discover

SAN FRANCISCO

ALISON BINGJOHN A VLAHIDES

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DISCOVER SAN FRANCISCO

Day Trips (p243) Sip your way across Wine Country, wander mighty redwoods or contemplate crashing surf.

Golden Gate Park & the Avenues (p219) Discover SF’s wild streak alongside wad-dling penguins and charging bison.

The Haight & Hayes Valley (p195) Fashion rebels, bookish anarchists and the occa-sional Zen monk troll the sidewalks.

Mission, SoMa & Castro (p159) Where the action is: clubs, skate parks, gallery openings and late-night burritos.

The Hills & Japantown (p133) Ride cable cars into the sunset, then rock and sushi-roll the night away.

North Beach & Chinatown (p105) Duck into alleys named after poets for cappuc-cino and hot fortune cookies.

Embarcadero & the Bay (p51) Imitate the sea lions and go gourmet by the sparkling bay.

Downtown (p81) Grand buildings and great performances, plus dive bars and bargain Levis.

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CONTENTS

THIS IS SAN FRANCISCO 10

SAN FRANCISCO’S TOP 25 EXPERIENCES 13

SAN FRANCISCO’S TOP ITINERARIES 31

PLANNING YOUR TRIP 39

EMBARCADERO & THE BAY 51HIGHLIGHTS 54WALKING TOUR: BARBARY COAST 58BEST… 60DISCOVER EMBARCADERO & THE BAY 61SIGHTS 61Embarcadero & the Piers 61The Marina & the Presidio 65SLEEPING 69Embarcadero & the Piers 69The Marina & the Presidio 70

EATING 71Embarcadero & the Piers 71The Marina & the Presidio 74DRINKING 76Embarcadero & the Piers 76The Marina & the Presidio 76ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES 76Embarcadero & the Piers 76The Marina & the Presidio 77SHOPPING 78Embarcadero & the Piers 78The Marina & the Presidio 79

DOWNTOWN 81HIGHLIGHTS 84BEST… 86DISCOVER DOWNTOWN 87SIGHTS 87Downtown 87Civic Center & the Tenderloin 89

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SLEEPING 91Downtown 91Civic Center & the Tenderloin 94EATING 95Downtown 95Civic Center & the Tenderloin 96DRINKING 98Downtown 98Civic Center & the Tenderloin 99ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES 99Downtown 99Civic Center & the Tenderloin 101SHOPPING 102Downtown 102Civic Center & the Tenderloin 104

NORTH BEACH & CHINATOWN 105

HIGHLIGHTS 108WALKING TOUR: NORTH BEACH BEAT 112BEST… 114DISCOVER NORTH BEACH & CHINATOWN 115SIGHTS 115North Beach 115Chinatown 118SLEEPING 122North Beach 122Chinatown 123EATING 123North Beach 123Chinatown 125DRINKING 127North Beach 127Chinatown 128ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES 128North Beach 128SHOPPING 129North Beach 129Chinatown 131

THE HILLS & JAPANTOWN 133HIGHLIGHTS 136BEST… 140DISCOVER THE HILLS & JAPANTOWN 141SIGHTS 141Russian & Nob Hills 141Japantown & Pacific Heights 143SLEEPING 147Russian & Nob Hills 147Japantown & Pacific Heights 148EATING 149Russian & Nob Hills 149Japantown & Pacific Heights 151DRINKING 152Russian & Nob Hills 152Japantown & Pacific Heights 152ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES 152Russian & Nob Hills 152Japantown & Pacific Heights 153SHOPPING 154Russian & Nob Hills 154Japantown & Pacific Heights 155

MISSION, SOMA & CASTRO 159HIGHLIGHTS 162BEST… 166DISCOVER MISSION, SOMA & CASTRO 167SIGHTS 167The Mission 167SoMa 170The Castro & Noe Valley 173SLEEPING 174The Mission 174SoMa 175The Castro & Noe Valley 176EATING 176The Mission 176SoMa 178The Castro & Noe Valley 180DRINKING 181The Mission 181

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SoMa 181The Castro & Noe Valley 182ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES 182The Mission 182SoMa 186Castro & Noe Valley 189SHOPPING 190SoMa 190The Mission 190The Castro & Noe Valley 193

