Exploring San Francisco, CA
Note: This post has been updated on April 8, 2024.
Time needed in this town/city: A weekend (2-3 nights)
Over the last decade, I've traveled to San Francisco quite a bit for work, and it's never gotten old. I've been fortunate enough to see a lot, do a lot, and eat/drink at a lot of places many wouldn't know of unless they had enough time to explore. However, a lot has changed and sadly, for the worst. My initial post on this city has been heavily edited to include what is left of the restaurants I love and what hotels are the safest to stay at. Regardless, while exercising caution, it can still be a great place to visit for a weekend.
The below information is a complete guide of the best places to stay, the top rated places to dine and drink, and all there is to see and do. We’ve also included transportation tips, as well as a summary of the history of this coastal city.
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Where to Stay (and not to)
Where not to stay
If you are contemplating anywhere in the Tenderloin, in China Town, or along Market Street, don’t. All three of these areas have increasingly become unsafe with no real hotel security in place. This includes hotels like Hotel G, The Orchard Hotel, and Sir Francis Drake - all of which are popular with tourists, as well as business travelers.
Where to Stay
My Top Picks
Argonaut - Right on the far end of the Embarcadero (just two blocks from Ghirardelli Square), the Argonaut gives heavy nod to its nautical theme. The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and upscale. It’s a great location to be in if you want to be away from some of the hustle and bustle of the city WITH water views!
The Stanford Court Hotel - The rooms are comfortable, the customer service is fantastic, the breakfast bar has a ton of options, and the gym is absolutely incredible (think freshly pumped oxygen, purified water in reusable water bottles, fresh fruit, and a ton of state-of-the-art equipment). The one thing they don't provide is room service, but with Postmates, Uber Eats, and Seamless available, I always end up ordering from one of those anyway (check out my go-to list in "Where to Order In", above). The hotel is also in a great location to walk just about anywhere.
Other Recommendations
Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square (ask the front desk about viewing the penthouse)
Orchard Garden Hotel (different from The Orchard Hotel)
Where to Dine & Drink
Atelier Crenn
A three Michelin-starred and one green Michelin-starred restaurant serving refined dishes using sustainable, seasonal ingredients, global wines.
Benu
Minimalist SoMa spot featuring innovative, ultra-pricey American cuisine and renowned tasting menu.
Birdsong
Cozy, upscale stop with a chef's tasting menu highlights Pacific Northwest & wood-fire cooking.
Bix
Supper club with a swanky 1930s ambiance, live jazz & a dining room serving American-French cuisine. This is one of my favorite all-immersive restaurants to dine at!
Bourbon & Branch (Speakeasy)
An actual speakeasy exists in the Tenderloin district that operated illegally at this location from, 1921 to 1933 (from 1921-1923 their address was listed in the San Francisco Telephone Directory as "The Ipswitch - A Beverage Parlor").
In 1923, John J. Russell purchased the business as a "going concern" with it's solid base of customers. With his connections to the most notorious bootleggers from Vancouver, BC., he operated his bar under the guise of "JJ Russell's Cigar Shop". The speakeasy managed to avoid the attention of the government’s Prohibition Agents for the remainder of prohibition. History was on JJ Russell's side, as it has been documented that a bar has operated at this Jones Street location since 1867.
How “Speakeasy” Became a Word
The term comes from a patron's manner of ordering alcohol without raising suspicion - a bartender would tell a patron to be quiet and 'speak easy'. Today, there is still a set of house rules:"
“-Please Speak-Easy -No Cell Phone Use -No Standing At the Bar -Don’t Even Think of Asking For A “Cosmo” -Smokers, Use Back Door -No Photography -Please Be Patient, Our Drinks Are Labor Intensive -Please Exit Bourbon & Branch Quietly”
Today, there are three separate rooms in which to enjoy the 1920s speakeasy atmosphere. The main room requires a reservation, but includes a table for seating and the full cocktail menu. If passing by Bourbon & Branch without a reservation, one would need to access “The Library”, which is standing room only and offers only a portion of the full menu. To access the library, one must supply the mandatory password, “books”. Russell’s Room, the original cigar shop front, can also be visited.
