Be a tourista

This page needs a lot of work, it is just a collection of unsorted thoughts right now.

Getting About

The easiest way to get about town is by bike. SF is a very bike friendly city.

Nothing in town is far by foot. The furthest you can walk towards the Bay is 4.2 miles (6.8 km) on a stroll from the house to Pier 39 at Fish Wharf, via Union Square, Chinatown and North Beach. The farthest you can walk and stay in the City is the Zoo out at the beach, 5.3 miles (8.5 km).

An alternative to biking and hiking is the SF Muni, the Municipal Railway which operates the Muni Metro, the streetcars, the trolley buses and diesel and gas buses about the city. Most all of the city can be reached by walking less than two blocks to get a bus. The Metro is fast getting from Castro Station downtown, but streetcars and the buses compete with cars, congested by Uber and Lyft drivers, and can be very painfully slow.

You save a bit on fares if you use a Clipper Card.  I have a few cards for guests here, you just need to add some cash to the card at the vending machines in the Metro to cover your expected fares.

Muni 3-Day and 7-Day passes are available, but not worth it unless you plan to ride the Cable Cars which cost $7 per ride.

Typical Tourist Stuff to See Around SF

Alcatraz Audio Tour (see Before You Get Here for ticket info)

United Airlines “5 Things to do”

The first four on United’s list are very easy from our home.  I have been in the elevator lobby of the Coit Tower, but never up as us locals just don’t to tourist things like tourists do.

Stuff Most Tourists Miss

  • San Francisco City Hall
  • My backyard
  • Standing room  at the Opera – Approximately 200 standing room tickets are available for each performance at the War Memorial Opera House starting at 10am on the day of performance. Tickets are $10 each, cash only. Limit two (2) per person.
  • Cafe Flore on the corner of market/16th/Noe. Food used to be OK, but JD raised the prices and the food went down hill simultaneously.

Big Annual Events

  • Frameline LGBT Film Festival – closes the last Sunday in June (Pride Sunday) after running ten days from Thursday opening night.
  • Dore Alley Fair – last Sunday in July
  • Folsom Street Fair – typically last Sunday in September
  • Castro Street Fair – typically first Sunday in October
  • Fleet Week – typically Columbus Day Weekend

Other Stuff

See the National Parks Service website for some cool ideas.