Traveling to the US (San Francisco) for the first time... Got some questions

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CaLe

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So yeah, I'm from Canada and I'm going to San Francisco for about a week in March for GDC. I'll be spending most of my days at the convention center, but I'm planning on sight seeing and being a stupid tourist a bit during the evening.

With that said:

- Where do you recommend that I eat.
- What do you recommend that I visit.
- What do you strongly suggest that I avoid if I don't want to get violated / sodomized in the streets.
- Do you know any good website where I can order a sim card from ? I'd like a few hundred minutes and a standard data plan. I have an unlocked phone, and my current carrier practically requires that I give them a fortune in exchange of a few measly minutes. I'd like to keep that fortune to myself.

I'll be staying for 4 days, I won't rent a car, and my hotel is the "Courtyard by Marriott" (299 Second Street).

Let's do this.
 
Eat clam chowder out of a sourdough bread bowl at Fisherman's Wharf. Visit the cablecar museum/powerhouse. Visit Alcatraz.
 
bggrthnjsus said:
get breakfast at tartine bakery
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That bakery looks great ! A bit far from my hotel, but I'll see what I can do.

ocadman said:
Go to San Tung in the Sunset. You'll probably have to take the Muni (N Train). Order the chicken wings.
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Do they have anything else that's worth getting besides the chicken wings ? Not really a fan of wings.

Crazylegs said:
Eat clam chowder out of a sourdough bread bowl at Fisherman's Wharf. Visit the cablecar museum/powerhouse. Visit Alcatraz.
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I actually love clam chowder, so I can't wait to see how one made with fresh ingredients taste.

Is it true that the Fisherman Wharf is filled with poor chaps begging for money ?

Awesome suggestions guys.

P.S: I can't go to alcatraz, the tour schedules interferes with the convention's presentations :\

Saucy_XL said:
Pork Store Cafe for breakfast.


No other answer.
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Gah... Just googled. Big mistake. I'm hungry now.

Blearth said:
Don't waste a day at Fisherman's Wharf. It's a tourist trap.
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Why ??
 
CaLe said:
That bakery looks great ! A bit far from my hotel, but I'll see what I can do.

Awesome suggestions guys.

I actually love clam chowder, so I can't wait to see how one made with fresh ingredients taste.

Is it true that the Fisherman Wharf is filled with poor chaps begging for money ?
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It's true that the entire city is filled with people begging for money. I wish I was joking.
 
MDavis360 said:
It's true that the entire city is filled with people begging for money. I wish I was joking.
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How dangerous is it though ??

The only place I was told to avoid is the Tenderloin.

I come from Montreal, AKA Quebec's beggar's capital, so I've seen my fair share of people begging for money. It's just the crazies that I'd prefer to avoid.
 
my food choices when i was in sf last year were:

in-n-out because we dont have them on the east coast and i wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
gary danko - awesome upscale restaurant. you can get food as good in new york, but the wine culture is so much different in sf that its worth it for the experience
mission - tacos! i wanted to eat from a truck but was with the gf so we compromised on an actual taqueria.
chinatown - nothing special here, i guess. it was fine.

there was also a farmers market one morning that had awesome food. i imagine that that farmers market happens pretty often, and i think you are staying pretty close to it.

we did mostly tourist things. alcatraz, fisherman's wharf, golden gate park. we went to a giants game, which i guess you wont have the option to do, but its a cool place to see a game. we also spent a couple days in sonoma which was great, but you probably wont have time.
 
arglebargle said:
my food choices when i was in sf last year were:

in-n-out because we dont have them on the east coast and i wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
gary danko - awesome upscale restaurant. you can get food as good in new york, but the wine culture is so much different in sf that its worth it for the experience
mission - tacos! i wanted to eat from a truck but was with the gf so we compromised on an actual taqueria.
chinatown - nothing special here, i guess. it was fine.

there was also a farmers market one morning that had awesome food. i imagine that that farmers market happens pretty often, and i think you are staying pretty close to it.

we did mostly tourist things. alcatraz, fisherman's wharf, golden gate park. we went to a giants game, which i guess you wont have the option to do, but its a cool place to see a game. we also spent a couple days in sonoma which was great, but you probably wont have time.
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Thanks Argle, much appreciated.

