Your best bet will probably be Mission Bay which is at the upper end of your price range and at the outer edge of your walking distance. There is a train that will take you there about 15 minutes though. And if you're from Toronto then every day is good weather for walking in SF.

Haakee: What do you think of either near the bay club (I dunno what that neighborhood is called, right by fog city diner) or Hayes valley?

House: pretty limited squash options in the city. Off the top of my head I'm only aware of bay club and uscf bakar gyms.

Hayes Valley popped into my head too. I think that is a good reco. Also a longish walk but very easy train commute. Less sterile than Mission Bay. I feel like the other neighborhood by Fog City is a weird location... wouldn't rule it out but wouldn't recommend somebody to move there without having checked it out themselves.

Haak,

Certainly a weird location, but it is near the water, bay club squash, gateway tennis, and easily walkable to his loc.

From a neighborhood standpoint, I think I'd much rather live in pac heights / nob hill /russian hill than mission bay. But at the same time I don't play tennis or squash.

Jl,

Def agree mission bay not the most interesting of neighborhoods, though you do have easy access to lots of cool stuff in soma/dogpatch/Potrero. Nob hill prob a good option. Pac heights to his work loc is a pain in the ass commute IMO though maybe options like uberpool now change that. Russian hill seems like prob a little too far for his ideal, but there are some really sweet public tennis courts there: http://m.yelp.com/biz/alice-marble-t...-san-francisco

These are all helpful posts. Thanks!

El D,

For sure, I would only consider eastern pac heights. With the amount of walking most people do in SF I don't think it's critical to walk to work. Wanting to walk to work in the fidi is kind of limiting because you need to be geographically close in expensive neighborhoods like SOMA or you have a walk that includes some significant hills and you end up being sweaty when you get there.

If public transportation is okay I'd probably just stick near the 1 corridor and you still get a 10 minute walk from clay to market (also walking from North Beach could work). Anything near fillmore or union or polk will satisfy they local bar/cafe needs.

I also like the Hayes Valley recommendation as that's a pretty cool area with lots of cafes/restaurants for how small it is. But yeah, the walk would not be great through civic on market.

Jl,

Good points.

I think the walk from HV would be fine, but I'm very used to walking through civic/tl/etc. and if you don't feel like walking some day can just jump on muni or Bart on market.

North beach is another possible area, nice ~30 min walk.

I neglected to account for hills when I wrote this. That being said, general routine is to go to the gym in the morning. There's an equinox at Pine and Sansome that would work well. Can walk there, gym and then shower and get to work from there with no sweat.

Going home, not a big deal to sweat.

Full disclosure here that I've only skimmed the thread a bit so the answers to my questions may already be answered in the thread, so please don't get too mad at me as I ask for some recommendations — I'll dive into the thread afterward when I can recognize names of places to stay, restaurants, things to do, etc.

My wife and I are thinking about doing a 4 or 5 day visit in May, say from the 20th to 24th or so. We are mid-fifties but don't act like old folks... well, not too much. I'm an architect, my wife doesn't work. Just looking to hang out and experience the city but not in a touristy, checklist kinda way. We would rather do less and enjoy what we are experiencing. We would prefer an interesting, contemporary hotel rather than a pompous old world place. Definitely appreciate comfort and service but not the over the top kind.

I've only been to SF once with a GF when I was in my late 20s. Did the Alcatraz tour, which was great although I remember that whole Fisherman's Wharf thing as being pretty awful. Went over the bridge to Marin County to see FLW's civic centre, which was pretty cool. Walked through the Di Castro area, which was like being in a different country and definitely eye-opening. Rowed a boat in the park, went to Chinatown, rode the cable car, had dinner at a nice seafood restaurant. Hell, writing that all out makes me think maybe I should just revisit all those places, with a bit of an upgraded experience... or not?

I'm not the kind of guy that studies up places to the nth degree so I would sure appreciate it if I could get some tips and recommendations on the following:

1. Cool hotel in convenient location, wherever that might be. We won't have a car.

2. A few interesting places to eat. From cheap eats to mid-price and higher. Mostly interested in good food and an interesting experience over "have to" checklist places. We prefer the contemporary local, organic kind of place with chefs that have just made it or are working their way up. A good place in Chinatown would be nice — good food I mean, doesn't matter if it's a bit of a dive, hell, lots of good places in Vancouver's Chinatown are a bit divey.

3. A gallery or two, again contemporary.

4. We don't do the nightlife thing so nothing required there. Maybe a show though?

5. Typically I don't make my wife endure architectural excursions, but she would do something if it isn't too boring.

6. I don't think my wife has been to Alcatraz. Worth doing again? I'm thinking I would be okay with going there again. Someone told me it's a pain to get tickets. Any tips?

7. Meh... anything else you can suggest. Trip back to Di Castro? Golden Gate Park in May?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Not from SF so this is another tourist's take:

2. I really enjoy the Saturday morning market building farmer's market. I've done it the last two times in town and is a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning. We made it kind of a slow, strolling, brunch... just buy and split things that look good. Last time that ended up being a peach, a sandwich, a donut of some sort and some raw oysters with "atomic" horseradish.

