So over my winter break I'm taking a big transcontinental trip from Kansas to North Carolina to Pittsburgh to San Fran and back here to Kansas.
One of my brothers lives in San Francisco, but the day I get in and the next day he has to work a full day, so I'm on my own.
I thought maybe San Jose was close enough to SF some of you might have some suggestions of stuff to go see.
Or, alternatively.....should I hop on a train and go visit the Valley of Silicon itself?
Any input would be stellar. I'll be there around a week right after the New Year!
wooooo glad to see you're actually gonna visit. i'll take partial credit in convincing you. as for stuff to do, i'm blanking right now, but there should be thread somewhere with that info.
In SF, hop on a trolley and check out fisherman's wharf, I suggest the clam chowder in sourdough bowl there. Take a cruise on blue and gold, maybe an Alcatraz tour from the cruise.
Lombard street is a must just so you can have pictures of it.
Edit: Golden Gate bridge is another great photo opp.
Golden Gate park is cool.
Go by Pac Bell Park (or w/e they call it now) maybe, a lot of good restaurants around there as well.
Most the night life off broadway.
Some good street food vendors in mission district.
If you are not gay (not that there is anything wrong with that) I wouldn't suggest the Castro district.
San Jose:
San Jose isn't as friendly as SF for a 1 day visit, considering public transportation as SJ is spread out over a lot more land.
But Downtown San Jose has a lot to offer in nightlife, museums and restaurants.
All I can think of at the moment.
Hope this helps.
In SF, hop on a trolley and check out fisherman's wharf, I suggest the clam chowder in sourdough bowl there. Take a cruise on blue and gold, maybe an Alcatraz tour from the cruise.
Lombard street is a must just so you can have pictures of it.
Edit: Golden Gate bridge is another great photo opp.
Golden Gate park is cool.
Go by Pac Bell Park (or w/e they call it now) maybe, a lot of good restaurants around there as well.
Most the night life off broadway.
Some good street food vendors in mission district.
If you are not gay (not that there is anything wrong with that) I wouldn't suggest the Castro district.
Pretty much all there is in San Francisco aside from the famous (somewhat) SF Zoo. If you're heading to San Jose, I'd suggest stopping by to Valley Fair and Santana Row for some awesome shopping. It is also pretty close to Sharks Ice where you could check out their practices in the morning.
Pretty much all there is in San Francisco aside from the famous (somewhat) SF Zoo. If you're heading to San Jose, I'd suggest stopping by to Valley Fair and Santana Row for some awesome shopping. It is also pretty close to Sharks Ice where you could check out their practices in the morning.
Er I don't know why anyone would pick SJ over SF... If you want dope shopping, the Union Square area is hard to beat. Getting down to SJ is a pain if you are car-less, and you really can't do much unless you want to take the slow bus. Really you can spend days enjoying SF on your own, so I would explore the city, it's a lot more interesting than anything in the south bay (sorry you know it's true).
If you're into museums, the new Cal Academy of Sciences is quite good, as is the DeYoung Museum. They're both in Golden Gate Park. There's also a museum of Asian art in SF that's very interesting as well. Not as much related stuff in SJ. (The Rosicrucian museum in San Jose is pretty neat though, probably one of the best museums on Ancient Egypt on the West Coast.)
I agree with others, if your only going to be visiting the bay area for a few days, there will be lots of things to keep you busy in san fran. San Jose isn't as tourist friendly. There are good museums and stuff, but San Fran is a lot of fun.
You definitely dont want to leave San Francisco to go to San Jose. San Francisco is the best city in the US Like others have said, the De Young and Academy of Science are two great places to go. They are right across from eachother in the park. The De Young has a tower with a great view of the city for free. I would really try and make it out to the Golden Gate bridge too. Great views of the city, and a pretty crazy monument.
I still need to visit the Academy of Science. I wanna go the planetarium but I hear they got 2 hour lines... don't wanna wait that long.
I went recently on free day ( i think it's the first Wednesday of the month) and the crowds really werent that bad at all. I think you would be fine this time of year.
if you're into eating exotic foods, you can find basically any cuisine in san francisco. if i were you i'd definitely go for some burmese or himalayan or tunisian or senegalese food one night.
one thing i'd like to do is go to the academy of sciences on thursday night where it's 21+ and you can sip some drinks in front of a huge aquarium: http://www.calacademy.org/events/nightlife/
In addition to what some of the others have suggested:
Museum of Modern Art is always fun.
Chinatown is great if you don't get sucked into Grant ave too much. Head one street up to Stockton St. to see the real chinatown and get some killer eats.
If you like beer check out the Toronado near the corner of Haight and Filmore. IMO the best beer bar on the west coast, and the place next door sells some killer sausages.
Also King Tut is currently hanging out at the de Young if you're interested in that kind of thing.
if you're into eating exotic foods, you can find basically any cuisine in san francisco. if i were you i'd definitely go for some burmese or himalayan or tunisian or senegalese food one night.