Is "In-N-Out" an actual restaurant name.. ? Never heard of them. Then again, I'm from Canada...

How was Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz ?

Have you had any problems from some of the less fortunate locals ?
 
Yeah avoid the Tenderloin-it's a disaster.

I work in SF so I can make some recommendations of things to eat other than a mission burrito and In-n-Out.

This place is near my office and everyone I work with loves getting a Chicken Shwarma from here. I promise you it will be one of the yummiest things you'll ever have:

Oasis

tumblr_lkv9c98LGr1qhlkbe.jpg


Also this place has the best sandwiches-and I mean the best. You'll be amazed at their menu.

Ike's Place

I highly recommend the Super Mario-which is a meatball sandwich with special sauce and mozzarella sticks.

Ikes-Place-Super-Mario.jpg



However nearly everything on their menu is incredibly good-just check out some of their combinations:

Ike's Place Menu


To answer your other questions-you don't really need to be concerned for your safety. SF isn't exactly crime-ridden, but there are some sketcjy places in the Tenderloin.

Alcatraz is really cool to visit, but Fisherman's Wharf is unfortunately just a tourist trap. Just store after store of t-shirts and junk saying "I left my heart in San Francisco" and "EARTHQUAKE!!!". Shit like that.
 
You can actually grab some clam chowder in a bread bowl and crab/shrimp sandwiches at Fisherman's Wharf then walk like across the street and eat In 'N Out (it's a burger joint) lol

House of Prime Rib is amazing if you don't mind spending $50 on one meal
 
MDavis360 said:
Yeah avoid the Tenderloin-it's a disaster.

I work in SF so I can make some recommendations of things to eat other than a mission burrito and In-n-Out.

This place is near my office and everyone I work with loves getting a Chicken Shwarma from here. I promise you it will be one of the yummiest things you'll ever have:

Oasis

tumblr_lkv9c98LGr1qhlkbe.jpg


Also this place has the best sandwiches-and I mean the best. You'll be amazed at their menu.

Ike's Place

I highly recommend the Super Mario-which is a meatball sandwich with special sauce and mozzarella sticks.

Ikes-Place-Super-Mario.jpg



However nearly everything on their menu is incredibly good-just check out some of their combinations:

Ike's Place Menu
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Thank you !! I actually even saw Ike's place on Man VS Food once.

I actually love shishtaouk (i.e.: chicken shwarma), so I'll definitely try them out.

Man, is SF the capital of kick ass restaurants ??

Since you live in SF, how safe are the streets are night, as long as I avoid the Tenderloin ?

Much appreciated.
 
Boogie9IGN said:
You can actually grab some clam chowder in a bread bowl and crab/shrimp sandwiches at Fisherman's Wharf then walk like across the street and eat In 'N Out (it's a burger joint) lol

House of Prime Rib is amazing if you don't mind spending $50 on one meal
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Wow... Figherman's Wharf sounds awesome. And I don't care about expenses, I intend to have tons of fun while I'm there !

WedgeX said:
Got some good recommendations from gaffers when I headed to San Fran last year.
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Thanks !
 
CaLe said:
Thank you !! I actually even saw Ike's place on Man VS Food once.

I actually love shishtaouk (i.e.: chicken shwarma), so I'll definitely try them out.

Man, is SF the capital of kick ass restaurants ??

Since you live in SF, how safe are the streets are night, as long as I avoid the Tenderloin ?

Much appreciated.
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Well I work in SF and live in the East Bay. Overall the streets are fairly safe. Tons of people in SF don't own a car and just walk around and take public transportation without a second thought.

If you happen to have some free time-take BART to Oakland, specifically Rockridge station and go to Zacahrys pizza. Another winner. This area is super safe too, so no worries.
 