6. I wouldn't call it can't miss, but I think Alcatraz is definitely worthwhile for anyone who hasn't done it. My wife and I skipped it last time in town because we only had 3 nights and we'd both done it before. I did the tour about 4 years ago and definitely wouldn't mind doing it again. I think the thing with tickets is to just make sure and buy them days/weeks in advance.

I remember thinking the tour was pretty good but even if it wasn't, the views of the city alone almost make it worthwhile. I was there on a cool, rainy, March day, took this with a 2012 smartphone and still like the way it turned out:

Also from another tourist, and since you like Scotch, I recommend going to Nihon Whisky Lounge. Great Japanese tapas and one of the most extensive Scotch selections around.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

I can definitely see the Farmer's Market being a nice place to wander about, particularly on a nice day. And Nihon sounds great, for me at least as my wife doesn't drink.

It hadn't been confirmed yet when I first posted but my wife has advised me that she has since ironed out details for a boat escort so she can have the fun of swimming from Alcatraz to the mainland. Yikes! She has been a big swimmer her whole life and has been doing masters swimming and open water swims the past few years. She pretty much takes care of doing enough exercise for the both of us. If only it were transferable.

Any more suggestions out there?

I am particularly interested in hotel recommendations.

Thanks again.

Convenient varies a lot based on what you'll be trying to do. For newer hotels you will want to be in union square / soma area as nob hill tends to have the older ones. Also, hotel prices are pretty nuts and depending on your style you might do much better getting an AirBNB for the same price but having an entire condo to yourselves. Kimpton or JDV hotels are mentioned a lot ITT because they're a little different and fun.

This is not a comprehensive list, but I have been to all of these places and recommend them often.

Other:
Cream (Mission, Ice Cream Sandwiches)
The Mill / Tartine (Alamo, Mission, Bread & Related)
Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, Philz, Sightglass (Various, Coffee)
Off the Grid (Fort Mason Friday Nt, Food Trucks)
Roli Roti (Ferry Building Farmers Market, Porchetta)

Cheap:
Yans Kitchen (Chinatown, Chinese, divey)
El Castillito (Duboce, Mexican)
El Salvator Rest. (Mission, Mex [Pupusas])
El Gallo Giro (Mission, Tacos, Food truck)
Super Duper / Pearls / Gots / Roam (Various, Burgers)
Ike's (Upper Castro, Sandwiches)
Tommy's Joint (Van Ness, BBQ)

Mid:
City View (Chinatown, Dim Sum)
R&G Lounge (Chinatown, Chinese)
Mission Chinese / Lung Shan (Mission, Chinese fusion)
Tony's (North Beach, Pizza/Italian)
Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant (SoMa, American)
E&O Kitchen (Union Sq, Asian, Good Happy Hour)
Ristorante Milano (Russian Hill, Italian)
Brenda's (Polk Gulch, Creole/French Soul Food)

Mid/High:
Wayfare Tavern (FiDi, American)
Salt House (SoMa, American)
Frances (Castro, Californian & Fresh Market Driven)

High:
I am not really qualified to touch on fine dining. I have been to and really enjoyed:
Acquerrello (Polk, Italian)
Lazy Bear (Mission, American & Fresh Market)
Gary Danko (Russian Hill, American)

Dunno, sorry

YES! Worth going again. Not too hard to get tickets so long as you book in advance.

Here are some things I have written down in no particular order - you can look them up and decide:

Dolores Park
Sutro Baths / Ocean / Land's End
Golden Gate Bridge / Crissy Field / Palace of Fine Arts
Exploratorium / Cal Academy of Sciences
Lombard St
Ferry Building and Farmers Market / Cupid's Span / Embarcadero / Bay Bridge
City Hall / Symphony House / Opera House
Bernal Hill

Wow!

That's great JL, I really appreciate all the tips... I'll start investigating them over the weekend.

99,

Some ok recs from these tourists and newcomers.

I'll give you the real legit list next week

Alamo Square has some great Victorian homes and great downtown views. You could also visit Alta Plaza and Pacific Heights for spectacular Bay and city views and historic mansions (look up self-guided walking tours online for either area).

nothing beats a day car trip from the s.f. beach all the way down to santa cruz and loop back up the freeway after seeing matrix and bay101 casinos.

only thing better is to have haakee and el diablo in the same poker game as you. makes for a free trip. :-)

Need to add Chez maman to the 'mid' list after my dinner tonight. Really fantastic meal all around.

Chez Maman (Hayes, French)

On a clear sunset - the view from the top of Mt. Tamalpais still ranks as the best I've ever seen.

Sample menu from State Bird Provisions - loved this place, apparently a difficult reservation, but they do take some early walk-up. "Commandables" and desserts are ordered from a server, while the rest are brought around dim sum style. Fun, casual, and delicious.

99,

(I rec'd Vitale #1 and Clift #2 for 99 via PM) As for Embarcadero vs U Square, they both are near lots of bars/restaurants/etc that you'll want to visit, and both very central. They are imo effectively the same in terms of location/convenience.