Bourbon & Branch is known for its stock of premium liquors, many of which are rare and made in very limited batches. All of the juices, purees, and extracts used in the cocktails are handmade in house. The bar has become famous for its superbly crafted mixed drinks, though it should be said they are priced accordingly.
FUN FACT: The five secret underground tunnels, once used by frequenters for a quick and safe exit, still exist. The tunnels lead to Geary Street, Jones Street, two to O’Farrell Street, and one to Leavenworth Street, called “The Ladies Exit”. In addition to the concealed exits was a brass bell warning system installed in the bar that was connected to the cigar shop upstairs, in case of an emergency.
Cafe de Casa
Tiny, unassuming coffee shop offering sweet and savory Brazilian pastries and lunch plates. They have amazing gluten-free crepes!
Californios
Mexican restaurant for inventive tasting menus & small-batch wines served in a cozy, luxe interior.
Cotogna
Popular eatery serving spit-roasted and grilled meat & fish, wood-fired pizza and house-made pasta.
Crown & Crumpet
According to Atlas Obscura, “This Pop-Victorian gem is like Hello Kitty in Wonderland, hallucinating through the eyes of Barbie. If that’s not clear enough a description, this marvel is not too far from a Beatrix Potter-inspired shabby chic carnival explosion. A Care Bears-colored looking glass, the dazzling prevalence of polka dots, precious boutique relics and British ephemera give way to multi-tiered trays of finger sandwiches, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, and confections worthy of a duchess’s palate.”
The tea menu is extensive, featuring tantalizing and exotic brews with names such as “Blue Eyes,” “Star of Africa,” “Crownberry,” “Queen of Hearts,” “Paris,” “Jasmine Fancy,” “Happiness Is,” and “Marie Antoinette.”
DROP BOX
Yes, this is the headquarters to an international company, but also houses 5-star cuisine from a Michelin chef. As an employee, you can get these meals whenever you want - it’s included. There’s a coffee roaster, an ice cream station and so many other goodies, it’s no wonder why people don’t leave the building! NOTE: You must know an employee to gain access.
Frances
Compact restaurant with hard-to-get tables serving short menu of market-driven Californian cuisine.
House of Prime Rib
Old-school, English-style restaurant serving acclaimed prime rib & martinis since the 1940s.
Kiln
Offering one tasting menu, nightly. It will not accommodate for allergies.
Kitava
I order their mix and match bowls every time I come to the city. They have super tasty, healthy options, all of which are gluten-free! TIP: You can order through the Seamless delivery app.
Kokkari Estiatorio
Greek taverna-inspired cuisine served in a candlelit, wood-beamed dining room that attracts a chic crowd.
Lazy Bear
The revered pop-up gets a permanent setting with this midcentury space serving New American cuisine.
Lemonade
Another fantastic place to order from, for healthy, gluten-free options. I recommend the over-sized macarons, the mango chicken bowl, and the sugar-free ginger peach lemonade. TIP: You can order them through Postmates,
Pagan Idol (Bar)
Island-inspired cocktails poured in playful quarters outfitted with tiki huts & an erupting volcano.
Quince
A three Michelin-starred and one green Michelin-starred upscale destination, delivering seasonal, locally sourced cuisine & wines.
Roka Akor
Upscale Japanese restaurant & bar supplying steak, seafood & sushi in a contemporary setting.
Sodini’s
Hefty portions of Italian basics served up in a throwback space filled with Sinatra memorabilia.
Sons & Daughters
Cozy spot with open kitchen serving a seasonal tasting menu sourced from local gardens, plus wines.
Thai Spice Restaurant
Every time I’m in San Francisco, I order this directly to my hotel. Their Pad Thai is fantastic! TIP: You can order through the Seamless delivery app.
THE BATTERY
This members-only club includes some of the most well-known tech investors and CEOs in Silicon Valley. Some of the largest deals in the industry have been made there, which means there's a buzz in the air that's both thrilling and inspiring.
If you have access to it, make sure to go for happy hour and/or dinner any night of the week. I've done both, as well as held a private three-course dinner with wine pairing, there. All food and service is phenomenal.
The Morris
Cool, relaxed neighborhood staple offering inventive New American dishes & an extensive wine list.