THE HAIGHT & HAYES VALLEY 195

HIGHLIGHTS 198WALKING TOUR: HAIGHT FLASHBACKS 200BEST… 202DISCOVER THE HAIGHT & HAYES VALLEY 203 SIGHTS 203SLEEPING 204The Haight 204Hayes Valley 206EATING 207The Haight 207Hayes Valley 210DRINKING 210The Haight 210Hayes Valley 212ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES 213The Haight 213Hayes Valley 213SHOPPING 213The Haight 213Hayes Valley 215

GOLDEN GATE PARK & THE AVENUES 219

HIGHLIGHTS 222BEST… 226DISCOVER GOLDEN GATE PARK & THE AVENUES 227 SIGHTS 227

The Richmond 227The Sunset 229Golden Gate Park 229SLEEPING 233EATING 233DRINKING 237ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES 238SHOPPING 240

DAY TRIPS 243WINE COUNTRY 244Napa Valley 244Sonoma Valley 246Russian River Valley 247Healdsburg & Dry Creek Valley 248MARIN COUNTY 249Marin Headlands 250Sausalito 250Muir Woods 251Mt Tamalpais 251Point Reyes National Seashore 254SF TO HALF MOON BAY 255

SAN FRANCISCO IN FOCUS 257ARCHITECTURE 258ARTS 261FAMILY TRAVEL 266FOOD & DRINK 268GAY/LESBIAN/BI/TRANS 273HISTORY 276LIFESTYLE 282LITERATURE 284SHOPPING 287SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL 289

DIRECTORY & TRANSPORTATION 291

Accommodations 292Business Hours 292Children 292Climate 292

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Embassies & Consulates 292Holidays 293Internet Access 293Legal Matters 293Medical Services 293Money 294Organized Tours 294Taxes 294Telephone 294Tourist Information 295Travelers with Disabilities 295

Visas 295TRANSPORTATION 295Air 295Boat 296Bus, Cable Car & Streetcar 297Taxi 299Train 299

BEHIND THE SCENES 301

INDEX 303

MAP LEGEND 312

NORTHBEACH &

CHINATOWNp105

THE HAIGHT &HAYES VALLEY

p195

DOWNTOWNp81

MISSION,SOMA &CASTRO

p159

GOLDEN GATE PARK& THE AVENUES

p219

THE HILLS &JAPANTOWN

p133

EMBARCADERO &THE BAY

p51

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$

$

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Golden GateBridge

THESUNSET

THERICHMOND

GoldenGate

P A C I F I CO C E A N

LagunaHonda

StowLake

MountainLake

Fort Miley

Golden GatePark

The PresidioNational Park

LincolnPark

ThePanhandle

InteriorPark Belt

OceanBeach

BakerBeach

ChinaBeach

CrissyField

Lincoln Way

Fulton St

Park Presidio Blvd

19th Ave

Crossover Dr

Doyle Dr

Upper G

reat Hw

y

California St

7th

Ave

25th Ave

Upper G

reat Hw

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Pre

sidio Blvd

Lincol n Blvd

Balboa St

Noriega St

Geary Blvd

Sunset Blvd

Clarendo n

Ave

Lincoln Way

Stanyan St

Turk Blvd

17th St

Fulton St

Noriega St

Geary BlvdPoint Lobos Ave

Kezar D r

Mt Sutro

TwinPeaks

Forest H

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CaliforniaAcademy of

Sciences

Exploratorium

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]101

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Even Godzilla can't scare locals away from jazz clubs and

Japanese spas

JAPANTOWN p133

Over 150 years of history are packed into these 21

pagoda-topped brick blocks

CHINATOWN p105

The legendary hippie haunt is now home to anarchist muralists, drag designers and nonprofit kitchens

THE HAIGHT p195

Never mind what's on the movie-palace marquee: the

crowd and mighty Wurlitzer are alone worth the admission

CASTRO THEATRE p174

Like dry ice at a rock concert, fog builds drama around these

stunning orange deco towers

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE p65

Where the west goes wild – home to bison, penguins, towering

redwoods and miniature maples

GOLDEN GATE PARK p229

LEGEND

RailwaySecondary RoadPrimary RoadFreeway

0 1 km0 0.5 miles

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NORTHBEACH

UNIONSQUARE

CIVICCENTER

PACIFICHEIGHTS

THECASTRO

COLEVALLEY

THEMARINA

HAYESVALLEYUPPER

HAIGHT

RUSSIANHILL

THEMISSION

SOUTH OFMARKET(SOMA)