If you're going to around during the weekend there's a kick ass farmer's market at the Ferry Building every Saturday morning. Roli Roti usually hangs around there and while there's usually a 30 minute line, the Pork Porchetta sandwich is to die for.

Plus it's a good place to people watch and spend some time against the back drops of the Bay Bridge and Financial District skylines.

The Marina district is a good place to walk around and hang out at night time too.
 
CaLe said:
Thanks Argle, much appreciated.

Is "In-N-Out" an actual restaurant name.. ? Never heard of them. Then again, I'm from Canada...

How was Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz ?

Have you had any problems from some of the less fortunate locals ?
Click to expand...

in-n-out is a chain of burger places on the west coast. i live in new york, and there are frequently arguments about it because californians claim its the best burger available anywhere and people from by me say its overrated. its good and definitely worth trying if you enjoy arguments like that.

fisherman's wharf is fine. its definitely touristy and all that goes with that. people trying to sell trinkets, food is overpriced and places are crowded. there is some cool stuff to see though, like old ships, sea lions, stuff like that. alcatraz was worth the trip in my opinion. you get great views of the city on the way out, the tour is pretty fun, and if you ever watch movies its cool to see such a legendary setting.

the beggars there are pretty aggressive, but since you say you have some experience with beggars from home i am sure you will be fine. there are beggars in new york also, and i feel like sf's are a bit more forward and aggressive, but i never felt threatened or anything.

edit:

yayaba said:
If you're going to around during the weekend there's a kick ass farmer's market at the Ferry Building every Saturday morning. Roli Roti usually hangs around there and while there's usually a 30 minute line, the Pork Porchetta sandwich is to die for.

Plus it's a good place to people watch and spend some time against the back drops of the Bay Bridge and Financial District skylines.

The Marina district is a good place to walk around and hang out at night time too.
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this is the farmers market i was talking about. tons of good and cheap food options here.
 
MDavis360 said:
It's true that the entire city is filled with people begging for money. I wish I was joking.
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Yeah I gotta agree. When you see that every major street has homeless on them, no matter how wealthy of an area, then you know there is a problem. Most won't do anything and some even have funny things written on their begging signs, but they're some really aggressive and crazy ones but you can usually spot them a couple blocks away.

Oh and if you are in the mission district, go to Humphry Slocombe and try their 'Secret Breakfast' ice cream flavor. Dynamo Doughnuts has bacon maple apple doughnuts, which are good but overpriced. Also like someone else said earlier, get a burrito.
 
You're awesome, thanks guys. With everything you guys shared I think I've got enough stuff to do for the duration of the trip.

So streets at night are secure from what I gather ?
 
CaLe said:
And I don't care about expenses, I intend to have tons of fun while I'm there !
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Feast your eyes on this!

Anthony Bourdain loved it

Ghiradelli Square is about a block or two from Fisherman's Wharf if you want some delicious ice cream sundaes.

There's plenty of museums too if you're into that stuff. de Young Museum (fine arts), California Academy of Sciences (next to de Young), SF Museum of Modern Art, Asian Art Museum (smack dab across from City Hall which is a pretty nice area), and the Palace of Fine Arts/Exploratorium (which sucks but the outside is gorgeous).
 
CaLe said:
- Do you know any good website where I can order a sim card from ? I'd like a few hundred minutes and a standard data plan. I have an unlocked phone, and my current carrier practically requires that I give them a fortune in exchange of a few measly minutes. I'd like to keep that fortune to myself.
Click to expand...

http://www.mysimplemobile.com

I've never used the service myself. I actually only discovered it recently when I saw a kiosk at Fry's.
 
CaLe said:
So yeah, I'm from Canada and I'm going to San Francisco for about a week in March for GDC. I'll be spending most of my days at the convention center, but I'm planning on sight seeing and being a stupid tourist a bit during the evening.

With that said:

- Where do you recommend that I eat.
- What do you recommend that I visit.
- What do you strongly suggest that I avoid if I don't want to get violated / sodomized in the streets.
- Do you know any good website where I can order a sim card from ? I'd like a few hundred minutes and a standard data plan. I have an unlocked phone, and my current carrier practically requires that I give them a fortune in exchange of a few measly minutes. I'd like to keep that fortune to myself.