The Richmond
Refined American eatery & wine bar offering up a limited, seasonal menu of Californian cuisine.
Top of the Mark
Iconic high-end cocktail bar on top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel, with 360-degree views of the city. It’s one of my favorite bars in the city!
Wayfare Tavern
Popular upscale eatery serving Tyler Florence's American fare in a British pub-style setting.
Things to See & Do
Day Trips
DRIVE OVER THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
The idea of a fixed link, between San Francisco and Marin, had gained increasing popularity during the late 19th century, but it was not until the early 20th century that such a link became feasible (ferries were in continual use during those times). Joseph Strauss served as chief engineer for the project, with Leon Moisseiff, Irving Morrow, and Charles Ellis making significant contributions to its design. The bridge opened to the public in 1937 and has undergone various retrofits and other improvement projects in the decades since.
Nothing beats the view of the Golden Gate Bridge on a sunny day! Head to CAVALLO POINT for a meal and/or drinks, drive to Sausalito, or drive through the mountains for some fresh air. Regardless, this is one of the best, most iconic drives you can take.
TAKE THE FERRY TO SAUSALITO
Sausalito developed rapidly as a shipbuilding center in World War II, with its industrial character giving way, in postwar years, to a reputation as a wealthy and artistic enclave, a picturesque residential community (incorporating large numbers of houseboats), and a tourist destination. The city is adjacent to, and largely bounded by, the protected spaces of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, as well as the San Francisco Bay. It has the feel of a sleepy seaside town.
Taking the Ferry
The ferry ride, alone, is a lot of fun as it takes you past the Golden Gate Bridge, the Oakland Bridge (off in the distance), and right by Alcatraz.
NOTE: All times of year it will be breezy with a slight chill. Make sure to bring a jacket or light sweater in the summer if you want to sit outside for the best views. If inside, the cabin is heated.
Recommendations
Below are my three recommendations for the best places to have a bite, a glass of wine and/or coffee
Barrel House Tavern - This is a MUST TRY! The specialty cocktails and the food are amazing. If possible, book a reservation early and request outdoor seating. The view of the bay is beautiful on a clear day!
Cibo - They have GREAT coffee, and a beautiful outdoor patio.
Poggio Trattoria - I stopped by for a glass of wine at the bar, which is recommended if you need a break from walking :)
TIP: Once you've landed on the other side, everything is very walkable (so wear comfortable shoes).
Historical Exploration
450 Sutter Street
Completed in 1929, this 24-story medical and dentist office also serves as an architectural and historical wonder.
Pull open the enormous bronze and glass doors and you will be greeted by crested ceilings lined with carved and cast bronze panels, depicting Mayan characters and designs. The form of the ceiling, itself, mirrors the corbelled vaulting the Mayan people used. At the apex of the ceiling, those designs are lined in red, a reference to the Mayan ritual of blood sacrifice.
The massive elevator doors are clad in more Mayan designs, this time, in a darker bronze, and flanked by walls of Grande Melange marble, elaborate cornices and intricately detailed bronze frieze. But that’s not all - the Art Deco ceiling fixtures and a stained glass window above the main doors serve as additional “centerpieces” to the design.
There is one section of the ceiling that has a very distinct difference in color. After smoking in buildings was banned, the entire lobby was scrubbed. However, the owners chose to leave the evidence of decades of tar as a dingy reminder to all who notice.
Today, in addition to its offices, it also has a deli, a bank, a gym, and conference facilities. It is open 24/7 and has friendly and informative security guards on duty, happy to relay some of the finer points of the architecture and more interesting pieces of its history.
1852 South Beach Shoreline
What was once a quiet settlement of a few dozen people exploded into teeming masses of greedy fortune hunters and even more insatiable profiteers. To accommodate the influx of people, shanty towns were quickly erected. Construction couldn’t keep up with the massive arrivals, and long piers where constructed to service the ever-increasing shipping traffic. Many of these jetties would become the streets that make up the city’s financial sector today.
