Clam chowder, sour dough bread bowls, sea lions, cable cars… This guide to San Francisco isn’t about any of that bullshit. Check another travel blog if you want to contribute to touristy money traps. San Francisco is one of the richest cultural cities in America. Culture tends to come from three places in America, New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Case in point, much of the city still looks like the late 60’s and early 70’s summer of love days. Locals will attest to the true melting pot of culture that the Bay Area offers. People from all over the world will come here to chase the American dream. There’s something incredibly special about that. The Bay Area offers a lot of hope for those who may have lost their way as well as for those who want to seize their future.
Nature
This wouldn’t be a guide to San Francisco if I didn’t talk about it’s rich nature and hiking within the city’s tiny 7×7 sq/mile limits. In fact, it’s one of the only major cities where escaping the concrete jungle into true nature is so accessible.
- Golden Gate Park
- Consuming over 50 city blocks, Golden Gate is one of the largest human forged nature havens in the world. There’s tons of trails, a bison sanctuary, tea garden, the conservatory of flowers, and even museums that live within the center of the park. Sunny days have families and friends lounging on the park’s many grass lawns. During the summer, music festivals alongside other events will turn the park into a hot spot for entertainment.
- Dolores Park
- If you could hop into a time machine back to the late 60’s / early 70’s Dolores park would look awfully similar to how it does today. The crowd varies but you’ll see couples picnicking, friends in their 20’s – 40’s playing music, smoking weed, drinking in the open, and a motley crew of vendors selling everything from coconuts filled with rum to joints, edibles, and psychedelics. If you’re a music festival lover of any kind this will feel like home to you. The Haight district in San Francisco, once home to Grateful Dead, Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin and more, has transformed into a a bit of a consumerist money trap, but Doloroes (Dolo to the locals) remains true to it’s hippie movement roots.
- Lands End
- Lands End, aptly named, sits at the far West end of the city looking out into the vast nothingness of the Pacific ocean. The Land’s End hike can start at the Legion of Honor museum or Ocean Beach. Either way the trails will take you through winding trees, rocks, foliage and Instagram worthy vantage points of the coast all the way to Golden Gate Bridge. Along the way, if you cut through a beautiful residential neighborhood, you can stop at Baker Beach. Fun fact: Baker Beach is where the first Burning Man took place. You won’t be disappointed with the massive cliffs, epic Ocean + Golden Gate views and dramatic sunsets.
- Mount Sutro
- In need of a melancholy break from all of the bright colored Victorians and tye dye? Trying to relive your favorite moments from the Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter? Mount Sutro is one of the most eerie yet beautiful places in the city on a foggy day. Thick groupings of Eucalyptus and Redwoods block out most of the sun. The rolling fog, which SF is known for, will be particularly thick here. Depending on what time of day that you go the air gets pretty crisp and chilly, but can warm up just as quickly, so make sure you pack layers! This hike is perfect if you’re trying to go home for a cup of tea afterwards.
Food
- Mozzeria (Mission District)
- Gourmet pizza cooked in house is always a treat. Although, don’t expect to have a lengthy conversation with anyone who works there, that is, unless you know ASL. The entire restaurant is staffed by deaf and hard of hearing employees. As someone who knows a bit of ASL, it’s always a treat to be able to practice my sign language with whoever takes my order. I would recommend learning the ASL alphabet if you’re feeling up to the challenge. The deaf community is incredibly friendly and patient when people are putting in effort to communicate. Otherwise, pointing, gesturing, and writing is going to be the process for ordering. Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious and honestly the best pizza I’ve had in the city.
- Mensho Tokyo (Tenderloin)
- San Francisco has way too many options for ramen. My favorite, Mensho Tokyo, sits in the infamous Tenderloin neighborhood, and is guaranteed to have a decently long line every night before they open. They don’t take reservations and their dining area only has two tables that sits maybe 16 people total. Their crunchy mushroom appetizer and Japanese beers are worth splurging on alongside whichever ramen dish you order. Their vegan ramen is amazing but I love to add rare duck to mine. This is my favorite meal in San Francisco hands down.
- DAEHO KOREAN BBQ (Japantown)
- When I first went to Daeho, I asked for recommendations, and the response was essentially to look around at the one dish everyone had at their table. Their braised beef rib is expensive but literally the reason everyone dines here. I’ve never tasted meat so tender, filled with flavor and surrounded by vegetables and mushrooms that tasted just as spectacular. This is truly a next level dining experience that is well worth splurging on.
- Cybelle’s Frontroom (Sunset District)
- When the owner’s daughter could no longer eat meat, this pizzeria started to heavily invest into their vegan / vegetarian offerings. Even going as far as to include vegan wine. Apparently most wine is filtered with animal intestines and they source their wine from wineries that use alternative cruelty free filtration. Who would have thought? Their signature dish, in my opinion, is their vegan buffalo chicken mac and cheese. This was really the first time I had been truly blown away by vegan food. I’m not vegan but I’ll gladly enjoy / crave a vegan dish if it’s that good.
As I continue to explore the Bay area I’ll be contributing continually adding more content to this page. If I’ve missed anything or you think something should be an essential on a guide to San Francisco, feel free to let me know in the comments. As always, I try to put the best content I can from each city but nothing beats simply putting your phone in your pocket and talking to a stranger. You’ll find places and activities you couldn’t have imagined in your wildest dreams.