Ideas for Solo Days in San Francisco
 

DH and I will be visiting San Francisco in May. We've been there a lot, as DH has a meeting there every couple of years. For this trip, we'll be sans kids. DH will be in meetings 3 days, and I'm looking forward to exploring different neighborhoods on my own, focusing on ethnic food and walking around, looking at the beautiful S.F. buildings. I've used StuDudley's notes on several trips, and have been re-reading those. I also have the Stairway Walks book. We've visited many neighborhoods, and taken various walks in the past - Noe Valley, Castro, Twin Peaks, Pacific Heights, parts of Marina area, North Beach, Chinatown, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Coit Tower area (though we've never managed to spot any parrots).

We've visited many of the "must-see" places on the typical visitor/tourist lists, though I'm sure not all of them. I'm at the point where I feel free to do and see whatever I want - it's liberating!

We'll fly in early on the first day, and have dim sum. That afternoon, DH will be with me, so I'm thinking we could do the Stairway Walk for Lands End (Walk #10) after lunch.

Of the 3 days on my own, one will be Saturday morning, and I'll visit the Farmer's Market - we went to that last time, and I was enthralled by the excellence of the foods. So here are my ideas for the 3 days - any suggestions of other things to see and do in these areas?

1. Breakfast in the Mission at Tartine Bakery, view the murals, lunch at any number of places I have in mind (pupusas, or maybe south Indian).
2. Legion of Honor, then lunch and (food) browsing in Inner Richmond (thinking I'll try Burmese food that day).
3. Japantown? I've wandered through this area a bit, but I'd really like to have okonomiyaki or ramen. What else could I see or do in this area?

I'm also planning to take some City Guides walks, but I'll need to wait to see the schedule for May.

It's a quiet Saturday evening at my house, and trip planning is an excellent use of time!

When I am exploring on my own I like to take a cooking class. I've never done so in San Francisco but you might get a suggestion on this board or do a little internet surfing.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind. I'm big into art and history, though, so I'd probably choose, for example, a tour of a historic house (don't think there are many such houses open to the public in S.F.) over cooking classes.

The May City Guides schedule is pretty much the same as any other month - except there are about a dozen or so "extra" tours added for May & October.

The interior of the historic Haas Lilenthal house is open for tours to the public a couple of days a week. The City Guides "Landmark Victorians of Alamo Square" often starts with a tour of the outrageous interior of a Victorian house - if the owner is home & not busy at the time.

Stu Dudley

Stu Dudley

Thanks, Stu. I had read that more tours are offered in May, and I hope some of those extras will be during the week (when I'll be free), such as Mission Murals. Do they tend to be added at earlier and later times during the day, do you know? I'm looking forward to taking them! I checked the map, and Alamo Square is not too far from Japantown (I walk a lot), so that's on my list.

And thanks for the advice about the house(s); I should have thought about that before, since I have taken a lot of those kinds of house tours in other cities.

There is always plenty to do in San Francisco as you have found out. Since you are a frequent visitor maybe you would like to take Bart over and visit Berkeley. The Cal campus is beautiful and it is fun to walk around the area. This might be a nice change of pace.
Trivia: my son lives across the street from the "Patty Hearst house". Talk about feeling old- a couple of the roommates didn't even know who Patty Hearst was.

The Octagon house on Gough and Union has tours, but at limited times

http://www.nscda.org/museums/california.htm#OCTAGON

The added May tours are not added times or days for non-May (current) tours - but new itineraries/tours altoghther. There are two Tenderloin tours, and others that I don't recall.

I would visit the Haas-Lillenthal house or Brune-Reutlinger house (the one on the Alamo Sq tour) before I would visit the Octagon house. I'm pretty sure that these are the only three homes open for "normal" tours - and the Brune-Reoutlinger house is only open if/when Richard Reutlinger is available. If you like Victorians with incredible interiors and a downstars ballroom filled with old player pianos, pipe organs, hurdy-gurdys & other "self playing" musical instruments - don't miss the Brune-Reurlinger house. Unfortunately, even my wife who conducts some of the Alamo Square tours does not know in advance whether it will be open or not.

