Thread: What not to miss in San Francisco - San Jose area

Golden Gate Park


Golden Gate and its million trees. Be sure to visit the Conservatory of Flowers (closed Monday), which is the oldest Victorian greenhouse this side of the Thames, and the carousel on Kezar Drive, both on the eastern edge of the park.
If you're feeling spry, walk to the western edge of the park to check out the herd of bison at the the Bison Paddock, then hop a trolley or bus back east, or call for a cab. Next stop: the Exploratorium

• 1. Golden Gate Park
  San Francisco, CA 94122 nps.gov/goga
• 2. Conservatory of Flowers
  San Francisco, CA 94122; 415-666-7001 conservatoryofflowers.org
• 3. Golden Gate Park Carousel
  Kezar Drive & MLK Jr. Drive, San Francisco, CA 94122 parks.sfgov.org

The Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge


The Presidio was used at different points in its 230-year history to house soldiers from Spain and Mexico before it became a U.S. military base. Its armed past notwithstanding, you won't find a more bucolic spot in the city, thanks to its abundant eucalyptus trees and yawning lawns. If, at this point, you want to fortify yourself with a cocktail or dinner, a great place for both is the Presidio Social Club, an urban hipster kind of a joint, which was once an enlisted-mens' barracks. (The Club has one daily cocktail hour, followed by one seating for dinner. If you miss them, not to worry. You can grab dinner later at the Ferry Building.)


From the Presidio, you can walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, which isn't really golden at all — it's more like a rust. The bridge is an engineering marvel and one of the most beautiful — if it's not too windy and foggy — walks in the country. So beautiful that some people apparently feel compelled to hurl themselves off it. The G2B is the top spot for suicides in the nation, with a person a week, on average, taking a fatal plunge.

• 1. Presidio Social Club
  563 Ruger Street, San Francisco, CA 94129; 415-885-1888 presidiosocialclub.com
• 2. Golden Gate Bridge
  San Francisco, CA 94901 goldengatebridge.org

The Exploratorium

the Exploratorium (in the Palace of Fine Arts), San Francisco's legendary science museum in the Presidio. Make sure you experience the tactile dome, a pitch-black maze that you have to navigate by touch (it's worth the $20 premium on top of the $15 admission fee); blow the world's biggest soap bubble, as big around as a beach ball; and dissect a cow's eye.

3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123; 415-397-5673 exploratorium.edu

Ferry Building

The one good thing to come out of the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 was the revitalization of San Francisco's waterfront. The earthquake damaged an elevated highway that cut off the waterfront from the rest of the city; the highway was torn down, opening up the area and transforming old warehouses and docks into yuppie commercial real estate. Case in point: the Ferry Building, which was originally opened in 1898, then renovated and reopened in 2003.


It's a magnificent structure on the Embarcadero, at the foot of Market Street, but the real reason to come here is the food (that, and the ferry to Marin County): There's a fabulous farmers market on Tuesday and Saturday until 2 p.m., and no shortage of great places to eat. For burgers and shakes, definitely do Gotts Roadside, Formerly Taylor's Automatic Refresher. Or, for nouveau Vietnamese, try the Slanted Door, one of the city's favorite restaurants. You can try calling ahead for a table, but I've waited 45 minutes even with a reservation. Your best bet is to eat at the no-reservations bar. Order the shaking beef and the delicious rum cocktail made with essence of clove and fresh nutmeg.

• 1. Ferry Building
  1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111; 415-693-0996 ferrybuildingmarketplace.com
• 2. Gotts Roadside
  1 Ferry Building, #6, San Francisco, CA 94111; 415-318-3423 gotts.com
• 3. Taylor's Automatic Refresher
  1 Ferry Building, #6, San Francisco, CA 94111; 866-328-3663 taylorsrefresher.com
• 4. The Slanted Door
  1 Ferry Building, #3, San Francisco, CA 94111; 415-861-8032 slanteddoor.com

rockzmom! Thank you soooooo much!

You are really like a lighthouse for a traveler.

Just so you can get a sneak peek at how awesome the redwood trees (they're also called sequoias-pronounced almost the same as the Russian секвойя but without the в) are, some pictures to show you how big they are:





I think someone above mentioned being able to drive through them:

I’m not a local dweller but from my ‘birds eye’ view you may want to take a trip and visit Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. There you can not only listen to the Hazel Wright Memorial organ, one of the biggest in the world, but also attend Robert H. Schuller’s (senior) famous sermons, if he still conducts ministries at the moment. He is purported wise and profoundly indoctrinated with everything concerning human sins and salvation, and possesses deep captivating charismatic voice to the fore.

Originally Posted by diogen_

I’m not a local dweller but from my ‘birds eye’ view you may want to take a trip and visit Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. There you can not only listen to the Hazel Wright Memorial organ, one of the biggest in the world, but also attend Robert H. Schuller’s (senior) famous sermons, if he still conducts ministries at the moment. He is purported wise and profoundly indoctrinated with everything concerning human sins and salvation, and possesses deep captivating charismatic voice to the fore.

diogen, I just read the Wiki page, about their bankruptcy and the Catholic church buying the Crystal Cathedral and renaming it "Christ Cathedral" and all. Dr. Schuller was all the rage for so many years with books and TV shows and The Hour of Power and now, nothing. How he has fallen.

Throbert and diogen_ thank you for the suggestions!

You could always visit Alcatraz Island... it was an infamous prison not so very long ago and has been used in various movies, such as "The Rock" with Nick Cage and Sean Connery.

http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

One place I always try to get to when I'm in the area, is Fisherman's Wharf. Some amazing seafood and sushi restaurants there!!!

http://net4.ccs.neu.edu/home/mrunk/P...mansWharf.aspx

I lived in SF and Oakland about 15 years, and I've been to almost all of the places mentioned. I especially like nature, so give two thumbs up to the suggestions to go up north, but that will take a lot of driving, and you should go for more than two days. Same goes for Yosemite. Also there's Fort Ross up north. You can drive around in the hills above Oak/Berk. There's a nice park up there that used to have live steam trains you could ride in. The Marin headlands has a nice road running along somewhere after you cross the bridge; I think it's US 1. Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk is also a fun place. If you get homesick, you might take in a concert by Slavyanka, a men's chorus based in SF.

Thank you chaika!

San Francisco as it turned out to look.

Golden Gate

Up and down, down and up.

Stanford.

Muir woods.

Cable car

Academy of science.

Agassiz standing upright.