I'll be staying for 4 days, I won't rent a car, and my hotel is the "Courtyard by Marriott" (299 Second Street).

Let's do this.
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Wow what's been happening in SF since I was gone?
 
CaLe said:
Wow... Figherman's Wharf sounds awesome. And I don't care about expenses, I intend to have tons of fun while I'm there !



Thanks !
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Yeah the city and area are great fun!

Ended up touring U-C Berkeley, going to Ben & Nick's in Oakland, hiking around Muir Woods, explored Chinatown, Japantown, the Haight, City Light Books (and EVERY OTHER BOOKSTORE THEY ARE ALL SO GOOD), rode a cable car, wandered about the financial district, and saw the Natural Bridges down in Santa Cruz. Visited Fisherman's Warf and was underwhelmed, but its just not my thing.

Basically Devolution's lists are perfect for getting a handle of the Bay Area.

Missed out on the Museum of Modern Art, and ashamedly missed out on the de Young Museum and their Picasso exhibit.
 
I forget what the name was but recently a pizza place in SF was voted as having the best pizza in the nation. I'd also visit UC Berkeley just to see the campus if you are into that sort of thing, it's a beautiful campus.
 
If you happen to find yourself in/near Berkeley/Oakland, Fenton's Creamery is a must. This is what their famed banana split looks like.

fzQVW.jpg


If you're in or around the Sunset District of San Francisco, my favorite sandwich place in the city is actually a liquor store. Pretty dingy place and not many people know about it, but the sandwiches are sooo good.

UUe0A.jpg


And finally, I'd highly recommend checking out Tony's Pizza in North Beach. There was a big thread about it last year, when it was declared by some big magazine as the best pizza place in the US (world?). The owner, Tony, was the first American to win some big pizza-making competition in Italy a few years back, so that would make him the de facto pizza champ. The margherita pizza is the one to go for. So simple, but sooo good. Place is super popular though, so you might be better off getting the pizza to go.

LaAVG.jpg

Edit: Apana, this is the one.

As far as things to do, if you're at all a fan of classic or cult movies, there's always something being shown at the Castro Theater. A landmark building in itself, it's worth checking out what they'll be playing while you're there. ~BEWARE~ that the Castro Theater is located in the Castro District, which is the city's "gay district." Although your fears of being sodomized are completely misplaced, talking about that stuff will get yo ass beat 'round these parts.

3ZZUO.jpg
 
Another vote for the California Academy of Sciences. Amazing place. You can check out the Living Roof.

Also people are confusing Tonys Pizzeria in SF with Pyzannos in Castro Valley-which USA recently named the best pizzeria in the US. It's literally like 3 minutes from my house. The guy Tony that runs it is the World Champion Pizza tosser-and the only American to ever win or something like that. It's really good-lots of variety-but I prefer Zacharys.
 
CaLe said:
You're awesome, thanks guys. With everything you guys shared I think I've got enough stuff to do for the duration of the trip.

So streets at night are secure from what I gather ?
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You'll be in the financial district/SoMa area. It's a good neighborhood and you won't have any problems.

If you want some good taquerias near where you're staying, I recommend Orale Orale (113 Sacramento St.) and Si Senor (53 Stevenson St).

Yelp is informing me Si Senor has closed down ... but if it hasn't, you really need to go there and try their breakfast burritos. The place is extremely close to the Moscone Center, too.
 
MDavis360 said:
Also people are confusing Tonys Pizzeria in SF with Pyzannos in Castro Valley-which USA recently named the best pizzeria in the US. It's literally like 3 minutes from my house. The guy Tony that runs it is the World Champion Pizza tosser-and the only American to ever win or something like that. It's really good-lots of variety-but I prefer Zacharys.
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USA Today article from October 2011. It's Tony's, not Pyzano's, that gets that distinction. (Although I believe they are both owned by Tony).