For many of the newcomers to California, there wasn’t much of a choice but to live close to the city, which meant that a large percentage of the population lived where they worked. City officials soon realized that it might be more expedient to fill in the bay than to expand in other directions. So they piled in whatever they could get their hands on, including remnants of dilapidated and burnt out buildings, abandoned ships, and sections of the adjacent Telegraph Hill that were removed by dynamite.
A marker now marks where the shoreline used to be.
HOW TO FIND: The marker is located on the street opposite from the Oracle Park Stadium, and one block east.
Alcatraz Island
Developed in the mid-19th century, the island had military facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison. In 1934, the island was converted into a federal prison, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. The strong currents around the island and cold water temperatures made escape nearly impossible, and the prison became one of the most notorious in American history. On August 11th of that year, the first 137 inmates arrived.
Over the next 29 years, the prison would house Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz"), George "Machine Gun" Kelly, and Bumpy Johnson. It also housed political terrorists, such as Rafael Cancel Miranda, a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, who attacked the United States Capitol building in 1954. Also during that time, a total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, two men trying twice. 23 were caught alive, six were shot and killed during their escape, two drowned, and five are listed as "missing and presumed drowned”. In 1962, John Paul Scott made it to the shore. However, he was so weary that police found him unconscious and in hypothermic shock.
The prison closed in 1963, due to salt water erosion and sheer cost per prisoner. While the government was trying to figure out what to do with the property, six years later, in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of Native Americans who were part of a wave of Native American activists organizing public protests across the U.S., through the 1970s.
In 1972, Alcatraz was transferred to the Department of Interior to become part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
HOW TO GET THERE: Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33, located between the San Francisco Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf. Hornblower Cruises, operating under the name, “Alcatraz Cruises”, is the official ferry provider to and from the island.
TIP: Book well in advance. I’ve been to San Francisco over a dozen times and have never been able to secure a ticket.
Cistern Circles
The earthquake of 1906 spurred a massive fire that burned some 25,000 buildings and damaged many more. A lot of this had to do with malfunctioning fire hydrants. To ensure something like this would never happen again, in 1908 they began building (what is now) 175 underground cisterns that hold over 11 million gallons of water. They are still there today.
Doggie Diner
From 1948 to 1986, residents of the San Francisco Bay Area had their pick of Doggie Diners from which they could grab a quick, greasy bite. At the peak of the chain’s popularity, there were more than 20 locations operating throughout the area, all unified by the presence of a towering, smirking, bow-tied, button-nosed host out front: a giant statue of a dachshund’s head atop a 10-foot pole.
After the chain closed down, all of the doggie heads disappeared behind private ownership, with only one being “rescued”. After receiving a refurbishment, it installed at the intersection of Sloat Boulevard and 45th Avenue in 2001, and was declared a city landmark in 2005.
Ghirardelli square
In 1893, Domenico Ghirardelli purchased an entire city block for the future headquarters of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. In the early 1960s, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was bought by the Golden Grain Macaroni Company, which moved the headquarters off-site to San Leandro and put the square up for sale.
San Franciscan William M. Roth and his mother, Lurline Matson Roth, bought the land in 1962 to prevent the square from being replaced with an apartment building. The Roths hired landscape architect, Lawrence Halprin, and the firm, Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons, to convert the square and its historic brick structures to an integrated restaurant and retail complex - the first major adaptive re-use project in the United States. It opened in 1964.
In 1965, Benjamin Thompson and Associates renovated the lower floor of the Clock Tower, keeping the existing architectural elements, for a Design Research store. The lower floors of the Clock Tower are now home to Ghirardelli Square's main chocolate shop.
In 1981, Ghirardelli Square was bought by a partnership of Capital & Counties USA and Northwestern Mutual Life.
In order to preserve Ghirardelli Square for future generations, the Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli Company was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
In 2008, part of the former clock tower building opened as Fairmont Heritage Place hotel. The hotel includes 53 residence-style rooms, spanning four floors, and offers fractional ownership opportunities for all 53 of its hotel rooms. It is one of the few 5-star hotels in the Fisherman's Wharf area.
In 2013, Ghirardelli Square was purchased by Atlanta, GA, based Jamestown L.P.
To this day, Ghirardelli square is a great place to dine and shop while taking in the history. It’s especially beautiful at Christmastime!
