OT: San Francisco tour suggestions

[Silencio]

[quote Buzz]eat at the corner of Geary & Van Ness.
Home of the great big beautiful

































sandwiches.

I haven't eaten there in ages, but it's worth a lookup if you're into hofbrau type fare. And I assume you're talking about Tommy's Joynt and not Mel's Diner, which fairly recently added a branch to the intersection.

And I do agree that Alcatraz is well worth the visit. Any excuse to get out on the Bay is a good one, the history of the island and the facility is of course fascinating, and there's even some beautiful wildflowers to be seen on the Rock.

I think one can have a very good waterfront experience while avoiding the Wharf. Try any combination of the Ferry Building, Aquatic Park, Fort Mason, and Crissy Field.

And not to be controversial, but I suggest completely ignoring any homeless people who come up to you to panhandle. If you engage them in any way, they might not leave you alone.

[Don Kiyoti]

Cassie,

Can you still walk around under the bridge? I did that when I was there in '83. I encountered a pelican who'd run into a cable and was just laying there. After awhile he got up and seemed ok. There was a bunch of bridge maintenence stuff piled there. This was on the Marin side.

[davester]

The Ferry Building scene is best on the weekends. They have a great farmer's market there on saturday and sunday morning. Great eats, people watching, etc.

[cassie]

I agree with what vision63 said about "jaded".

Lots of Bay Area residents haven't been to many of the land marks and sites for a long time. And in many cases, they may never have been. And that goes for some in my family. Those in that category generally do not keep up with all the changes and, in most cases, improvements. Therefore, they may pooh-pooh a new visitor's exuberant choices.

I guess we may all be guilty of taking our own for granted at times

[cassie]

Well, you can drive down to Old Fort Point on the SFO side and park. There is fence and guard to make sure you can't get past the old building to walk directly under bridge.

However, believe it or not, there are brave souls climbing out over the rocks so they can surf along side the seawall.

This area is also a favorite of runners and walkers with and without pets. Near the fenced entrance, there is plaque with hand prints at the top and paw prints at the bottom for them to touch as they start their return leg.

Beneath the Marin County side of the bridge is the old Lime Point Light House. I don't know if you can drive down to it. I've only seen state owned vehicles in that area. As you walk across the bridge, you will be able to see directly down on it. I think you can hike down there along the old service road or come from the ocean side but is very steep and dangerous.

[Seacrest]

Well, I am posting from under the bridge as we speak.

# # #

Whatever you do, do not rent those bikes at FW and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge on the weekends. Damn tourists clog up the pathways something awful. Oh, wait.

[Seacrest]

Did anybody mention Wine Country?
Most of my visitors enjoy that trip the most.

[cassie]

Forgot to mention that the POWELL-HYDE line crosses LOMBARD STREET where you can look up the street in which the roadway has eight sharp switchbacks. This part of LOMBARD is known as the "crookedest street" in America.

Several movies have included chase scenes shot here. You can get off and on here after watching car after car navigate the turns. (This is where a MUNI PASS helps. You don't have to pay again.) You can even use the sidewalk to go up and down it yourself.

There's gotta be over 1000 restaurants in the area and it seems like most are good...especially in non touristy areas. But, everyone likes to try out the Fisherman's Wharf area and there are two good seafood restaurants in the vicinity: SCOMA'S http://www.scomas.com/reviews.htm and ALIOTOS http://www.aliotos.com/

One off beat tour operator that's fun is Bay Quakers San Francisco Duck Tours http://www.bayquackers.com/. You'll cruise the city in modernized yellow WWII DUCKS. You can hear the tour coming 'cause everyone on board is issued a duck call. I don't know who laughs more, the tour group or the pedestrians they pass!

BTW Seacrest:

The few times we rode our bikes across bridge, we stayed on the ocean side which is just for bikers. The bay side can be used by walkers and bikes. It can be scary because pedestrians may unknowing step back away from the rail into the path of a biker. Other times some walkers won't give way, while some bikers think they own the walkway and don't ride defensively.

A trip to the Sanoma and/or Napa areas would be great. Napa Valley even has a train you can take thru the area while getting liquored up. But, I think a whole day should be set aside for any wine tasting trip in order to get the whole treatment.

[fmgtech]

I can remember being in San Francisco back in the late 70's and driving around on the Marin side. I don't really remember exact directions but we woundup driving through some one-way tunnel and winding up above the bay where there were some large gun bunkers and military type barracks. Supposedly they were to defend against a Japanese attack. It was very interesting and somewhat surreal.

[cassie]

I'm glad fmgtech mentioned that.

My dad is a great one for telling stories of his childhood from the early 1950's. My grandparents had a home in Berkeley and my grandmother lived there while my grandfather served in WWII and Korea. There my dad first started school and continued until they went to live in post-war Japan. They returned in 1954.

One of my dad's fondest memories was how all the boys would talk about the rumors that there were secret guns hidden in the hills around the Golden Gate Bridge and that if anyone dared attack us, that the hills would open up and all the guns would pop out in surprise and destroy them.

There are lots of old abandoned military sites around the Golden Gate Bridge. Most are located on the Marin side of the bridge.

The first bases started going in around the time of the Gold Rush era. It was thought that some foreign government or pirates would try to take over San Francisco and all the loot.

Then came the Civil War. Much of what got started in the early 1850's began to gel just in time for the Union. Now defenses were strengthened for fear that the Confederates would attack San Francisco.

Over the years, military defenses continued to build up until around 1943. Soon; thereafter, it was determined that the Japanese would not be a threat. So, conventional building ended and the abandonment of "old" style emplacements began.

The 1950's brought radar, guided missiles and who knows what. Much of which is all gone now.

Most of the area has been turned over for civilian use and the Park Service.

My dad has taken us, while on picnics, to almost all the sites over the years. It's fun to see the things he had told us about when he was a kid. The disappearing gun emplacements, the pill boxes, the gigantic concrete defenses structures built into the side of hills, the old civil war fort, blimp buildings...really very interesting when you heard my dad talk about them...even to us girls. Walking around them, one can't help but imagine what it was like then.

Today, you can still drive around the area and there is parking and overlooks everywhere. You can get magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean and awe inspiring sunsets. From some of the highest points, you can get picture perfect views of the Golden Gate and San Francisco...especially after seeing the sunset over the ocean. The lights from the city and bridge mingle with the last vestiges of twilight to give a most beautiful ethereal setting that is beyond my ability to describe.

You can't get this with a tour bus. Renting a car is best. It's is really easy to get around and something you will never forget.