And I ask this as one who lives there (well, close). My sister’s visiting me for a few days and I want to show her around, but I’m having trouble of thinking of fun things both of us (in our mid-late 20s) might be able to do for 5 days. I’ll of course take her to the cable car and the pier, and probably some areas of Golden Gate park. And then I’m out of ideas.
Any suggestions?
Does it have to be in the city? Do you have a car so you can go elsewhere, nearby like Santa Cruz or Wine country etc?
Alcatraz tours are supposed to be pretty cool. The zoo is pretty amazing; bring a sweater.
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.
The Cliff House is a nice place for lunch. The Exploratorium is one of my favorite places anywhere, and I think it’s still open. (It’s due for a venue change sometime soon though.) Chrissy Fields is a nice place to hang out, and you can see the place where Jimmy Stewart rescued Kim Novak in Vertigo. If you don’t mind a drive, Point Reyes is a beautiful spot on a clear day.
Also, a plug for my brother’s org: The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito gives tours, or you could even volunteer to help for a shift, and learn how to feed and care for injured seals and sea lions.
So we’ll be limited by public transportation mostly since we don’t have access to a car.
Alcatraz, Chinatown, shopping in Union Square. And I would definitely recommend a trip to wine country.
If she enjoys outdoor activities and it’s warm enough, Point Reyes National Seashore or Muir Woods.
ETA: Oops, just saw you don’t have access to a car.
Definitely. There are plenty of over priced bus tours available, so you can both [del]guzzle[/del] taste the offerings with abandon.
You could also take a ferry to Sausalito, to get out on the bay and see what’s up there.
I recommend some of these free walking tours. There are a whole bunch of them per day all over the city, so you should be able to find a few that sound interesting. You just show up to the designated spot at the designated time, sign in, and follow along with the guide. It’s completely free, though they do ask for donations at the end.
If you’re in shape for it, you can rent bicycles at several places around the city and go on a biking tour.
Ride the glass elevators at the Westin-St. Francis hotel. They’re on the outside of the building, so you get a great view of the city. This is not technically allowed for non-guests, but if you walk in confidently, you’ll be fine.
You know what? I don’t care if it’s for kids. The Exploratorium is a blast! I’m in my 30s and I still love going there! I love Sausalito as well. And if you want to try something a bit different, take her to the Japantown mall. Some great Japanese restaurants and an awesome kimono shop, if you’re into that kinda stuff.
While you’re at the Cliff House, go down the stairs and pay the dollar to go into the Camera Obscura - it is actually a camera with a rotating lens on the roof, projecting the image onto a 5’ diameter screen. I took everyone there when I lived there - the reaction was universal: you will need to be dragged out.
Wander around Land’s End - esp. the parts off limits - some killer views from the cliff.
NOTE: THERE IS A REASON IT IS OFF LIMITS! The footing is treacherous, and a fall in some places would be lethal.
See if any tour buses still go up Mt Tam - or rent a car. The view is spectacular (well, it was 15 years ago - after 10’s of 1000’s yuppies moved into shiny new condos with wood burning! fireplaces, the air quality is pathetic. It actually has been classified as unhealthy.
Those with memories of San Francisco on a clear day are advised against returning. See “CBS Channel 5” website and click “traffic” for live cams of the bay area. Let me know if you see anywhere that is NOT smog-bound.
/rant
Japanese Tea Garden in the park
I second the Zoo - look carefully, they are down a small path from the Lion House - check out the small cats. The Snow Leopards are my fav’s
If you ever wonder what a fire boat looks like, SF maintains 2 (water lines break, reservoirs crack - first tip-offs of an earthquake). It was the boats that stopped the Marina fire in the Loma Prieta (1989) quake. They are south of the Embarcadero, Probably not worth the walk. They are working boats - not open to the public.
The children’s playground at the east end of GG park is worthwhile if you like carousels - there is the original 1890’s version (may be enclosed if weather is moist. The original structure there has a ramp up - the ramp is original - it was built for baby carriages. The building was thee for mothers to nurse in comfort and privacy.
From it, Haight is a short walk A block or two south of Haight on Stanyan is/was a walk-up pizza dispensing window.
There’s always a place you can go, even if you’re short on your dough. I’m sure you’ll find many ways to have a good time.
SF is a great place to have a good meal or do whatever you feel; do you not have a science & technology museum? There’s always sports. Being right on the coast there’s also oceanography.
The Exploratorium
The Legion of Honor
The DeYoung Museum
The Academy of Sciences
And remember that Fisherman’s Wharf area, and Fort Mason, and the Marina area (with the Exploratorium) are all within immediate walking distance of each other.
Almost everything in San Francisco is within walking* distance! Visit City Lights Books to get your Beat on, have an espresso (or Anchor Steam) at the Cafe Vesuvio–then turn the corner & you’re in China Town! Go the Mission District; I’m sure the District has changed since my last visit, but the Mission San Francisco de Asís & its haunting cemetery haven’t changed for a very long time. Even just poking around a neighborhood like Noe Valley is fun-- look at interesting shops & find a place to eat.
The Museum of Modern Artis fine–but I didn’t make it to the other establishments near Golden Gate Park. A Man Ray/Lee Miller show closes October 14th…
For someone in their mid-20s, I’d skip most of the tourist attractions and focus on exploring and getting a taste of local life. San Francisco’s official “attractions” are largely underwhelming. The exploratorium is awesome, as is the camera obscura. Everything else is very skippable. What makes San Francisco really cool is that it is a very livable city with, above all, great food. So stop being a tourist, and pretend to be a local with a day off.
I’d pick a neighborhood and explore. There are PLENTY of neighborhood guides online to clue you in an the can’t-miss restaurants, bars, coffee shops and boutiques. Or you can just go in unarmed and see what you find. My favorites are coffee in North Beach, trinket shopping in Chinatown, Burritos and Indian Ice cream in the Mission and used clothing at Haight-Ashbury. Wake up, choose a neighborhood, have a nice breakfast at a sidewalk cafe (or a picnic with smuggled in mimosas in Golden Gate park…or dim sum!) and have a morning stroll and poke around the shops. Then eat some ethnic food for lunch. Maybe catch a movie or hit an attraction in the afternoon, and spend some time relaxing in a coffee shop before heading back to homebase to primp for dinner and nightlife (watch a local band? poetry slam? slip in to the local anarchist reading group? watch a lecture at UC Berkeley? Dance all night?) San Francisco has lots of very unique public events- indie comic book conventions, underground home-based restaurants, fringe political group meetings, art happenings, etc. Spend some time reading local event blogs to get an idea of what’s out there.
Berkeley is definitely worth a day of exploring, and is an easy hop on BART. If you have time, Oakland’s Chinatown is bigger, less crowded, and a billion times more authentic than San Francisco’s. Try to hit Berkeley on a Sunday, when the Thai temple serves their famous Thai lunch.
Did this already happen? If not go to sfstation.com and check the events on any given day. I do that a lot when I don’t have a plan for the day and want to go out (can’t say how well this works on non-weekends, though). Might be a random park movie or local vendor shopping event or festival or gallery thing, stuff like that. Other places I can usually find SOMETHING to do or look at are Japantown, Valencia, maybe Haight or the Castro (a bit less so in recent years) and more recently around the Octavia/Gough area (watch out you don’t trip over the hipsters). Also check food truck parking areas, we’ve got more gourmet food trucks than we know what to do with.
Personally I’m bored of the Exploratorium (despite loving science-y stuff) and they never have anything new at Chinatown or Fisherman’s Wharf. But if she’s never been those places can be cool.