Things to do in San Francisco

A Potpourri of Things to do in San Francisco

There are countless travel books, websites, and listings of activities in the City. They include restaurants, museums, concerts, clubs, stores, and other sightseeing adventures. Of course, everyone wants to go to Alcatraz Island—to visit but not stay. There's always Union Square for shopping and dining but that's too obvious. Instead, the following is a raw list of things to do in San Francisco without rhyme or reason but an adherence to randomness.

• Union Street

It's a shopping district. It's a dining destination. It's hang-out and be seen Union Street, an 8-9 block area in the Cow Hollow section of the City just west of the Presidio. There are clothing boutiques, art galleries, coffeehouses, restaurants, bars, and just a fun place to walk around and people watch. If you like chocolate, you might want to visit Cocoa Bella and if you love chocolate then you definitely must visit. It's on Union down the street from Betelnut, an Asian bistro with small bites of savory fare that goes well with beer. Sit at an outdoor table and watch the ebb and flow of San Franciscans coast by.

• Beach Blanket Babylon

This cabaret show in the Club Fugazi in North Beach could only be in San Francisco. Beach Blanket Babylon can best be described as a self-styled hoot revue of singing and dancing that spoofs pop culture with hats. It's been going on for 30 years and Val Diamond isn't getting any thinner but still has her pipes. It's a touch wicked but hilarious.

• Museums

First, there's a museum here for everyone. There's the DeYoung, the Legion of Honor, the Asian Art Museum, and the Modern Art Museum. They're all excellent in their own way and if I had to pick one to visit I would go with the MOMA, but that's me. However there are several other oft ignored smaller museums that are interesting. There's the Exploratorium which is geared more to the science and technology crowd rather than art and it's a great place for kids. The Cable Car Museum proudly showcases its heritage to the public in a historic cable car barn on the corner of Washington and Mason. The Maritime Museum gives you a flavor of San Francisco's early maritime relevance with a collection of ships and ferries that made the City its destination. It's located on the Hyde Street Pier near Fisherman's Wharf. If you like cartoons, animated or otherwise, check out the Cartoon Art Museum on Mission Street.

• Bars

Check out for some bar carousing ideas. Here are a few more that ooze San Francisco jauntiness.

• Buena Vista Cafe

Take a Cable Car to the end of the Hyde Street near the Cannery. Jump off and grab a world famous Irish Coffee across the street at the historic Buena Vista. Even with the endless onslaught of tourists it's still a neighborhood bar.

• John's Grill

Head over to John's Grill on Ellis near Union Square. It's one of the City's oldest, has great atmosphere, good food, and was made famous by Dashiell Hammett's Maltese Falcon. See where Sam Spade would have hung out if there was a Sam Spade. Sadly, someone kiped the Black Bird from the John's in February, 2007. The bird was not "the stuff dreams are made of" as it was not the original black statuette but an original reproduction. Da' Bum.

• Tosca Cafe

It's across the street from the beatnik's City Lights Bookstore. Tosca Cafe on Columbus in North Beach is an iconic bar that claims movie stars (think Penn, Coppola, Cage, and the like) as well as the hoi polloi for patrons. Drop by for a martini, a game of pool, a chance conversation with Jeannette Etheridge. It's pure San Francisco and the antithesis of Hollywood.

• 21st Amendment

There are a bunch of microbreweries in the City but my favorite is The 21st Amendment. Celebrate the end of Prohibition and soak up some suds in the South Park neighborhood just a short walk to AT&T Ballpark.

• Ferry Building

Prior to the Bay Bridge, people headed here to catch a ferry to Oakland. There's still ferry service but there's also the Ferry Building Marketplace. The City has renovated the old building with the clock at the east end of Market Street in 2003 and turned it into a cornucopia of large and small shops focusing on local Northern California's bounty—artisan cheese, wine, bread, fruits, vegetables, meats, and seafood. There are a handful of restaurants and it's always a treat to be at the Slanted Door for cocktails and innovative Vietnamese food or stop by Hog Island Oysters and slurp down some fresh Sweetwater mollusks from Tomales Bay. There's also a farmer's market on weekends.

• Take a Walk

To really appreciate the City's charms nothing beats putting on a pair of walking shoes and hitting the pavement. There are organized walking tours but just grab a good tourist guide or map and start walking. Some recommended areas are Union Square (with its shopping and dining bonuses), Chinatown, along the Embarcadero (start at AT&T Ballpark) and walk to Fisherman's Wharf, Russian Hill, the Presidio, get a cardio workout climbing the steps from Greenwich and Sansome to the top of Coit Tower, escape the chaos and trek the length of Golden Gate Park all the way to the Great Highway at the beach. Then, take a break at the Beach Chalet and enjoy a Riptide Red Ale while enjoying a view of the Pacific Ocean.

While this is the end of the article it's only the beginning of things to do in San Francisco.