Heineman Building
Originally a necktie, belt, and suspender factory commissioned by HM Heineman, the tall and thin structure was built in 1910 by architect GA Applegath and was one of the first buildings in the area after the devastating 1906 earthquake. Applegath knew he was working with something barely the width of a house lot—only some 20 feet wide (and 80 feet long)—but he went 10 stories high nonetheless.
Lotta’s Fountain
In the 1875, Lotta’s Fountain was given to the city by Vaudeville performer, Lotta Crabtree. Lotta loved the city and had gotten her start there, during the Gold Rush days, when she would dance on barrels in saloons for miners who would throw gold nuggets at her feet. Using some of the gold coin, gold nuggets, and gold watches that gentlemen bestowed upon her, Lotta bought the city a fountain.
After the 1906 earthquake, Lotta’s Fountain served as a meeting place for people to be reunited with their loved ones. Every year at 5:12 a.m., on April 18th, a couple of hundred people, including the remaining survivors of the earthquake, meet in a ceremony of remembrance.
Ruth Asawa’s San Francisco Fountain
After two years of work, world-renowned San Francisco sculptor, Ruth Asawa, finished this intricately detailed monument to San Francisco in 1972, featuring whimsical bas-relief scenes of the city. The large circular fountain is comprised of 41 individual bronze panels overflowing with San Francisco landmarks—all arranged relative to their location to Union Square—along with fantastical fictional characters. The fountain was originally commissioned by the Grand Hyatt on Union Square.
The Box SF-Historic Pressroom and Mercantile
The Box SF is a recreation of a historic 1850’s mercantile, specializing in all things printed in San Francisco, California. With over 15 million individual pieces for sale, The Box SF is perhaps the most extensive ephemera, antiquarian paper, and vintage advertising store in the United States.
Located in the heart of the South of Market district, the space that houses the store was once home to the San Francisco Examiner during the 1920s. Upon entering (you must ring the doorbell) visitors are greeted with brightly colored games, toys, posters, packaging, books, and antique advertising.
The Pressroom contains printing presses that date to the 1830s, all restored to working order. Each day, the store exhibits, sells, and educates its clients on the remarkable and varied types of printing from the past.
Unlike a museum, you can see, touch, and examine everything inside, and everything is priced to sell. Visitors will find rare printed items, such as magazines, poster stamps, labels, books, packaging, games, toys, posters, and original prints from the 1700s.
Tobin House
Designed in 1915 by prominent architect, Willis Polk, in Tudor Gothic Revival style, the house was next to the original site of Michael de Young’s estate. De Young designed the two houses to be mirror images of each other, and the side of the house features a large archway that was meant to be complemented, and completed, by the neighboring house.
However, while Constance was happy to live in the house, another daughter, Helen de Young, had other plans, thus, the second half of the mirror image house was never built, leaving the archway ending abruptly where it meets the next building.
Walt Disney Family Museum
Claimed by the United States government in 1846, the Presidio of San Francisco operated as an active Army base and the Pacific Coast’s strongest coastal defense until 1994. As a California Historical Landmark since 1933 and National Historic Landmark since 1962, the Presidio now serves as a national park.
Constructed in 1897, Barracks 104—as it was previously called—was part of a row of massive, brick Army barracks on Montgomery Street that were built to house soldiers. Long before the museum moved in, the building had been stripped of all of its historic interior walls, ceilings, and finishes by the Army.
Located in the building at 122 Riley Avenue, the Diane Disney Miller Exhibition Hall has housed all of the museum’s rotating, major exhibitions since November 2012. It was dedicated and renamed in March 2014 in memory of the museum’s founder and Walt Disney’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller.
FOR TICKETS: Click here.
Western Terminus of the Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first coast-to-coast highway established in the United States. Founded in 1912, the Lincoln Highway Association was part of the early “Good Roads” movement to improve automobile roads in the United States. Starting in Times Square in New York, the highway traveled over 3,000 miles, ending in San Francisco’s Lincoln Park.
Along the highway, concrete markers were placed with a bronze medallion of Abraham Lincoln, and the symbol of the highway with stripes of red on the top, blue on the bottom, and a large L in the middle. This symbol was also painted on telephone poles, signs, and buildings along the highway.