JAPANTOWN

LOWERHAIGHT

THETENDERLOIN

NOBHILL

San Francisco Bay

Alcatraz

FortMason

MarinaGreen

BuenaVistaPark

DubocePark

AlamoSquare

Broadway

Columbus Ave

Geary Blvd

Van Ness Ave

14th St

Hayes St

Haight St

Lombard St

Central Fwy

Mission St

Divisadero

St

Divisadero St

S Van Ness Ave

Harri

son S

t

North Point St

California St

Marina Blvd

California St

Turk St

Oak St

Gough

St

Main St

Bush St

Bush St

Battery St

Franklin St

1st St

3rd St

10th St

8th StFell St

Turk St

9th St

Geary St

Golden Gate Ave

Bush St

17th St16th St

Pine St

Marke

t St

Marke

t St

Guerrero St

Fremont St

Broadway

6th St

Evans Ave

17th St

Bay St

Folso

m St

Bay St

16th St

Missi

on

St 2nd St

Valencia St

Howa

rd

St

Miss

ion

St5th St

Dolores St

Van NessMUNI

Station

Castro StMUNI

Station

Brannan StMUNI Station

Church StMUNI

Station 16th St MissionBART Station

Montgomery St BART& MUNI Station

Powell StBART & MUNI

Station

Civic CenterBART & MUNI

Station

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Harvey MilkPlaza

Sea Lionsat Pier 39

San FranciscoOpera

]101

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VU80

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The bookstore that stands for free speech offers you a seat in

the Poet's Chair

CITY LIGHTS p130

A transit hub turned locavore dining destination, featuring

award-winning chefs and groundbreaking organic farmers

FERRY BUILDING p54

The notorious island prison even America's most accomplished

criminals couldn't escape

ALCATRAZ p61

A chorus line of Painted Lady Victorians pose for photo-ops along

this windswept hilltop

ALAMO SQUARE p204

Wall-to-wall artistic inspiration, from Henri Matisse's oil

paintings to Matthew Barney's Vaseline-smeared video

SFMOMA p170

If the climb doesn't take your breath away, the murals, wild

parrots and Bay vistas will

COIT TOWER &TELEGRAPH HILL p115

Conductor and Beethoven maestro Michael Tilson Thomas has more

Grammys than your average rock star

SAN FRANCISCOSYMPHONY p102

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California is all about grand gestures, staggering sequoia trees and breathtaking coastline. But then there’s San Francisco, that impertinent seven-by-seven-mile peninsula that sticks up into the Bay like a raised forefinger. Is it volunteering for parade duty, ordering sustainable sushi or just begging to differ?

As this is San Francisco, the answer is obvious: all of the above. Good times and so-cial revolutions tend to start here, from manic gold rushes to blissful hippie Be-Ins. Spontaneity is practically a local rule of law. If there’s a skateboard move yet to be busted, technology still unimagined, poems left unspoken or a green scheme untested, chances are it’s about to happen here. Yes, right now: this town has lost almost every-thing in earthquakes and dot-com gambles, but never its nerve.

In this capital of radical reinvention, dinnertime may be the only tradition that’s held sacred. Most meals begin with heads bowed, as San Franciscans seek menu suggestions from their social media networks on their smart phones – all invented in the Bay Area, of course. With an abundance of ultrafresh, locally grown ingredients and the most restaurants per capita anywhere in North America, San Francisco is spoiled for choice.

THIS IS SAN FRANCISCO

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No wonder composting is mandatory citywide: it’s the least this pack of picky eaters can do to give back to the many pioneering local, organic farms that keep them so well fed.

The city’s population numbers under a million, yet everyone seems to converge on year-round farmers markets, same-sex weddings at City Hall or free concerts in Golden Gate Park – and no one waits for an excuse to throw on some glitter and start a parade. Never afraid to lose its shirt on the next big idea, this town makes a virtue of shirtlessness at frequent street fairs and the clothing-optional end of Baker Beach. So consider permission permanently granted to step up, strip down and go too far. Once you get outlandish, you’ve got the hang of San Francisco.

‘this town has lost almost everything in earthquakes and dot-com gambles, but never its nerve’

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