Guidebook for San Francisco
Food Scene
Amazing fresh baked breads. Unusual but tasty pastries. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are all very good. And for dining out in SF, not that expensive. They probably wouldn't deal well with more than 6 people in a group but you could ask. If you get one night away with Jose, then this place or Cassava would be the place to go. Marla is a great example of San Francisco gourmet food done with house made cheese, house made charcuterie and local produce.
39 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Marla Bakery & Catering
399 Business Park CtAmazing fresh baked breads. Unusual but tasty pastries. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are all very good. And for dining out in SF, not that expensive. They probably wouldn't deal well with more than 6 people in a group but you could ask. If you get one night away with Jose, then this place or Cassava would be the place to go. Marla is a great example of San Francisco gourmet food done with house made cheese, house made charcuterie and local produce.
This is my goto place for working when I get tired of working from home (I'm here now as I write this). Very authentic SF coffee cafe. Real San Franciscans come here. People in this cafe know each other. Also has a nice outdoor "parklet" in front that you can sit in without even ordering food. They roast their own coffee but it's a bit dark roasted for my taste...not as awesome as getting coffee at Philz Coffee (located all over SF).
43 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Simple Pleasures Cafe
3434 Balboa StThis is my goto place for working when I get tired of working from home (I'm here now as I write this). Very authentic SF coffee cafe. Real San Franciscans come here. People in this cafe know each other. Also has a nice outdoor "parklet" in front that you can sit in without even ordering food. They roast their own coffee but it's a bit dark roasted for my taste...not as awesome as getting coffee at Philz Coffee (located all over SF).
This is a bit harder to find. Just keep walking past 38th and it's just past the Bank of America on the left. They have all of the American pastries you'd ever want (croissants, scones, pies, biscuits, etc). The annoying part about this place is that they don't label any of the pastries so you have to ask about each one. And they change every day. You need to ask since this is San Francisco and a common scone will be Apricot-raspberry one day and chive-Monterey Jack the next day.
13 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Butter Love Bakeshop
3717 Balboa StThis is a bit harder to find. Just keep walking past 38th and it's just past the Bank of America on the left. They have all of the American pastries you'd ever want (croissants, scones, pies, biscuits, etc). The annoying part about this place is that they don't label any of the pastries so you have to ask about each one. And they change every day. You need to ask since this is San Francisco and a common scone will be Apricot-raspberry one day and chive-Monterey Jack the next day.
Cliff House
1090 Point Lobos AveOcean views right on the cliff. 15 minute walk.
Drinks & Nightlife
We have one bar that is walking distance in the neighborhood and it’s fine. A bit of a locals dive but decent. People are super nice. Not as expensive as other bars.
14 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Hockey Haven
3625 Balboa StWe have one bar that is walking distance in the neighborhood and it’s fine. A bit of a locals dive but decent. People are super nice. Not as expensive as other bars.
Ocean views right on the beach. 15 minute walk. Has food.
236 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant
1000 Great HwyOcean views right on the beach. 15 minute walk. Has food.
Parks & Nature
Flat easy walk along the cliff overlooking the ocean. Wheelchair accessible for the beginning. More rugged as you continue past the first mile.
694 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Lands End Trail
Lands End TrailFlat easy walk along the cliff overlooking the ocean. Wheelchair accessible for the beginning. More rugged as you continue past the first mile.
Ocean Beach is one mile from our house and is one of our most frequent destinations. We typically do a walk on the beach and just wade ankle deep into the water. PLEASE be super CAREFUL with any kids or adults in the water. The current is strong and the water is cold. and there are no lifeguards. I go in the water with the kids and they are never more than 10-20 feet from me. If the kids can't swim really well then don't let them go in past their ankles. At low tide the water is much calmer. And in the mornings there isn't any wind. So low tide mornings at Ocean Beach are awesome. Go to intersection of Judah and Great Highway and there's a cafe there (Java Beach Cafe) and a public bathroom.
553 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Ocean Beach
La Playa StOcean Beach is one mile from our house and is one of our most frequent destinations. We typically do a walk on the beach and just wade ankle deep into the water. PLEASE be super CAREFUL with any kids or adults in the water. The current is strong and the water is cold. and there are no lifeguards. I go in the water with the kids and they are never more than 10-20 feet from me. If the kids can't swim really well then don't let them go in past their ankles. At low tide the water is much calmer. And in the mornings there isn't any wind. So low tide mornings at Ocean Beach are awesome. Go to intersection of Judah and Great Highway and there's a cafe there (Java Beach Cafe) and a public bathroom.
There are several recently modernized attractions in Golden Gate Park. The Japanese Tea Garden and Academy of Sciences are mentioned below. There’s also the De Young Museum with an eclectic collection of art from America and around the world. The Conservatory of Flowers is a gigantic greenhouse with plants from all the over the world including giant lily pads. It’s lit up at night with psychedelic colors to commemorate the Summer of Love. For walking, running and biking, Golden Gate Park is awesome. There’s also an original old fashioned Carousel with wooden horses that move. The carousel is right next to the Children’s Playground which is a huge new playground with tons of play structures.
