Book about San Francisco...but not a guidebook
 

Hey fellow Fodorites....hope all is well with y'all.

Please help me find a book for a friend who's moving to San Francisco.

I am not looking for a guidebook but more like how Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country dissected Australia.

My friend has lived in NY for close to 17 years and has been to SF only twice prior to his job interview for this new job. He loves NY but has been wanting a big change in his life so when this opportunity to move to SF came along, he just grabbed it.
Outside of a Fodors book, he knows next to nothing about his new home.

Does a book exist? Any suggestion will be so appreciated.

How about:

Stairway Walks in San Francisco

There are lots of little hidden stairway gems in the city, and the walks are broken down into different areas, difficulty. A GREAT way to get to know the city, history of neighborhoods and restaurants!

AZWildcat

any herb caen book

Herb Caen captures SF before the dot com boom-and- bust as does Maupin's Tales of the City: neither presents a picture of SF now, but they will give your friend some context. I'm not aware of anything like Bill Bryson's books. SF is a city made up of small villages (i.e. neighborhoods) and where you live influences how you experience the City. If you don't actually live in SF, but work here it is another experience altogether.

Here is a website I found that some local put together--I think some of the info is not up-to-date, but it might give your friend some background: http://www.dreamworld.org/sfguide/index.html

These suggestions are all terrific. Thank you very much y'all!

Enjoy your weekends.

P

You might also consider the Traveler's Tales series. There is one that features San Francisco and contains many essays about different aspects of the city's past and present.