The Ferry Building’s fun, especially if there’s a farmer’s market being held at the same time. And there are a few iconic hotels that are worth stopping by as well - the Palace Hotel and the Fairmont Hotel are both breathtaking inside. They’re all good free alternatives should the afternoon turn into a rainy one.
If you can manage it, go over to the old Navy base in Alameda to see the aircraft carrier that’s now a museum. It’s not far; you can take BART to 12th Street Station and then the bus to the pier.
Yeah, don’t confuse these two. Academy of Sciences is a can’t miss, while the zoo is very much a meh.
That’s a bit of an understatement! It got torn down, demolished, vaporized to atomic plasma, then re-built from scratch from the foundation up! I liked the overall classical look of the old building better. The new one just looks (from the outside) like a big cubic block of glass and steel like any other modern office building. Although they did try to disguise it as a Hobbit hole by piling a bunch of dirt on the roof and planting a lawn there.
As for Soul Brother Number Two and tdn: Search this board for other threads about San Francisco. There have been numerous threads already, this past year alone, seeking sight-seeing advice in S.F. and the surrounding Bay Area, and much good advice was given! Not necessarily car-free advice, but among all the suggestion there must be a variety of car-free ideas there. Check them out!
ETA: Just how expensive is Cal Academy these days? [del]Do they still have a free day (sponsored by Crocker Bank, IIRC) once a month?[/del] Okay, I just googled that for myself.
Free days courtesy of Chase Bank, for times a year.
That’s the USS Hornet, and yes, it’s a good attraction.
I’m just posting in this thread to say that I probably wont be able to help you.
At the end of the day, go to The Buena Vista and have an Irish Coffee. It can be touristy at times, but I’ve been there when it’s just a nice place to have a drink on a cold day.