13 Places Locals take their Guests in San Francisco
Posted on October 12, 2015
The City
When I moved to San Francisco 15 years ago, my first thought was “you could eat dinner out every night for a year and never go to the same restaurant” followed by “where are all the blond, tanned people?” and “I thought there was only one famous hill…so.many.hills?!” You can draw two conclusions from this and be correct: one, I came from a small town in Canada, and San Francisco was not the California I had seen on TV, and two, San Francisco is a city jammed packed of sights and things to do and it can be overwhelming to a point of planning paralysis.
Below is a list that goes beyond the trademark icons of the city, and covers a range of uniquely San Franciscan oddities and wonders to enhance your trip. (There are a few restaurant recommendations on this list, however, since food is such a huge part of San Francisco, a more robust list of where to eat can be found in this article, “San Francisco Hood n’ Fud: a local’s guide to eating SF”.) And now, the hits:
1) The 500 Club – go to this dive bar, located on the corner of Guerrero and 17th Street, for strong drinks, vinyl booth seating and a jukebox. This is not the place for those San Francisco artisan cocktails you have read about, and in fact, if you try to order of those here, you will be mocked and shunned. Instead, get a beer with a whiskey back, put Johnny Cash on the jutebox and sink into the bar.
2) Seward Street Cement slides – now THIS is a local secret. Located on a residential street in the Castro neighborhood, are two intensely thrilling, somewhat crazy, cement slides. The slides are free and both adults and kids speed down them. Bring a piece of cardboard (there is usually some stray cardboard to use, but bring some too just in case), hop on it and get ready to catch air! A few things to remember; the slides are closed on Mondays but open all other days from 10am to 5pm, the neighbours kind of hate living next to these slides so try not to holler too loudly, and lastly, wear jeans or some other clothing that covers your skin as you may get a little road burn otherwise (I got tiny road burns on the sides of my pinkie fingers, you’ll see why after one ride). This is super fun, and hilarious.
3) Samovar Tea Lounge at the Yerba Buena Gardens – this is a tea lounge (no coffee served) with outdoor seating nestled between the hallmark buildings of downtown, and the open grass and gardens of Yerba Buena Park. It’s surprisingly peaceful and restful here, and you are close to several museums.
4) 18th and Potereo Street- Ah, the hilly gem of special hideaway places and spectacular city views. The neighbourhood of Potrero Hill rests quietly high above the city, enjoying its sunny streets, views, coffee and good lunch options. Get a cup of coffee from Farley’s Cafe, then walk up to the corner of 18th and Missouri and marvel at the city below. After this photo-op moment, continue about 200ft downhill on 18th street for lunch at Chez Maman. This is a quaint, busy spot that is not ideal for for kids or big groups as it is small, mostly sit-at-the-bar service, with a tight squeeze behind you. If you have a big or rambunctious group, try instead, Hazel’s Kitchen next to Farley’s for good sandwiches and outdoor seating. You can get to Potrero and 18th a few ways, the easiest would be to drive, or hire a Lyft or a taxi. You can also take the 22 Filmore Bus (bus schedule and route planner) to the top of 18th and Missouri. However, if you want a sample of what it is like to live San Francisco, go to the corner of 16th and Missouri Street, and walk up the hill to 18th Street. If you do this, then next time someone says “San Francisco is hilly”, you will know exactly what they mean.
5) Golden Gate Bridge – of course this is not a locals secret, but the best places to view the bridge are not always the popular tourist path. If it’s foggy (and if you are in San Francisco in the summer, it very likely to be foggy), walk over the bridge for incredible pictures standing next to the towers in the fog. Walking across the bridge is a thrill, but if you want to avoid the crowds and still take amazing photos, go instead, to Fort Point. This is the famous spot below the bridge where Kim Novack jumps into the ocean in Hitchcock’s movie, Vertigo. While Kim didn’t really jump in the bay (sorry), you may see a few skilled surfers taking off at this tight break. You will be able to take pictures of the bridge towering above you and of the expanse as you walk the path along the waterfront. Stop at The Warming Hut for hot chocolate or a snack (The Warming Hut is seriously over-priced but proceeds go toward the Parks Services, so think of it as a partial donation to this great wonder you are visiting), and then stroll the waterfront on the groomed path that leads all the way to Fisherman’s Wharf. If you decide to walk from Fort Point to Fisherman’s Wharf it’s about 4 miles (6.5kms) and mostly flat (there is only one hill, for real), as the path follows the coast. If you are a runner, this is an excellent route.
6) The wave organ – located behind the Yacht Club is a thin jetty that leads out to a small point of piled rocks and cement molds. This is the Wave Organ – a public art installation that plays this cool, sea music when the tide rushes through the formed columns. High tide is the best time to listen the organ, but you can go anytime and still hear some notes. If you are walking the waterfront path from Fort Point, (as mentioned above in #3), simply follow Yacht Road behind the Yacht club and walk along the Jetty. It may seem like you’re lost or walking out to sea, but you’re not, the organ will quickly come into view.
