Downtown:
- winter: ice skate at
Union Square (& get hot cocoa at Starbucks across the street at Macy’s 4th
floor and watch the Zamboni!)
- cable car ride up to
Fairmont; Tonga Room (excellent tiki bar; used to be the health club. Carrie
was married on the boat in the middle of the pool!)
- Breakfast at Sears
(only breakfast, not known for other meals – get the Swedish pancakes)
- John's Grill (see the
Maltese Falcon – or ignore it and just eat steak. Yum)
- Tadich Grill (Carrie’s
Dad’s fave – oldest SF restaurant)
- Starlight Room (there
may be a drag show, there may be a cover – the view is AMAZEBALLS)
- China Town: Far East Café,
shopping on Grant Ave, dim sum galore
- Cafe de la Presse (get
newspapers from anywhere!)
- Cafe Claude (get the
citron presse – tart and yummy!)
- FLLW building at 140
Maiden Lane (1949)
- Stookey’s Club Moderne
895 Bush (Carrie’s friend’s new deco bar)
- Whitechapel 600 Polk
at Turk – another of Carrie’s friends created this gin bar for time travel – a MUST!
- Uncle Vito’s Pizza on
Bush and Powell (owned by Carrie’s ex-husband. Actually very good pizza!)
Market Street:
- street car to Castro
Theatre (January = Noir City film fest! first: Twin Peaks bar)
- Zuni Cafe (famous for
oysters, hamburgers)
- Chow at 14th/Church
(organic food, always good)
- Twin Peaks for view
(see photo above!)
Haight Street:
- Deluxe (where the 40s
crowd used to go when there was one)
- Amoeba, Rasputins (record
stores!!)
- Relic Vintage (ask for
Oran, Carrie’s friend)
- Big Legs = Piedmont
Boutique (for fishnets, wigs, cheap earrings, gloves, costumes)
Mission:
- Tartine (best
croissants outside of France)
- Rosamunde sausage
(Mindy often DJs reggae on Sundays)
- Mission Pie
(everything is good; the pie is excellent)
- tacos at La Taqueria
(Zagat rated!)
- Thrift Town &
Mission Thrift
- fresh fruit markets
- 1972 BART station
(Brutal)
- Mission Dolores (get
your history on)
- Makeout Room for live
music (Thursday nights)
- de angelis (best
vintage furniture, on Valencia)
- Casanova (dive bar
with great collection of black velvet nudes)
- Arinell's pizza (NY
style; the best!)
- St. Mary's Pub (just
past 30th, tiny place with great DJs)
- Front Porch / Rock Bar
(best fried chicken; fab soul food which you can eat in the restaurant or in
the bar across the street)
North Beach:
- Cafe Trieste (coffee!!!)
- Caffee Greco (coffee,
pastries and gelato – lovely place to sit and look out the window)
- Vesuvio (since 1948
and still looks the same inside. Stained glass, random chairs, Victoriana.
Love)
- City Lights books
(books, check their event schedule for readings & book-signings)
- Victoria Bakery (not
safe if you are on a diet!)
Embarcadero:
- walk along water
- Red's Java House
(cheap marginal burgers, excellent view and you can sit right on the water)
- Pier 23 (for live
music)
- Fancy food at Ferry
Building (all local, none cheap)
- Take ferry to
Sausalito for lunch at The Trident (MUST SEE INSIDE! Amazing 60s/70s history)
- Hyatt and Embarcadero
Shopping Center (70s chic)
Levi's Plaza:
- Levi's museum
(rotating display at Levi’s HQ, also employee cafeteria is excellent and open
to public)
- brutalist fountain
(walk in it and get your feet wet!)
- Filbert Steps up to
Coit Tower (just under 400 steps up; see the famed 30s murals inside the tower)
Fisherman's Wharf:
- Crab season (= Nov to
May) Scoma's is GOOD but $$$, get fresh on the water and ask them to steam it
for you!
- Sour Dough Bread Bowl (addicting,
nothing like it!)
- Fisherman's Grotto #9
(get spaghetti; crab cakes are good – otherwise this is not the BEST food but
the atmosphere is vintage fantastic – since 1935)
- penny arcade / musee
mechanic (old and sometimes freaky mechanical amusements. Carrie hates Laughing
Sal)
Ft. Mason:
- Green's (best veggie
restaurant in the US)
- old tile benches on
the water (if you can find them – walk along the right side of the Festival
Pavilion)
Presidio (1776):
- Bowling
- Presidio Social Club (GREAT
FOOD and cocktails, can sit outside, parking)
- walk from Crissy Field
to Fort Point (see seals and surfers)
Golden Gate Park:
- Conservatory of
Flowers (fab on a rainy day; built from a kit in 1878)
- Japanese Tea Garden
(ogle the koi and stay for tea after you walk around the gardens)
- De Young (amazing art
exhibits; TOWER has stunning 360 view of SF; go for free Friday night events)
- Archery range at 47th
ave (lessons are offered on Saturday mornings)
- 70s Parcourse at Polo
Field (there is also a modern parcourse at Crissy Field)
Palace of Fine Arts
(1915 Maybeck):
- nice for picnic (feed
the ducks and pretend to be a Victorian)
- A16 on Chestnut (ask
for Shelley, Carrie’s cousin)
Great Highway:
- beautiful drive along
the ocean (occasionally closed for sand)
- Cliff House (fancy
place to eat brunch)
- Louis’ diner at top of
hill (same great view, no attitude)
- Hike around the ruins
of the Sutro Baths (feel like you are at the edge of the world)
SOMA / Potrero Hill /
Bayshore:
- Tour Anchor Brewery
(best lunch but need to reserve in advance)
- Vega 1246 Folsom
Street (M-F only – get the Macau Iced Coffee)
- Twisty street
(Vermont)
- Farley's coffee (and
the used bookstore across the way)
- The Ramp (oysters,
burgers, beer, dogs OK since 1950)
- The Old Clam House
(every meal begins with a shot of hot clam juice. Which is delicious, really!)
- Silvercrest donuts
(greasy spoon with pool table and pin ball, started life as a dry goods store
1870s)
- Alemany Market (Sat =
Farmer's, Sun = flea mkt)
Stay tuned for more to
come in Carrie’s Bay Area picks!
You can also see this post on my LinkedIn page