1721 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Golden Gate Park
There are several recently modernized attractions in Golden Gate Park. The Japanese Tea Garden and Academy of Sciences are mentioned below. There’s also the De Young Museum with an eclectic collection of art from America and around the world. The Conservatory of Flowers is a gigantic greenhouse with plants from all the over the world including giant lily pads. It’s lit up at night with psychedelic colors to commemorate the Summer of Love. For walking, running and biking, Golden Gate Park is awesome. There’s also an original old fashioned Carousel with wooden horses that move. The carousel is right next to the Children’s Playground which is a huge new playground with tons of play structures.
So the next best thing to walking on the bridge is to walk and play at Crissy Field. This is an awesome family destination. You can park there. It has a couple beaches with calmer Bay water (as opposed to Ocean Beach which is beautiful but has rougher water). There is a several mile walking path as well. you can bike and/or walk on the path and it has views of the bridge while you walk at the edge of the beaches.
426 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Crissy Field
So the next best thing to walking on the bridge is to walk and play at Crissy Field. This is an awesome family destination. You can park there. It has a couple beaches with calmer Bay water (as opposed to Ocean Beach which is beautiful but has rougher water). There is a several mile walking path as well. you can bike and/or walk on the path and it has views of the bridge while you walk at the edge of the beaches.
Cabrillo Playground
853 38th AveNeighborhood park for kids. tennis, basketball, play structures.
Fulton Playground
855 27th AveNeighborhood park for kids. tennis, basketball, play structures.
Essentials
Lots of weird people here since it's so close to the beach which draws its share of weird people. On the flip side, the people watching is good. Has everything. Open most hours.
140 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Safeway
735 7th AveLots of weird people here since it's so close to the beach which draws its share of weird people. On the flip side, the people watching is good. Has everything. Open most hours.
No weird people. Only locals. Decent organics selection. Has everything.
140 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Safeway
735 7th AveNo weird people. Only locals. Decent organics selection. Has everything.
Has organics and natural foods. Fresh fish and meats.
664 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Whole Foods Market
450 Rhode Island StHas organics and natural foods. Fresh fish and meats.
Sightseeing
Lots of folks walk across the golden gate bridge. with young kids I do NOT recommend it. it's so loud with the cars that it's hard to keep within voice contact with your kids. and the railing just isn't that tall. so unless you are going to hold your kids hand the whole time, i'm not a big fan. it's about a mile across the Golden gate bridge. for adults only, you can walk across or ride your bike.
1321 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Golden Gate-bron
Golden Gate BridgeLots of folks walk across the golden gate bridge. with young kids I do NOT recommend it. it's so loud with the cars that it's hard to keep within voice contact with your kids. and the railing just isn't that tall. so unless you are going to hold your kids hand the whole time, i'm not a big fan. it's about a mile across the Golden gate bridge. for adults only, you can walk across or ride your bike.
The Japanese Tea Garden is small but very pretty as it's a totally manicured garden and has a moon bridge that the kids love. Perhaps pricey for a large group but it's located across the plaza from the Academy of Sciences.
348 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Japanese Tea Garden
75 Hagiwara Tea Garden DrThe Japanese Tea Garden is small but very pretty as it's a totally manicured garden and has a moon bridge that the kids love. Perhaps pricey for a large group but it's located across the plaza from the Academy of Sciences.
Arts & Culture
Eclectic collection of art from America and around the world.
1000 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden DrEclectic collection of art from America and around the world.
The Conservatory of Flowers is a gigantic greenhouse with plants from all the over the world including giant lily pads.
232 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
Blomsterkonservatoriet
100 John F Kennedy DrThe Conservatory of Flowers is a gigantic greenhouse with plants from all the over the world including giant lily pads.
Entertainment & Activities
Academy of Sciences is very good for kids. We love the planetarium movie. Always a fun experience. Very unique as it has a HUGE screen (IMAX like) so don't miss that. Go right when it opens since it gets crowded. We have a pass you can use that will get one adult and perhaps all the kids in for FREE. Get your free planetarium passes right when you arrive. Do that first since they run of out passes for the shows sometimes though they do show every 90 minutes.
816 lokalinvånare rekommenderar
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse DrAcademy of Sciences is very good for kids. We love the planetarium movie. Always a fun experience. Very unique as it has a HUGE screen (IMAX like) so don't miss that. Go right when it opens since it gets crowded. We have a pass you can use that will get one adult and perhaps all the kids in for FREE. Get your free planetarium passes right when you arrive. Do that first since they run of out passes for the shows sometimes though they do show every 90 minutes.