Actually, you probably shouldn’t wear the flowers.
The first time I got off the bus there, my friend greeted me with “Welcome to Granola Land – Fruits, Nuts, and Flakes!” As if to confirm this, a guy nearby was carrying a sign that read :“Jesus Saves all Vegetarians”
Heh, you got me - I clicked.
It’s a 1/2 - 1 day trip to drive from SF to Carmel and back, including the 17 mile drive, and well worth it! I usually drove down the coast on US 101 and back via CA 1, just for different scenery.
The drive is a shade over 2 hours each way straight through, but with frequent scenery stops and dinner/shopping in Carmel we usually made it last 8-10 hours.
I’m into my photography so really want to take a killer photo of the Golden Gate Bridge. If only because it’s so often photographed I want to see how mine compare and to see what other angles of it I can find that might feel contrary to what’s already been done. Will definitely check out some museums, and also live to go to some interesting bars. I’m not against the idea of going to a gay bar but not being gay I’ll try to find a normal one which I’m told won’t necessarily be that easy. Or does every bar just display a rainbow flag as a sort of “we support every lifestyle” thing? I say this as a friend claimed that every bar had a rainbow flag outside. As a lone male, will people think I’m not straight. I don’t care too much, but it’ll be interesting to know.
Alacatraz has never appealed to me but I’ve heard so many great reviews that it sounds like I would be an idiot not to go.
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Lots of bars have rainbow flags and it’s not evidence of a “gay bar.” Lots of bars in the Castro have a largely gay clientele but don’t fit the gay bar stereotype, which usually implies dancing and neo-disco music. Many of them are just people enjoying their beer who happen to be gay.
You could talk loudly about your girlfriend to stave off attention 
Here’s a primer.
Some of the classic tourist spots are tourist traps. Like Fisherman’s Wharf, which is still worth a visit, but $$$.
The Tenderloin is the shitty neighborhood. SF is a little weird in that there are abrupt transitions between neighborhood demographics.
Fort Point is interesting although I haven’t been there in ages. It’s a Civil War fort sort of right under the Golden Gate where it starts.
Monterey/Carmel is pretty, too. Getting there by 101 is the fast way. Highway 1 is extra slow, but right on the coast for big parts.
I guess as a Londoner I’d expect it to be a proper gay bar if it has a rainbow flag displayed. Usually not a problem to visit for anyone but never been to one without being part of a larger group so I feel uncertain about what to expect in a foreign city whilst on my own. Meh, I can always leave after a drink.
So what’s all this about leaving an “insult tip”?
(I’m JOKING, it’s a joke…)
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This far out, why does it cost that much to change things? I’d get it if they needed to offset the cost when there wasn’t much time left. But there’s plenty of time for someone else to take what would have been your ticket.
Sure, it sounds like you’ll have more fun this way, but still, it seems really weird to me. Maybe it’s normal when you fly, but I can’t figure out a reason why other than wanting to make money.
I blame autocorrect for that! But still, he has three days!
Though it’s not to everyone’s tastes*, I always make it a point to visit Tommy’s Joynt when I’m in SF. You may have to step over street people**, but the ambience — I’ve heard claims that they pioneered the “explosion in a flea market” school of décor — is, IMHO, worth the effort.
It’s more of a shopping mall than a district, but personally I prefer Japan Center to Chinatown. Some people like the (relative) confusion and hurly-burly; I don’t.
*That’s an understatement, son.
**Hardly the only place in the city where this is true.
LYFTing to the relatively new Warm Springs BART station is probably easier. (The Fremont station which used to be the last stop is a bit north of it.) BART takes you to several good stops in the city. That gets you close the Civic Center, the Ferry Building, Union Square, SF MOMA and the other good museums mentioned. MUNI can get you to Golden Gate Park, also worth a visit.
And I agree that the best thing about Fisherman’s Wharf are the sea lions, which are free.
Monterey is good, but Cannery Row is a bit touristy now, except for the Aquarium.
Downtown Carmel is a fun walk. Definitely take 101 down.
If you have a car anyway, you might be interested in the redwoods in Muir Woods.
A couple of my favorite SF spots are The Giant Camera at the Cliff House and the Andy Goldsworthy artworks in The Presidio. The Giant Camera is a quick visit and it’s right next to the runis of the Sutro Baths. The Presidio is also home to the Disney Family Museum.
A couple of other daytrip recommendations if you have a car: Marin Headlands, where you can check out a Nike Missile Site, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Fort Cronkhite and theMarine Mammal Center.
