Vacation in San Francisco - PICTURES POSTED!

[curiosityandthecat]

My lovely lady and I are going to be in the Bay area from the 19th through the 25th. Any suggestions as to things to see and do?

 

[MommaSquid]

Oooh, hubby and I had a wonderful time in San Francisco a few years ago.

My must see/do list:

The Japanese Tea Garden:  We had tea and then walked around in the beautiful gardens.
http://www.mustseesanfrancisco.com/attr ... arden.html

Ride the cable cars:  It was a great way to see the city.  Ride several lines if you have the time.
http://www.sfcablecar.com/

Walk around near Haigt/Ashbury:  Funky shops galore!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haight-Ashbury

I hope to get back to San Francisco some day.  Have a wonderful trip, cat!  Take lots of pictures.  

[curiosityandthecat]

Actually, we're staying at the Kabuki, so we'll be in Japan town. Also, my girlfriend is Taiwanese, so we'll be spending a lot of time in China town, I'm sure.  

[Will]

I love living in the Bay Area, here's a few ideas:
- Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony is playing Beethoven's 7th Symphony on Thursday the 19th, and it's a singular experience. You can get center terrace tickets for like $25 each and even though you're not in the front row, the acoustics there are quite perfect and the view is spectacular.
- SF Museum of Modern Art. This is, in my opinion, one of the best museums in the Western Hemisphere. I highly suggest setting aside an afternoon to enjoy it.
- SF Aquarium. If you're into biology like I am, you'll love the SF Aquarium.
- Alcatraz. I know it seems touristy, but it's a blast if you've not been there.
 
Top secret:
One of the locals' favorite spots is in Presedio, the old army base. Go there in the late late afternoon, giving yourself maybe a half an hour to an hour before dusk (probably 6ish). Take Mason St. towards the Golden Gate until you're in Presedio. Mason will turn into Bluff and run along the ocean and then Marine Dr. Park along the side of the road and watch the fog come in. There's nothing like it on the planet.

[crocofish]

If you like hands-on science stuff, The Exploratorium is interesting to visit.  I spent too much time there when I visited SF.

Typical tourist things are Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, and Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill.  If you've never been there, those are some icons of San Francisco.

Just walking the streets is interesting, but the hills can be exhausting if you aren't in great condition.  China Town is interesting; but parts of it can be clogged with tourists and souvenir shops.

[MommaSquid]

How in the heck did I forget to mention Alcatraz?!   We really enjoyed the tour and the boat ride over.  

Coit Tower offers a nice view, but it was really crowded the day we were there.  Too many people jostling for window positions and photo ops.  

We had lunch in the Fishermans Wharf area and then walked around the pier.  The sea lions were hillarious!

We also drove across the Golden Gate Bridge (twice...we had to turn around and go back to S.F.) just so I could say that I had done it.

Don't forget to drive down Lombard Street.  


All this talk about San Fran makes me want to pack my bags!  

[curiosityandthecat]

Pictures from the trip! (I'll give you a hint... I'm not the little Asian girl.  

There's a number of pictures, but all of them are SFW, I promise.

After we've checked into our hotel


The Hotel Kabuki


Our nighttime view from the top floor corner room


Almost the same shot from the next morning


The Japanese mall next to the hotel


Inside the mall, just past a great little Bubble Milkshake stand


Us at Union Square


Chinatown (I've got a ridiculous number of pictures of Chinatown. Loved it.)


Cafe in Little Italy called the Cafe Divine, corner of Union and Stockholm


I just loved this. Somewhere on Columbus Ave.


The big crab at Pier 39


The cable car turning around at the Hyde station (I think)


Us at Berkeley (note the Jamba Juice)


Dolls in Chinatown


Outside the main desk at our hotel


Our sad faces because we had to leave :eek:    

[MommaSquid]

Wow!  Thanks for posting all the amazing pictures,curiosityandthecat .   I really hope to get back to S.F. some day...maybe I'll stay at the Hotel Kabuki.

[Asmodean]

Wow, that's really great!  

[afreethinker30]

Looks like a great time.You have a great eye to.Beautiful pictures.

[weedoch]

Great pics you handsome couple! Makes me a little too jealous  

[McQ]

Thanks for sharing the pictures! They were really nice. S.F. is on my short list of must-see places.