HOW TO GET THERE: It is right across from the entrance to the Legion of Honor, behind the Bus Shelter.
The Arts & Sciences
audium
From the late 1950s - mid-60s, experiments with spatial ideas, interacting with light and sound projections, began to take place. From 1962 to 1964, limited time exhibitions were done, in partnership with San Francisco State College and San Francisco Museum of Art, In 1967, The Audium got its own place.
The Audium-Theatre of Sound-Sculptured Space consists of a foyer, main performance space, and what the owners call a “sound labyrinth” - a building inside of a building, built specifically for this kind of art.
The show is performed once every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Up to 49 listeners sit in concentric circles in the theatre and are enveloped by speakers built inside of sloping walls, a floating floor, and a suspended ceiling. Compositions are performed live by a conductor who directs the sounds through a custom-designed console. The conductor uses any combination of the 176 speakers, sculpting the sound through direction, speed, movement, and intensity.
The lights are brought down during the performance, to the point where all you can see are small lit arrows on the floor to guide you to an exit in case you need it. There is a short intermission where the lights are brought back up, but that’s it.
Book Club of California
In 1912, a poet, a book collector, a printer, and a book store owner got together and proposed to include an exhibition on fine printing for the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition. However, they were told that their pitch would be better coming from a bonafide organization. Thus, the Book Club was born.
The Club devoted itself to championing California-based printing and writing and later, the West in general. As the organization grew, they established a “clubhouse” in San Francisco - something that felt like an explorer’s club of sorts.
Today, over 120 years after its founding, the Book Club has published over 200 fine books, amassed a collection of rare books related to printing, the history of the book, and literature and history of the West, and continues to host public programs and exhibitions.
WHERE TO FIND: The clubhouse is nestled in the heart of Union Square, and is free and open to the public during office hours.
Gregangelo Museum
Want to go to Burning Man but not spend a week dusty and tired? Located in a 1920s Spanish-style home, on the south side of Balboa Terrace, this museum is part museum and part immersive art experience. The home’s opulently designed art rooms are the backdrop for your guided tour, which promises to be creative, psychedelic, and even soul searching. The home belongs to and was created by Gregangelo Herrera, a San Francisco native and the founder of a performing and circus arts company called, “Velocity Circus”.
The museum consists of 27 themed rooms, or “portals,” which transport visitors to different eras and parts of the world. Your guide through this labyrinth of visually outrageous rooms will often be a member of the troupe, from magicians to acrobatic dancers.
Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze
This maze is contained in a nondescript building on San Francisco’s Pier 39. It’s a disorienting dungeon of columns and mirrors, lit by blacklight and flashing neon, with rave music pumping through the speakers. Once you’ve managed to make it through, it will be recommended you do it again, but backwards.
Palace of Fine Arts
Originally built for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition, to exhibit works of art, the Palace of Fine Arts was constructed from concrete and steel. It was said to be fireproof.
According to a metal plate at the rotunda, it was rebuilt under B.F. Modglin, local manager of MacDonald & Kahn, between 1964 and 1967. In the years 1973 and 1974, the columnized pylons were added. It is the only structure from the exposition that survives on site.
The most prominent building of the complex, a 162-foot-high open rotunda, is enclosed by a lagoon on one side and adjoins a large, curved exhibition center on the other side, separated from the lagoon by colonnades. As of 2019, the exhibition center (one of San Francisco's largest single-story buildings) is used as a venue for events, such as weddings or trade fairs.
Conceived to evoke a decaying ruin of ancient Rome, the Palace of Fine Arts became one of San Francisco's most recognizable landmarks.
Peephole Cinema
Hidden down an alley, in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District, lies a literal hole in the wall theater. Peeking inside the small peephole reveals a cinema that plays a endless stream of short, silent film vignettes.
HOW TO FIND: There is a small sign with an eye on it that dangles down from a red wall. Beneath it, you’ll find the peephole accompanied by a small list of the films being shown. There aren’t any other signposts, so most people stumble across the peephole by chance or find it, via word of mouth.
FUN FACT: This is not the only one! There are peepholes in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and at SFO.
