San Francisco area for 7 days: Recommendations?

agi said:
First of all don't say San Fran or Frisco as we'll know you're not a local 🙂.

All kidding aside since you'll be in Truckee go straight to Mono Lake after and trek back towards the Bay to Yosemite via the Tioga Pass (Highway 120). One of the most beautiful drives you'll ever see & experience. From there you can hit Yosemite Valley if you wish. Plenty of campsites along the way. Plenty of SF/Bay folks here to give you additional recs I'm sure.
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Good advice. To add some detail to this recommendation, from Truckee you should drive past Northstar over to Lake Tahoe. Turn left and drive around the Nevada side of the Lake, stopping from time to time to admire the views. Continue to South Lake Tahoe, then over to Hwy 88, drive through Markleeville, over Monitor Pass, and drop down to Hwy 395. Stop at Walkerburger in Walker. Continue to Mono Lake, then take the Tioga Pass road into Yosemite IF it's still open (it may not be if there's a fall snowstorm). Detour into the Yosemite Valley -- you may be able to find a campsite on the Valley floor in early October. Take Hwy 120 (a.k.a. the Big Oak Flat Road) back to the Central Valley, and find your way back to SF. Don't go back on Hwy 41 via Merced -- it's too far out of your way.

I strongly recommend losing Redwood NP on this trip. It's not that it isn't beautiful or worth visiting -- it is -- but it's over 6 hours' drive north of SF, and you won't have time to see other sites. Save it for a later trip. If you want to see redwoods, go to Muir Woods or some of the state parks near Pescadero and Half Moon Bay.

For camping near SF, I recommend looking at options in and around Point Reyes Nat'l Seashore. Great for hiking, biking, photography, and lots of interesting places to eat at in Point Reyes Station.

For SF itself, my top recommendations include the Embarcadero and Ferry Building, the Presidio and Crissy Field, and Ocean Beach on the west side of town. SFMOMA (3d and Mission) has a world class photography collection.

Happy to give you more specific recommendations or answer questions in a pm.
 
semordnilap said:
When I was out there my host took me to Big Basin State Park to see the redwoods there–it had been recommended to him as the best place for redwoods south of Humboldt. I really enjoyed it–the hiking was great and the forest was incredible, and I'm sure there's good camping around.
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Yes, this is a better option than driving to Redwood NP.
 
Once you're in the City, the best thing you can do for a souvenir is to go to Rayko and use their vintage photo-booth (just try not to get tempted by the gear they sell - ha!). It's truly a unique memento that I recommend to anyone visiting SF. Listening to the whirl of the machine and watching the prints come out with the slight smell of fixer and still moist from the drying process is beyond awesome. You then take the prints home with you....all for $2 or so. Beats those Fisherman's Wharf $4 keychains anyday. 🙂
 
If you're all the way out in Truckee, Yosemite or Tahoe are easy and well worth the trip. Mono Lake is also pretty amazing.

San Francisco could easily take 5 days to see, you'll wish you had more time! All of those touristy sites and activities are actually fun, even for people who have lived here for years.
A short list for me would include...
Coit Tower
Alcatraz
Golden Gate Bridge
GG Park
SF Zoo
Cal Academy of Science
SFMOMA
cross the bridge and check out...
Marin Headlands
Sausalito(gimme a call if you do, we're always home)
Muir Woods
Muir Beach(where I got married)
lunch at the Pelican Inn in Muir Beach
Stinson Beach
Mt Tamalpais
Bolinas
Pt Reyes
Angel Island
take a boat out to the Farallon Islands
Napa(not as exciting as it sounds unless you're 60)
Sonoma(as above)
Or take Highway 1 south and check out...
Big Basin NP
Santa Cruz
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Carmel
the Henry Miller library in Big Sur
and a *bit* further south to Hearst Castle.

I'll never understand how anyone can visit here and go back home. I came out here from Chicago for a vacation in 1992 and never left.
 
filmfan said:
So my girlfriend and I will be flying into San Fran on Friday, October 5th and departing on the 13th.

and would love to hear some foodie recommendations as well.

Thanks,

-S.
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Fleet Week is the weekend of the 5th and 6th. See the planes and visit the ships.

What kind of food do you like?
 
agi said:
First of all don't say San Fran or Frisco as we'll know you're not a local 🙂.

All kidding aside since you'll be in Truckee go straight to Mono Lake after and trek back towards the Bay to Yosemite via the Tioga Pass (Highway 120). One of the most beautiful drives you'll ever see & experience. From there you can hit Yosemite Valley if you wish. Plenty of campsites along the way. Plenty of SF/Bay folks here to give you additional recs I'm sure.
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This is the Best way to go!! I agree... Checkout Yosemite and send my regards to Alex Honnold !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1jwwagtaQ
 
Things to do in San Francisco for a week...

1. Yosemite Valley
2. Tioga Road
3. Ansel Adams Wildnerness-Thousand Island Lake, etc.
Repeat 1, 2 & 3 if you have time.

Wayne
 
filmfan said:
Nice, good to know.
I like all food, but let's just throw something out there to get things going-- Asian cuisine.
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Oriental Pearl, on Clay St does amazing dim sum at really low prices. More upscale, Betelnut on Union St ( between Webster and Buchanan) in Cow Hollow does good Asian fusion with a very lively atmosphere.

Ernst
 
ernstk said:
Oriental Pearl, on Clay St does amazing dim sum at really low prices. More upscale, Betelnut on Union St ( between Webster and Buchanan) in Cow Hollow does good Asian fusion with a very lively atmosphere.

Ernst
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I love me some dim sum. I will check it out, thanks.
 
Google June Lake, CA. That seems to be a good trail access for Thousand Island Lake. Mr. Adams shot in that neighborhood for his Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail book back in the 1930s.

I posted this in a Yosemite thread earlier today...

June Lake

Thousand Island Lake

Thousand Island Lake-M9

I own the book. Very inspirational.

http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Nevada-John-Muir-Trail/dp/082125717X

I hope to be in this area next Labor Day. I'm already torn between taking a field camera or digital only.

Have fun!
 
+1 for all of the Eastern Sierra / Yosemite suggestions.

As for SF... if you're in the Mission district, stop by pizzeria delfina on 18th st. SO GOOD. Go to the BiRite creamery afterward and walk across the street to Dolores park and relax (with a beer or twelve if you want). You won't be disappointed! And don't forget to order a side of sauce with that pizza!

If you like deep dish, Little Star is also a good choice. A few different locations. And for something different, check out Limon- it's amazing Peruvian rotisserie.

If you're interested in alternative/vintage process photography, check out Photobooth on Valencia st. They do tintype portraits on-site and have a wide array of Impossible film on hand. Photoworks on Market st. is also a really cool lab/shop with some interesting film choices.

Enjoy SF and if you're like me, you'll never want to leave...
 
Don't forget to visit City Lights bookstore. It's where Allen Ginsberg and the Beats used to hang out. They published Ginsberg's great work HOWL. Pick up the recent.y issued THE BEAT GENERATION, a compilation of Ginsberg's photos of the period. The forward is a wonderful intro to the Beat era, and Ginsberg had a great eye. Wonderful stuff.
 
point reyes is great.

in the city, really, don't worry about where you are. just get out and walk. anywhere there are people. castro, pacific heights, haight, mission, embarcadero, presidio, south of market... you really can't go wrong. it's a fantastic city.
 
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