Japantown is real dreary, IMO. There has been a lot of talk about tearing it down & re-buuilding Japantown into something a little more interesting. The City/redevelopement agency bulldozed lots of Victorian houses to build Japantown & widen Geary Blvd.

Stu Dudley

There's also a Victorian Home walking tour daily that usually goes into a house. In fact, there are a lot of walking tours, especially centered around food neighborhoods -- In the Kitchen With Lisa (the Mission, Berkeley), Wok Wiz (Chinatown), Mangia North Beach (North Beach). There is also Local Tastes of the City, although I've not taken their tour.

Susan

2. Legion of Honor, then lunch and (food) browsing in Inner Richmond (thinking I'll try Burmese food that day).

Burma Superstar is excellent, don't be fooled by how it looks from outside. It's on Clement @ 4th.

http://www.burmasuperstar.com/

I like to take the ferry to Sausalito, or Tiburon. Because I enjoy getting on the water and seeing SF from that perspective.

Speaking of ferries, if it's a nice day, you might enjoy the ferry to Angel Island. Lots of beautiful hiking and wonderful views. You can even rent a bicycle.

Your first two days sound good, but I would agree with Stu Dudley about Japantown. I haven't been there in years but, even then, it wasn't that good.

The Haight is fun to walk around because the houses have become quite beautiful and Haight street itself is still interesting.

Lynnaustin -- where's the Patty Hearst house?

If it's a nice day, and you've already been to the wonderful art museum, maybe a walk around Crissy Field? Great photo ops there. Then you can walk Chestnut Street and Union Street in the Marina area.

Thanks for the additional ideas. Burma Super Star is on the top of my list for Burmese in the Richmond. I've had Angel Island on my list for the last several trips, and just never made it there (yet).

Japantown, hmm. If I can combine lunch there with an Alamo Square walking tour, it sounds like worth my time there. But for scenery, not so much.

I've been debating with myself re food walking tours. I'd be most interested in Wok Wiz, because it's the cuisine I know the least about, but I'm more of an intermediate-level dim sum lover, and the tours sound more like "into to dim sum." Any thoughts on that?

I didn't have the Haight on my list of places to visit, but maybe I should add it. I did run through the area when I did Bay to Breakers three years ago - that was a fun race! (I was one of the "serious" racers, wearing all my usual running clothes, but I had a great time people-watching both the onlookers and the other racers.)

San Francisco is one of those cities that, despite my visiting there quite a bit, there's still so much more to do and see!

Surfergirl: The "Patty Hearst house" is in the campus area of Berkeley. It was the house she was kidnapped from oh those many years ago. My son was living two doors down at the time.

- wandering the ferry building marketplace
- http://www.sfcityguides.org/ walking tours
-- their tour of the ferry building was very interesting, although not much walking
- ferry to Sausalito
- I had this booked for my last trip but had to cancel the trip -
http://www.sausalitowoodenboattour.com/
- loved afternoon tea at http://www.lovejoystearoom.com/

You've made lots of great choices. Enjoy!

If you want a long walking day, go all the way Ferry Building (Sat farmers mkt) and Embarcadero to Aquatic Park, Fort Mason, Crissy Field, on to Ft Point (under the GG bridge). Or just do the section Crissy Field to Ft Point and visit the historic Ft Point for an interesting perspective, visual and historic, on the city.

My favorite step walks: Moraga in Sunset(beautiful tiles, expansive views from top), Macondray in North Beach for gardens, houses.

For your Mission District day, have you already visited Mission Dolores (and cemetery) and strolled Valencia St (highest concentration of good eating)?

Burma Superstar--allow for a long wait, even at lunch.

Japantown not very scenic but check to see if a festival is going on while you're there, and if you need to recover from all the walking, or want to pamper yourself, visit Kabuki Hot Springs, open to women F, Sun, 1 other day.