Vegas and San Fran

[BlueHammer85]

I can. Random thoughts:

-- Golden Gate Park. All good, from the windmills by the ocean football pitches to the Japanese Tea Garden. Cal Academy of Sciences is also excellent -- they have an albino alligator.
-- Skip Fisherman's Wharf, except an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. Take the Hyde Street cable car.
-- Diana's meat pie at Henry's Hunan (there are 4-5 of them). A must. Chinatown always interesting. House of Nanking -- famous place to get yelled at by waiters. Lots of people like it (I like Henry's much better).
-- Japantown -- small and underrated. Lots of cheap eats.
-- Angel Island. Nice ferry ride, great for picnics, good for a bike ride.
-- Muir Woods is great, but also hike Mount Tamalpais. Matt Davis Trail to Bolinas Ridge Trail to Cataract Trail to Bootjack Trail (a loop). Then drive to the top of Tam for ridiculous views. Then drive down into Mill Valley to the 2 AM Club for a drink, or the Pelican Inn (much farther away), a proper pub in the middle of nowhere. Muir Beach Overlook is also nearby -- gorgeous ocean view. This is my number one recommendation for an outdoor day though you need a car.
-- Exploratorium: expensive and overrated. Skip.
-- Haight Ashbury: stupid hippies drug addict dropouts and overrated. Skip.
-- Pier 39 . . . less said the better.
-- Castro: gay neighborhood. Remarkably it's fairly boring (unless you're gay, I guess). I'm not but used to live near there.
-- Wells Fargo History Museum. Quick and interesting (albeit corporate) history of the gold rush.
-- SF MOMA is cool. Good art collection and great tourist gift shop if you like that sort of thing -- best in the city.
-- Burrito at La Taqueria in the Mission district. Also a classic. Lots of funky streets in the neighborhood too. Fun day out.
-- Stay away from the Tenderloin. Still dangerous, especially at night.
-- Baseball game at AT&T. The Giants are fucking hapless so tickets are finally available and cheap. Great place to visit even if you aren't that fond of baseball.
-- Mai-tai at the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel. A rite of passage.
-- Ferry Building Food Emporium -- great, but you said you wanted cheap. Is $7 too much to pay for a piece of beef jerky?
-- Walking across the GG Bridge is best early morning on a no fog day, but other than the views it a bit dull and takes a while and I drive the thing twice daily so I've only done it once my whole life.

Trust me -- no one does, and they inevitably say I was right -- from June-August, it's foggy and windy every day except from noon to 5 in the City when it burns off for a bit. I'm talking the Scottish haar fog and wind. Worse even. Go 5 miles north, east or south and it's sunny and 20 degrees F warmer. For days in the City proper, don't wear shorts. Bring your warmest coat. Wear layers. September and October are best months -- no fog, all sun.

I work in the Pyramid. You can't go up anymore unfortunately since 9/11.

Finally: Maggie McGarry's on Grant Street is the City bar. Shared with (ugh) the local Gunners supporters. Opens at 4:30 am on days when City is playing the early match. Great supporters group. But (this is sacrilege, so shhhhh) . . . Mad Dog in the Fog is, alas, the best footy bar in the City.

PM if you want more.

Brilliant , thanks mate

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

I can. Random thoughts:

-- Golden Gate Park. All good, from the windmills by the ocean football pitches to the Japanese Tea Garden. Cal Academy of Sciences is also excellent -- they have an albino alligator.
-- Skip Fisherman's Wharf, except an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. Take the Hyde Street cable car.
-- Diana's meat pie at Henry's Hunan (there are 4-5 of them). A must. Chinatown always interesting. House of Nanking -- famous place to get yelled at by waiters. Lots of people like it (I like Henry's much better).
-- Japantown -- small and underrated. Lots of cheap eats.
-- Angel Island. Nice ferry ride, great for picnics, good for a bike ride.
-- Muir Woods is great, but also hike Mount Tamalpais. Matt Davis Trail to Bolinas Ridge Trail to Cataract Trail to Bootjack Trail (a loop). Then drive to the top of Tam for ridiculous views. Then drive down into Mill Valley to the 2 AM Club for a drink, or the Pelican Inn (much farther away), a proper pub in the middle of nowhere. Muir Beach Overlook is also nearby -- gorgeous ocean view. This is my number one recommendation for an outdoor day though you need a car.
-- Exploratorium: expensive and overrated. Skip.
-- Haight Ashbury: stupid hippies drug addict dropouts and overrated. Skip.
-- Pier 39 . . . less said the better.
-- Castro: gay neighborhood. Remarkably it's fairly boring (unless you're gay, I guess). I'm not but used to live near there.
-- Wells Fargo History Museum. Quick and interesting (albeit corporate) history of the gold rush.
-- SF MOMA is cool. Good art collection and great tourist gift shop if you like that sort of thing -- best in the city.
-- Burrito at La Taqueria in the Mission district. Also a classic. Lots of funky streets in the neighborhood too. Fun day out.
-- Stay away from the Tenderloin. Still dangerous, especially at night.
-- Baseball game at AT&T. The Giants are fucking hapless so tickets are finally available and cheap. Great place to visit even if you aren't that fond of baseball.
-- Mai-tai at the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel. A rite of passage.
-- Ferry Building Food Emporium -- great, but you said you wanted cheap. Is $7 too much to pay for a piece of beef jerky?
-- Walking across the GG Bridge is best early morning on a no fog day, but other than the views it a bit dull and takes a while and I drive the thing twice daily so I've only done it once my whole life.

Trust me -- no one does, and they inevitably say I was right -- from June-August, it's foggy and windy every day except from noon to 5 in the City when it burns off for a bit. I'm talking the Scottish haar fog and wind. Worse even. Go 5 miles north, east or south and it's sunny and 20 degrees F warmer. For days in the City proper, don't wear shorts. Bring your warmest coat. Wear layers. September and October are best months -- no fog, all sun.

I work in the Pyramid. You can't go up anymore unfortunately since 9/11.

Finally: Maggie McGarry's on Grant Street is the City bar. Shared with (ugh) the local Gunners supporters. Opens at 4:30 am on days when City is playing the early match. Great supporters group. But (this is sacrilege, so shhhhh) . . . Mad Dog in the Fog is, alas, the best footy bar in the City.

PM if you want more.

I'm going to bookmark this, good info. I haven't been back since '96 and might book for next year.

I've heard the pier area has been ruined.

Is Vegas all stag dos and hen nights now? Want to see how it's changed, but am expecting the last 20 years haven't been kind.

 

[talkativesprout]

Read it as Vegans in San Fran.......altogether now, non cause they don't.....like big bridges

 

[bluetoby]

The stinking rose in San Francisco had a steak to die for there a few weeks back

 

[somapop]

Love San Fran to bits. Get fit in preparation for walking those hills, but best to walk around (it's not a particularly huge city, but certainly has the feel of one...with bit of Europe added in.
Follow fogblue's recommendations.
Mad Dog in the Fog - mentioned this in a previous SF query: we 'won' a quiz night (me and the the lady) - one of the guys working there had links to Manchester (it was some time ago...). Won a crate of ale, but the missus was pregnant with our first child at the time so I had to guzzle a fair bit.

Love Northbeach - favourite bar was Vesuvio's (again, we were treated like kings there - the Bar guy had friends in Bolton - we barely paid for drinks) - presumably still there?
That Jazz/Beat Poets/Kerouac vibe was strong in there...

 

[better dead than red]

sure I did a similar thread ages ago.

But anyway, whoever's been ....

Recommend places to go! Restaurants and any other stuff.

We've booked the Grand Canyon and Alcatraz and seeing rod stewart live.
So ideally low cost and free places.