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, Burmese food is awesome. As for my post, didn't mean for it to come off as a SF sucks type thing. Was just in the mindset of thinking what would interest a Sharks fan instead of just an overall tourist. After living in San Francisco for over ten years, things just don't seem that important to me anymore.
Also King Tut is currently hanging out at the de Young if you're interested in that kind of thing.
unfortunately the king tut exhibit is kind of a let down. king tut himself isn't even there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharksohnoes!
The De Young has a tower with a great view of the city for free.
i went up in the tower for the first time a couple months ago. it was a really clear day and it was amazing. i didn't have my camera with me though. one of those times.
wooooo glad to see you're actually gonna visit. i'll take partial credit in convincing you. as for stuff to do, i'm blanking right now, but there should be thread somewhere with that info.
Yeah, it was spur of the moment. My oldest brother (in North Carolina) is getting deployed next month so I'm going to see him and my two nieces. My bro in Pittsburgh has a newborn I've not seen yet, so I decided to see him also, and then my bro in San Fran would have felt left out
Quote:
Originally Posted by SharkMight
In SF, hop on a trolley and check out fisherman's wharf, I suggest the clam chowder in sourdough bowl there. Take a cruise on blue and gold, maybe an Alcatraz tour from the cruise.
Lombard street is a must just so you can have pictures of it.
Edit: Golden Gate bridge is another great photo opp.
Golden Gate park is cool.
Go by Pac Bell Park (or w/e they call it now) maybe, a lot of good restaurants around there as well.
Most the night life off broadway.
Some good street food vendors in mission district.
If you are not gay (not that there is anything wrong with that) I wouldn't suggest the Castro district.
San Jose:
San Jose isn't as friendly as SF for a 1 day visit, considering public transportation as SJ is spread out over a lot more land.
But Downtown San Jose has a lot to offer in nightlife, museums and restaurants.
All I can think of at the moment.
Hope this helps.
I'm not, but my brother is. He already warned me he lives in the "gay part" of Castro.....
To everyone else in the thread, thanks for all the good ideas of places to visit! I'm really excited, this is my first time to California since I was a baby.
I'll be there 5 days not counting my flight days (maybe 4, I forget), so.....I should be able to see a lot.
I'll be sure to report back if I'm able to take lots of pictures and everything! Thanks again
Yeah, it was spur of the moment. My oldest brother (in North Carolina) is getting deployed next month so I'm going to see him and my two nieces. My bro in Pittsburgh has a newborn I've not seen yet, so I decided to see him also, and then my bro in San Fran would have felt left out
I'm not, but my brother is. He already warned me he lives in the "gay part" of Castro.....
To everyone else in the thread, thanks for all the good ideas of places to visit! I'm really excited, this is my first time to California since I was a baby.
I'll be there 5 days not counting my flight days (maybe 4, I forget), so.....I should be able to see a lot.
I'll be sure to report back if I'm able to take lots of pictures and everything! Thanks again
the castro IS the gay part. it's a nice area so your brother probably lives in a nice neighborhood. if anything you'll see some stuff you definitely won't see in the middle of the country.
i went to a club in the castro once. there was a naked guy with a hat just walking back and forth in the streets where people were lining up.
oh and duh, you MUST go up to twin peaks to see the view. it's like nothing else. i'm sure your brother will know what i'm talking about. castro area isn't far from it. best at night i think if there isn't any fog covering the city. bring warm clothes!
the castro IS the gay part. it's a nice area so your brother probably lives in a nice neighborhood. if anything you'll see some stuff you definitely won't see in the middle of the country.
went to a club in the castro once. there was a naked guy with a hat just walking back and forth in the streets where people were lining up.
oh and duh, you MUST go up to twin peaks to see the view. it's like nothing else. i'm sure your brother will know what i'm talking about. castro area isn't far from it. best at night i think if there isn't any fog covering the city. bring warm clothes!
There have already been some great suggestions in this thread so I won't re-hash them.
My only suggestion (if you can get a car) is to check out some of the natural sights in the surrounding bay. SF is a great city, but what really makes it different from western PA is the surrounding beauty. Not a shot, I grew up in Wexford (Pittsburgh-area for those who don't know).
-Head up to Marin County and go the the Headlands, it is the best view of the bridge/the city. (Marin Brewing Co. is my favorite lunch/beer spot. It's in San Rafael)
-Take a trip to the Napa Valley (not the best time of year but wine country is still gorgeous)
-Head down south to Santa Cruz and get the real "California Beach Town" experience.
-Check out the Redwoods (either near Santa Cruz or in Muir Woods)
as for stuff to do, i'm blanking right now, but there should be thread somewhere with that info.
Like others have said, the De Young and Academy of Science are two great places to go. They are right across from eachother in the park. The De Young has a tower with a great view of the city for free. I would really try and make it out to the Golden Gate bridge too. Great views of the city, and a pretty crazy monument.
, Burmese food is awesome. As for my post, didn't mean for it to come off as a SF sucks type thing. Was just in the mindset of thinking what would interest a Sharks fan instead of just an overall tourist. After living in San Francisco for over ten years, things just don't seem that important to me anymore.
