Saturday was spent around San Francisco with friends who will soon be leaving the Bay Area. In retracing some of my favorite places of the city, I got a fresh reminder of just how great this city can be and decided to post about it.
In this case, here are 5 great sights that are less tourist-y than the standard fare of Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square.
1. Golden Gate Park This is a bit too broad, but GGP offers a bit for everyone. The Japanese Tea Garden is still a fantastic way to spend some peaceful time in the city.
One new discovery was from my friend Tyler who has visited the redesigned DeYoung. There is now a fantastic observation deck with a gorgeous view of the Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods. It is free admission to the observation deck; to enter, go to the northeast corner of the DeYoung.
2. Sutro Bath Ruins This site is by the Cliff House in the Outer Richmond/Ocean Beach area. It may not look like much, but spend the time and walk down to the ruins. The view from above may be lackluster, but standing on the concrete amidst the waves and spray is a unique perspective. There is also a small “cave” to the right of the ruins that leads to a view of a cavern. In my years living in San Francisco, this is still my favorite place to go and tune out society for a little while. As positive reinforcement, my friends were aptly surprised by the experience of walking around the site compared to their initial indifference.
On a side note, Camera Obscura at the Cliff House is still $3 and Musee Mechanica is now down at Fisherman’s Wharf.
3. Christmas Tree Point If you want one of the best views of the city, Christmas Tree Point on Twin Peaks is a requirement. You can see the financial district, the east bay, both bridges, and a myriad of other bits of San Francisco. There are many other views, e.g. Moraga Steps and Dolores Park, but the one hit stop is Christmas Tree Point. The other places are more “native” so to speak, as they highlight other sections of the city.
4. Golden Gate Bridge/Fort Point/Batteries This is the most tourist-y destination on my list. However, the Golden Gate is representative of the West Coast. I would highly recommend showing up early to walk around Fort Point before closing time. One option when bridge parking is crowded is to park at Fort Point and hike up to the bridge.
5. Local food Find a staple of San Francisco instead of stopping somewhere that you can find in any other town. On the top of my list is the San Francisco burrito. Unfortunately, I led my friends to a closed El Faro, but my friend Tyler was ultimately able to sample a San Francisco burrito at La Altena. If you’re looking for ice cream, you should consider Polly Anns, Marco Polo, or Mitchell’s. Try a unique flavor like Lychee at Polly Anns or Guava at Marco Polo.
What NOT to do: 1. Bicycle tours I never noticed such an abundance of self-guided bicycle tours in the years previous. As a born and raised SF native, I highly recommend you do not explore this option unless you train consistently on a bicycle. Hills can be quite steep and odds are likely you will not make good time to various locales around the city. As we drove around, I could not help but notice the amount of people struggling to maintain forward momentum. I can only believe that the impression SF leaves is not quite the positive it could otherwise be. Just say no.
There are a great number of things to do in the city. The only advice I have to not try and bike it.