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinat...SAs-best-pizzeria-in-San-Francisco/50936534/1
 
Boogie9IGN said:
You can actually grab some clam chowder in a bread bowl and crab/shrimp sandwiches at Fisherman's Wharf then walk like across the street and eat In 'N Out (it's a burger joint) lol

House of Prime Rib is amazing if you don't mind spending $50 on one meal
Click to expand...

I just had my first visit to San Fran last year, and had literally the time of my life. One of the best snacks on Fisherman's Wharf was this "mini-donut" place, can't remember the name. They're like a cinnamon sugar on freshly made tiny donuts and i still have dreams about them.

There's a Ripley's museum which is always a good time, Ghiradelli (sp?) Square for your free chocolate. Golden Gate Park was really fun, but I was there in August, not sure what the weather is like now.

Don't forget to try to get to Alcatraz if tickets are available, such an atmospheric place.

Seriously you are going to have a blast! I'm still trying to get my ducks in a row so I can move there.
 
Get some god damn Pho.

Golden Gate Park is worth visiting as long as the fog hasn't rolled in.

There's supposed to be a GAF meet-up at some point, I'd keep your eyes peeled.

EDIT: Also, I would highly suggest you make it to one of these: http://offthegridsf.com/ There's one on Fridays at lunch on Minna and 5th, which is near Moscone Center.
 
Pejo said:
I just had my first visit to San Fran last year, and had literally the time of my life. One of the best snacks on Fisherman's Wharf was this "mini-donut" place, can't remember the name. They're like a cinnamon sugar on freshly made tiny donuts and i still have dreams about them.
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Trish's mini-donuts. They are awesome. You can also get those donuts in the Embarcadero Center, if I'm not mistaken.
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the comments. I wish I could reply individually to all of you.

Rest assured that you're all part of why me and my colleague's trip will be awesome. I'm sure that anyone reading this and going to GDC will also appreciate your suggestions. :)
 
I second Tony's Pizza in North Beach. Golden Boy Pizza is amazing too, especially after a night of drinking. Otherwise here are my go to food places:

Brunch places (Highly recommend doing brunch, I feel like it's an SF thing)
- Zazie (my favorite)
- Mission Beach Cafe
- Boogaloos
- Nopa

Burrito Places:
-Taqueria Cancun (my favorite)
-El Farolito
-Taqueria Pancho Villa
- Tropisueno (if you don't feel like going too far, the above 3 are in Mission)

Coffee (all relatively close to your hotel):
- Blue Bottle Cafe
- Philz Coffee
- Sightglass (the most pretentious)

Other:
- Burma Superstar
- Lers Ror Thai
- Little Delhi
- Off the Grid food trucks (5th and Minna on Wed/Fri for lunch)
- Dosa on Valencia
- Serpentine (take the KT line)\
- The Sentinel (delicious sandwiches and close to your hotel)
- Ikes


Prepare to gain some weight! These are just food options, imagine all of the non-food stuff you can do in SF.
 
Heading to San Fran in April, this is going to be a big help.

Staying in the Union Square area is a good idea, for being close to everything, right?
 
Stackboy said:
Heading to San Fran in April, this is going to be a big help.

Staying in the Union Square area is a good idea, for being close to everything, right?
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Just know that in San Francisco you can go from good block to bad block really fast, avoid lower market and below Post Street, I see alot of tourists wandering around in the Tenderloin and it's not the best place to be if you are not familiar with the city.
 
Crustacean restaurant in nob hill has the best garlic noodles and buttered dungeness crab I have ever had. A bit pricy but worth it.

Also, it's touristy but I always love house of nan king for my Chinese fix.

Will be back to both in April.

Taking suggestions here as well. Sf is such a great town.
 
Megalodactyl said:
Just know that in San Francisco you can go from good block to bad block really fast, avoid lower market and below Post Street, I see alot of tourists wandering around in the Tenderloin and it's not the best place to be if you are not familiar with the city.
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I'd concur with this; the Tenderloin is only a few blocks from City Hall (among other things) and can be pretty easy to stumble into.
 
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