy, but worth a walk through. I would be sure to take a quick tour of the USS Pampanito. We stubbled across it and it turned out to be one of the cooler things we did.
Palace of Fine Arts - i'd recommend a quick trip at the end of the day and sit as the sun begins to set.


If you have time drive over to the Muir woods forest. And if you really want to spend a couple days elsewhere, go to Napa Valley..its a good time to go.

 

I'm good with most city vacations after 3-4 days. SF though... never come back.

 

Twin Peaks gives you a great view of the city.

Check out Mt. Tam, one of the most underrated spots in the Bay Area and the most scenic views.

 

Insider advice:
1. Eating in SF
A. Using Yelp you can find amazing ethnic food in just about every neighborhood. If you're from TX, however, avoid Mexican food in SF. It really doesn't compare. But all sorts of Asian cuisine, you can find in excellent varieties for reasonable $.
B. Avoid the big name places, which are low food-per-dollar experience. Here are some tucked away legit neighborhood bistros which will also take you away from the tourist areas. All reasonable prices, mostly, for great food and ambiance. Legit SF locals type stuff.
i. Aperto, in Potrero Hill. Enjoy the stunning views of the city from this hilly 'hood.
ii. B-star, in Bernal Heights. Old school SF still surviving in this neighborhood, barely. Good little small town vibe.
iii. Universal Cafe, in the Mission. This isn't the new trendy Mission down the Valencia corridor, but out away from the hubbub. Amazingly underrated spot.

2. Seeing big trees.
I think, sadly, Muir Woods is no longer worth the trouble. It is so so popular that they make you park a long way away and take a sad bus packed with other tourists. If you're renting a car, you can see redwoods really really easy by driving SOUTH from SF and heading up Highway 35 (Skyline), which is a lovely drive along the ridge of hills separating the Pacific Ocean from the Bay Area. Many spots with redwoods that are easy, painless access.
Now, if you have time to to the Sierras (as in a trip to see Tahoe or similar), consider finding the Calaveras Big Trees park on highway 4. This is where you can see the SEQUOIA, or "mountain redwoods." They really take your breath away, because they can be big around as a house and rise like columns into the sky.

3. Wine tasting.
I would not bother with NAPA, which is pretty overrun and the opposite of chill now. Consider the areas around Sonoma and Healdsburg (further west than Napa) instead. Dry Creek Valley is a personal favorite. You can find some Zinfandels to die for, and to me it's a much more scenic area.

4. Explore the SF neighborhoods. You can't really go wrong. Just get yourself out of the touristy areas (Fisherman's Wharf/Barf, and Union Square).

Enjoy!

 

Marina district is nice

 

what's best time to see Golden Gate, plus is biking across a good idea?

 

Park central is good

 

I feel like it's a crapshoot. When will you be there?

 

Bring a sweater.

 

When it's not too foggy or rainy.

Look into taking a ferry from the marina to Sausalito, take your bikes, have lunch and bike around from there. That was a cool daytrip.

 

B-Bob offers awesome advice. I was born in The City and lived nearby growing up, so here's some additional suggestions:
Eating in SF: My eaters tour of SF. Starting in Fisherman's Wharf, I start at Boudin Bakery for a bread bowl, or an Italian sandwich on sourdough. Boudin sourdough is an experience in itself. I'd grab a shrimp or crab cocktail from a side walk stand. Then make your way to either China Town for dim sum, or head past the Cannery to Ghiradelli Square for a hot fudge sundae or hot chocolate. Hell, get both. Enjoy the view of the bay. If you want to eat dinner around any of these areas, rob a bank. Better yet, head to Clement Street, where the best neighborhood restaurants in SF exist. Burma Star is one I think B-Bob suggested. Or Koja for Korean fusion. Cassava on Balboa is good, as is Pizzetta 211 for fancy modern pizza. But my favorite... Bill's Place for hamburgers. Names burgers after old SF celebrities. Like Carol Doda (OO) (have to know old SF for that). Herb Caen (...) and Milton Marks too. You can head back to the Wharf and get a Irish Coffee at Buena Vista... small place and usually crowded. They claim they invented the Irish Coffee. *shrug*

Yea, there are stores, museums, Golden Gate park, Twin Peaks, Sutro Tower, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge... all worth seeing I guess. But San Francisco is all about food.

btw, if you are into mountain biking, forget all I posted above. Rent a bike and head north to Mt Tam (birthplace to MTBing and ride Repack down). Or head south and ride Purisima Creek or El Corte De Madera. Or further south to Wilder Ranch near Santa Cruz or Soquel Demo Forest near Aptos. The one thing I miss most about the Bay Area... mountains.

 

Yeah, agree with this, @SmeggySmeg. Biking around Sausalito and Tiburon will give you much better odds of a sunny day than the bridge. You can also take a ferry and bike around Angel Island. Mrs. B-Bob and I have even camped out there, which is a pretty cool experience.

Now, as for biking the bridge, several things: it's nice now that one whole *side* of walkways, the ocean side, is dedicated to bike traffic. So that is cool and the views are amazing if you like the natural world. (You can't really look at the city from over there.) But there are of course armies of $300-bike-suit superheroes going ridiculously fast and enjoying nothing, weaving through the flustered and half-scared tourists. In terms of fog, as others have said, you just never know, but May and September are usually the most likely months, I think, to get sunshine at the bridge. Time of day is also hard to call, but your best shot at sunshine is mid-day. Sometimes the fog will roll in around 4 p.m. and stay until 10:00 a.m. or so.

@NewRoxFan, thx for additional tips. We are going to try some of those out. LOL.