7) Haight Street to shop at second hand stores – the famous, hippy hold-out of Haight Street will be full of tourists, and kids panning for money. There is little to see here, unless you want to take your picture on the corner of Haight and Ashbury in front of the clock that is stuck at 4:20. Pot humour and paraphilia abounds in this neighbourhood, so be prepared for it. The three best things Haight Street offers are; second hand clothes shopping with good prices to be found at Buffalo Exchange, Held Over and the Army Surplus Store, (there is also boutique shopping on Haight Street, but it’s the same as you would find downtown), a dive bar called Trax, and the one of the best restaurants for local food and craft beer, Magnolia’s on the corner of Haight and Masonic Avenue.
8) Musée Mechanique – located on the end of Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf, is Dan Zalinsky’s personal collection of antique rarities and oddities including old arcade games, a steam powered motorcycle and the enormous “Laffing Sal”, who will haunt and delight you with her belly laugh. Admission is free and you can play the antique games for cheap while you wander around a carnival of the past. I recommend the museum for tourists and/or as a date spot, as you will not run out of things to talk about once you arm wrestle “The Wrestler” or watch the “Flasher” lift up his shirt.
9) Visit Golden Gate Park, picnic in Dolores Park – Golden Gate park is a tourist staple and a runner’s dream. The park is vast and ends at the ocean front. But don’t confuse San Francisco beaches with Southern California, however, as SF beaches are often windy and cold. You will be all sunned up and warm inside your car, get out and be like, “just who the hell?!”. That, or it will be grey. The beauty of the beach is definitely there, but the weather will leave you wondering why you went all the way out there, and Golden Gate Park will share that same chilliness. Something known by locals, and learned the hard way by tourists, is San Francisco has microclimates throughout the city and the weather, especially in the summer can be anything but warm. So, if a sunny picnic is what you are looking for, consider going to Dolores Park in the Mission. The Mission neighbourhood is one of the consistently warmest and sunniest microclimates and Dolores Park will be summer-like most days even when the rest of the city is cold. One thing to always remember, no matter where you are in the city, be sure to pack layers so as to be prepared for the hair-trigger switch in the weather. Go to Dolores Park for your picnic and take in the people watching, some will be tanning in speedos (we call it Dolores Beach for a reason…). You can purchase picnic food at Bi-rite a half a block from the park on 18th street, but get ready to put your eyes back in your head after they bulge out at how much you spend. Finally, Dolores Park has a no glass bottle rule. It’s enforced too – so if you plan to drink, have a vessel that’s not glass to drink from and if it’s booze, it’s best if you cover it up. While the cops don’t ticket all that often, you don’t want to be the one they decide to fine.
10) Martuni’s – sip strong cocktails while sitting in near black-out darkness in the booths that line the walls in the main bar, or go in the back room for the piano bar, sing-a-long. This is not a karaoke bar, these are paid and/or professional singers and it’s a good ‘ol time.
11) The Bay Bridge at Night – the Embarcadero is a large tourist destination during the day, but now there is good reason to go at night too – the San Francisco Bay Bridge was transformed in 2013 by an ambitious and genuinely cool public art installation of LED lights that are secured to the bridge’s upright supports. The light show is nearly 2 miles long and 500 feet high. You can sit on one of the benches along the Embarcadero, and watch as the LEDs shift patterns and illuminate the ocean and night sky.
12) Sutro baths – built in 1896, the once opulent bathing and swimming palace, Sutro Baths were the largest indoor swimming pool in the world. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1967, and the only remaining evidence of this swimming palace is the concrete foundation which today is a seaside attraction for nature photographers. If you love landscape photography, particularly long exposure night shots, this eerie mix of eroded man-made cement structures, sea caves and crashing Pacific surf, is the place to shoot day or night. If you are a fan of Hal Ashby’s “Harold and Maude”, you can walk along the deck where they filmed the protest scene where Harold supposedly pushes Maude off the cliff (well, into a tiny, weird hole, don’t worry though, you won’t fall in that hole!).
13) Bazerac – finally, the place for the artisan cocktails that you would not dare order at The 500 club. You may feel a little like you mortgaged your house for the cost of a couple drinks, but the craft and the bartenders dedication to making a good drink are all part of the price and the drinks are excellent. Sit at the bar and watch them make your drink, consider it cocktail theatre – a drink and a show.
If you would like a complete itinerary of sights, food and drinks, that takes about 8 hours and covers a sample of the staple must-see tourist attractions along with some great insider information, read the “San Francisco Short Stay Itinerary from a Local” If you would like a custom itinerary or ideas for your trip that are more personalized, leave me a comment and I will do my best to help you figure out your trip.