If you want to go a bit further, you just can’t go wrong spending a day at one of my favorite places on earth, Point Reyes National Seashore.
Because they can.
Maybe easier, but much more expensive. That Lyft trip is about $24, plus the $6.60 to take BART to say, Civic Center. Contrast with $9.75 Caltrain +$8 Lyft to Civic Center. Even cheaper if you share a ride.
Civic Center is near-crappy neighborhood. Fine in the daytime.
I learned at a young age: arcade games were always $0.25, except for the fancy ones that were $0.50. Some places did tokens instead. FW was the first place I encountered where tokens were worth $0.33. Made my 7 year old brain angry…
Yes, Cannery Row is a tourist place. The Aquarium is of course full of tourists as well, but it’s a nice aquarium.
The iconic bridge picture is probably from Fort Point or Golden Gate Park. It is a lovely view, but it has been heavily photographed. You’ll be hard pressed to find an angle that hasn’t been heavily photographed, actually.
As far as bars, we didn’t visit any, but you should be fine anywhere; it’s a friendly city, or at least it seemed so to us. But, if you want to avoid places that are strongly gay-oriented, just don’t go anywhere with a really blatant name, like “The Man Hole” or “The End Up” (both real).
It really is awesome, and it’s a nice ride over on the ferry. There are also night tours, which are really popular; don’t know if you could even get tickets by now. I think they even have just tours where the ferry goes around the island and under the bridge and other points in the bay, but really, you want to go up into the prison.
I do the drive to that area almost every weekend, and I’d strongly suggest taking 17 over to Santa Cruz and then Hwy 1 south. Much more scenic and as bad as 17 and 1 can be, 101 is usually worse. You can hop in Hwy 17 right from the (SJ) airport (it’s called 880 there, but turns into 17 in just a few miles).
Now there’s a phrase you don’t hear often.
A big thing to remember about San Francisco is that it’s a crowded, dirty city. In a good way. Speaking of which, if you end up in Haight- Ashbury, I love this place: Magnolia Pub Brewery Check out the website, the place was at the center of the hippie movement, a big piece of SF history.
I also took a guided walking tour once of the old Gold Rush sites. The Gold Rush was the event that pretty much started the city. There are lots other tours, too.SF City Guides
SF is a great city for walking. Sure, there are hills, but you can’t beat walking around to get a good feel of the place.
One thing I don’t think I have seen mentioned yet: where are you going to stay while in the San Francisco area? SF hotels are rather expensive - in fact, everything is expensive here (take it from someone who has lived here for over 50 years); one look at the gas station prices will tell you that.
As for an “iconic” photo of the Golden Gate Bridge, those are usually taken from the north side, so you can get part of the San Francisco skyline as well. You will definitely need a car to get there.
Oh, the hills. I have a story about that: as I indicated earlier, we drove into San Francisco. So we follow the GPS directions, cross the bridge, and approach the street our hotel was on. It’s to the left, so I turn.
And the road disappears.
Seriously, I couldn’t see the road over the hood of the car, at the top of this hill we were on. It was like coming to the top of that first big hill on a roller coaster. The road went down at around a 45 degree angle. Very unnerving to encounter it like that.
One bit of culture shock we were prepared for but was still shocking: parking costs a fortune. I’ve paid less for hotel rooms than I paid to park overnight in San Francisco.
Really? It only cost me $28 to Lyft from Fremont to the Oakland airport. I don’t get their algorithms at all.
I hate 17 with a passion. I’d recommend anyone trying your approach to check Waze first for one of the frequent disasters on 17.
I’ll be staying at a high end looking hostel (i.e. I have an en suite room in a hostel) which is in downtown two blocks north of Powell Street station. Seems like it was relatively easy to get to from San Jose and Oakland airports but it looks like quite a distance from the GG Bridge and that cool looking camera obscura. And yeah, NOT cheap. Can I take a cab or a bus across the bridge? Wasn’t planning to rent a car.
And also: thanks again to everyone who’s replied - this is utterly brilliant stuff.
You can take Muni anywhere in the City. Just go to 511.org and plug in the starting and ending point and select the mode of transport (bus, ferry, etc). It will even tell you how long the trip will take and how much it will cost. Of course, the trip may take you through non-touristy areas. If time is a consideration, take Uber or a cab or a tourist bus. I think there is a tour bus that allows you to hop on and off as you please.