Check out the thread but some great ones:
Commonwealth - this is imo a must-go place for you. California contemporary, fine-dining level food in a very low-key/hip environment.
Yuet Lee - I recommend a lot in this thread for a delicious divey Chinatown place.
SBP that oT rec'd. You'll have to go get in line around 430pm though.
Cotogna or Flour & Water for contemporary California/Italian, both are great.
Cadence is a hip new place with a great jazz/cocktail place attached.
You can't go wrong with anything on this list. Post if any of them look especially interesting to you and I can give you thoughts, I've been to almost all.


Tons around U Square that fit the bill. Google & Yelp can hook you up.

Lots of touring shows around, again Google can hook you up.

SF is a great walking city. You can walk from downtown/USquare to Chinatown, Hayes Valley, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, and the Mission (not all in one go!). Tons of great and different architecture doing that.

Sounds like this is covered, but going to the main ticketing site a few weeks in advance is usually plenty.

GGP is always awesome to walk around, plus it's cool to walk to Ocean Beach.


A good rec, but generally way too crowded imo.

I think Nihon is a little overrated, but it's certainly solid. I just prefer some other whiskey bars. If you search whiskey itt you should find a few more suggestions from me.

Comments inline here:
Haakee knows his SF stuff.

Awesome, but you have two options if you want to eat at this nationally acclaimed place. One: wait in line starting at like 430. Two: Go later, say 6 or so, on a weeknight and they sometimes will have availability at like 9 or 10, then you can go wander around Fillmore/Japantown for a few hours before dinner.

Here's an email I sent to someone asking re: scenic/outdoorsy stuff to do:

fisherman's wharf / chinatown - neither take a ton of time, but are fun to wander around for a couple hours. wharf is very touristy, basically you walk around a bit, check out the seals and have a bread bowl of clam chowder and some crab or something. chinatown is also touristy, but more interesting stuff and delicious food imo. I would plan on fitting these in whenever you have a free couple hours here and there.

lombard street / coit tower / cable cars - very easy to fit all of these in during a day of wandering around SF via public transit and/or uber

Muir woods/redwoods / golden gate bridge - this is the only thing you might want to get a car for. Other option is to buy an SF-muir woods bus tour. This will go across the GG bridge. If you're into bikes, riding from the city over the bridge is great. Then you can go have lunch at a place like Sam's in Tiburon or Sausalito and take the ferry back to the city. But you probably don't want to attempt riding a bike all the way to Muir woods unless you are really hard core.

golden gate park - GG park is huge with a couple of awesome museums, various gardens, etc and lots of little coffee shops/restaurants/etc nearby. You can easily spend a whole day there checking out different stuff. Also nice to walk all the way through the park to Ocean Beach.

presidio - smaller park area, this is near GG bridge and the marina. just another place to be outside. good place to cruise around if you ride bikes across the bridge.

You should also spend some time in the Mission one day or evening, lots of great burritos and bars and great SF character there.

Defiinitely lots to look at here, thanks.

With regard to accommodation, cause that's what I want to lock down first, I'm liking the look and location of Hotel Vitale, while my wife is leaning toward the Clift Hotel.

Vitale is about $400 per night and Clift is about $200 — that's for a basic room with king size bed.

Both look like great places but are significantly different. Vitale is more luxurious boutique in what appears to be a quieter area near the ferry terminal. From what I read on Trip Advisor it would seem that a restful sleep is pretty much a given, plus the place is relatively new so I would expect rooms to be clean and quiet. Can't quite remember but I think it was in the top 20 of hotels on Trip Advisor.

While relatively highly rated on Trip Advisor, top 60 or so I think, Clift seems to generate consistent complaints, granted on a small scale, about thin walls, noisy, partying neighbours, a smokey-smell in some units, panhandlers in the neighbourhood, etc. Given that the hotel is 100 years old it is obviously going to have some issues. Having said that, I would be pretty pissed if I wind up in a smokey-smelling room and I can hear a neighbour partying on one side and a couple banging away on the other. On the other hand the neighbourhood looks active and interesting.

So what do you think? $400/night for relatively guaranteed restful environment when needed or $200/night for a funky but potentially aggravating environment if my neighbours are loud?

What's +EV in this situation? Anyone got any firsthand experience with these places or have an opinion on the matter?

I'm thinking it's pretty clear that I'm leaning to try to push the wife toward Vitale. On the other hand the trip is really more for her and she is aware that we might be rolling the dice a bit with Clift. Should I grin and potentially bear it at Clift? Maybe we'll get lucky there with a good room? Maybe I should spend a bit more and potentially improve my situation/location there up front?

Argh! Why can't this kind of decision just be easy?

Wow! Interesting looking menu and even more interesting that it's brought around dim sum style... I'm liking the sound of this.

Plus Filmore Street sounds familiar... excuse my SF noobiness (I will be studying a bit about SF before we leave obv.) but does Filmore have some particular claim to fame from an experiential perspective?