See, my cousin is in town and wants to “see SF.” I live in Oakland, lived in the city for ten years, and I’m drawing a blank. She is at the Wharf, guess we could see the sea lions, walk around for a bit, take the cable car to Chinatown, after that I’m at a loss. Without a car and probably skipping museums, can anyone suggest enough diversions for a Friday afternoon? Thanking you!
I’m watching this thread with bated breath, as I will be there in a month. Last time I didn’t get to see anything.
It’s not a theme park, where you make a list of the rides you want to be sure to go on. It’s a real city, very unlike the suburban schlockholes where most Americans live. And that should be attraction enough.
So ride the cable car to Aquatic Park, poke around Ghirardelli Square a bit, then walk back south, either over Russian Hill and through Chinatown, following your whims to see interesting buildings or to walk down the tiny alley-streets, or back southeast through North Beach and the Financial District. But either way, be open to sitting down at a sidewalk cafe or popping into a cool-looking bakery, watching the old men play bocce or the old Chinese women bargaining for live poultry. Other days you might do a little shopping in the shops along Fillmore in Pacific Heights, go up to Coit Tower to see the murals and the view (walking down the east slope stairways past the little Gold Rush-era cottages to the Embarcadero), visiting the DeYoung museum in Golden Gate Park with lunch nearby on Irving St. Watch “Vertigo” one night and visit the locations the next day. Or just board a random Muni bus route and see what interesting neighborhood you end up in. You’ll never be more than seven miles from where you started.
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Go on a free guided tour with San Francisco City Guides - they are excellent. (Even if you don’t go on one of their tours, checking out their website will give you some ideas of sights to see.)
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Climb Telegraph Hill and check out the murals inside Coit Tower. (Not to mention the view from the tower’s tip).
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Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, check out Sausalito, and take the ferry back to the city (gives you a nice view of SF from the bay).
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Catch a flick at the Castro Cinema.
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Walk through Golden Gate Park. The Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers are both well worth seeing.
I’m sure other Dopers will chime in with even more things to do. But my list alone will fill several afternoons’ worth of time!
Though I haven’t seen this year’s list, there are Christmas windows in stores around Union Square, for instance Macy’s. Also, many of the hotels there have impressive trees and gingerbread castles.
How will that be in January? And what might the weather be like?
A friend loves the zoo there.
It depends. It can be 70 degrees and sunny, or 50 degrees and raining. Or 55 degrees and sunny. Or 50 degrees and foggy. Watch out for wind. It won’t snow. 
Probably ;). You takes your chances in SF in the winter, but yeah anywhere from gorgeous and sunny to pouring rain and miserable is possible.
We took the kids around in the GoCars. Very fun, but I’d bring a jacket!
I’m from Boston. I can handle that.
The last time I was there it was 70 and sunny the whole time.
I did one of these bus tours when I was in SF and it was really fun. The tour guide was great and of course we stopped and got off the bus so it wasn’t all “I saw San Francisco from a bus!”
Of course they’re a tad expensive but since you can be a tour guide perhaps you can take your cue from their itineraries and get a guide book and take her yourself?
There are also a bunch of free walking tours. Here’s a schedule. We did one for Chinatown which was interesting - and well worth the money.
Just in case of misunderstanding, the zoo isn’t in Golden Gate Park. It is nice though.
Is The Metreon still open? I used to love that place.
Yeah, I was afraid that I might have left that impression..
There might be more than one zoo. My friend likes the one with the penquins. I might check that out.
I’m going to be very busy while I’m there so I figure that I’ll have the time to do one thing.
A bit pricey, but very cool if you want bus tour with a sixties/psychedelic edge: The Magic Bus Sightseeing Tour
Maybe he is thinking of the California Academy of Sciences, which is in Golden Gate Park and which does have penguins. Nice place, if a bit expensive (it just got extensively remodeled.) But not anywhere near to a zoo, though they do have a nice rain forest exhibit with birds and butterflies.
I might be conflating two things. I remember talking to her on the phone and hearing the rain forest birds in the background. I also remember her going on and on about how cool the penguins were. Maybe those were two separate visits.
Was last year.
BTW, the Alameda county library has a program where you can get free passes to certain museums. (At least the branch near us does.) We went to the Oakland Museum, the Jewish Museum and the Cartoon Museum using these. You are not going to get passes to the big museums like the Academy of Sciences though.
I was just there in September for the first time. I liked Golden Gate Park and the various gardens. Telegraph Hill. Lombard Street. Chinatown. Golden Gate Bridge. Ride a street car from Fisherman’s Wharf (I’m not a fan, but a lot of people seem to like it) to the Ferry Building. I’m far from an expert on the city, but if it’s her first time there as well, then these might be good ideas.