Take a tour and tasting at Anchor Brewery in SF. Imo they brew good beer. I'm quite partial to the Anchor Steam, myself.

https://www.anchorbrewing.com

 

[better dead than red]

I can. Random thoughts:

-- Golden Gate Park. All good, from the windmills by the ocean football pitches to the Japanese Tea Garden. Cal Academy of Sciences is also excellent -- they have an albino alligator.
-- Skip Fisherman's Wharf, except an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. Take the Hyde Street cable car.
-- Diana's meat pie at Henry's Hunan (there are 4-5 of them). A must. Chinatown always interesting. House of Nanking -- famous place to get yelled at by waiters. Lots of people like it (I like Henry's much better).
-- Japantown -- small and underrated. Lots of cheap eats.
-- Angel Island. Nice ferry ride, great for picnics, good for a bike ride.
-- Muir Woods is great, but also hike Mount Tamalpais. Matt Davis Trail to Bolinas Ridge Trail to Cataract Trail to Bootjack Trail (a loop). Then drive to the top of Tam for ridiculous views. Then drive down into Mill Valley to the 2 AM Club for a drink, or the Pelican Inn (much farther away), a proper pub in the middle of nowhere. Muir Beach Overlook is also nearby -- gorgeous ocean view. This is my number one recommendation for an outdoor day though you need a car.
-- Exploratorium: expensive and overrated. Skip.
-- Haight Ashbury: stupid hippies drug addict dropouts and overrated. Skip.
-- Pier 39 . . . less said the better.
-- Castro: gay neighborhood. Remarkably it's fairly boring (unless you're gay, I guess). I'm not but used to live near there.
-- Wells Fargo History Museum. Quick and interesting (albeit corporate) history of the gold rush.
-- SF MOMA is cool. Good art collection and great tourist gift shop if you like that sort of thing -- best in the city.
-- Burrito at La Taqueria in the Mission district. Also a classic. Lots of funky streets in the neighborhood too. Fun day out.
-- Stay away from the Tenderloin. Still dangerous, especially at night.
-- Baseball game at AT&T. The Giants are fucking hapless so tickets are finally available and cheap. Great place to visit even if you aren't that fond of baseball.
-- Mai-tai at the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel. A rite of passage.
-- Ferry Building Food Emporium -- great, but you said you wanted cheap. Is $7 too much to pay for a piece of beef jerky?
-- Walking across the GG Bridge is best early morning on a no fog day, but other than the views it a bit dull and takes a while and I drive the thing twice daily so I've only done it once my whole life.

Trust me -- no one does, and they inevitably say I was right -- from June-August, it's foggy and windy every day except from noon to 5 in the City when it burns off for a bit. I'm talking the Scottish haar fog and wind. Worse even. Go 5 miles north, east or south and it's sunny and 20 degrees F warmer. For days in the City proper, don't wear shorts. Bring your warmest coat. Wear layers. September and October are best months -- no fog, all sun.

I work in the Pyramid. You can't go up anymore unfortunately since 9/11.

Finally: Maggie McGarry's on Grant Street is the City bar. Shared with (ugh) the local Gunners supporters. Opens at 4:30 am on days when City is playing the early match. Great supporters group. But (this is sacrilege, so shhhhh) . . . Mad Dog in the Fog is, alas, the best footy bar in the City.

PM if you want more.

Dave Chappelle said it best. "I went to that Tenderloin. There's nothing tender about that motherfucker at all. That shit was rough. The opposite of tender.

 

[rickmcfc]

Sausulito on the other side of the Golden gate is a nice spot for lunch. Expensive but it's lovely and usually sheltered from the wind

 

[bluemc1]

Sausulito on the other side of the Golden gate is a nice spot for lunch. Expensive but it's lovely and usually sheltered from the wind

I rode a pushbike there and back and couldn't walk the next day :(((

 

[BimboBob]

Mad Dog Fog was a bit shit when we went 3 years ago. Very poor service and expensive beer.