Secret Tiled Staircase
A colorful staircase with 163 mosaic tile steps is hidden in the quiet Sunset district of San Francisco. Those who find the staircase will be rewarded with sweeping views of the city, and a beautiful garden design, including succulents and native habitat plants for the Green Hairstreak butterfly (an important waypoint for them).
The project began in 2003 and was completed in 2005, with the help of artists and many neighborhood volunteers, and was inspired by the Selarón staircase in Rio de Janeiro.
The Wave Organ
Built in 1986, The Wave Organ is acoustic sculpture that amplifies the sounds of the waves in the bay. It’s located on a jetty, on the bay,
The organ’s jetty was constructed with carved granite and marble from a demolished cemetery. You can even find irregular terraced seating and even a trash can holder. The instrument, itself, is comprised of more than 20 PVC and concrete pipes that extend down into the water at various elevations. The sound is created by waves crashing against the ends of these pipes. When the waves roll in, the pipes resound with “music”.
Similar to the sound heard in a conch shell, a specific volume of air resonating at a specific frequency creates the sound. However, the columns of air, within the pipes, constantly change as the water moves in and out, and as the length and volume of the air column in each pipe changes, the pitch of the sound it produces also varies. The larger the volume of air, the lower the sound, etc.
Fisherman are often at the organ in the morning, but people are welcome to visit it at any time!
Tour Groups
Unique Experiences
Columbarium
Built in 1897 by Bernard J.S. Cahill, and reflecting the Neo-Classical architectural style then predominant in San Francisco, along with a separate crematorium building, The Columbarium was originally part of the 167-acre Odd Fellows Cemetery.
It survived a 1901 law that banned further burials within the city limits, but almost did not make it through the development plans of the next few decades. As real estate prices soared in the 1930s, the city mandated all cemetery graves be moved south to Colma, now nicknamed “The City of the Dead.” The Odd Fellows Cemetery that surrounded the Columbarium building was exhumed and moved, leaving only a small piece of property, awkwardly wedged into a residential community.
From 1934 to 1979, the beautiful building lay abandoned and was looted and vandalized repeatedly, and also infested with numerous wildlife. There were rumors that it was home to bootleggers during Prohibition. For the last 30 years (and counting), the Neptune Society’s, Emmitt Watson, the current caretaker and historian, has worked mostly alone to restore the decaying Columbarium to its former glory. This includes two artfully raised balconies that encircle the building’s light-filled central atrium, which is capped with a beautiful stained glass ceiling dome. Designed as part of the building’s four stories of passageways, the decorated niches for San Francisco citizens of the past tell the city’s history dating back to the 1890s, including the 1906 earthquake (which the building survived), as well as Harvey Milk’s assassination, and those that succumbed to the AIDS epidemic.
Dangling Legs at The Piedmont Boutique
Better than a sign, these dangling legs adorn the Piedmont Boutique’s second story window. The boutique, itself, sells outlandish fashions, featuring sequins, faux fur and feathers for the dance floor or the drag bar.
Chamber of Secrets Door
While you can’t go through it, the door is certainly worth a visit! Sculptor and avid Harry Potter fan, Steve Pinetti, created this door for all to enjoy.
HOW TO GET THERE: It’s on 2645 Leavenworth Street.
Encryption Lava Lamps
Cloudflare has done something cool that all are able to participate in. The company covers about 10% of international web traffic, and they use this colorful wall of 100 lava lamps to generate the random code (using their random patterns) needed to protect the internet from hackers.
How does it work? As the lava lamps bubble and swirl, a video camera on the ceiling monitors their unpredictable changes and connects the footage to a computer, which converts the randomness into a virtually unhackable code - something machines, alone, can’t do.
While you may think it’s odd that any human can go see this wall, Cloudflare wants the external disturbances like human movement, static, and changes in lighting from the adjacent windows to make the random code even harder to predict. So, by standing in front of the lava lamp display, you add an additional variable to the code, making it even harder to hack.
HOW TO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF: Enter the lobby of Cloudflare’s San Francisco headquarters and ask to see the lava lamp display.
Free Gold Watch
Tucked unassumingly on residential Waller Street (one block away from the bustling Upper Haight), Free Gold Watch is one of the few arcades in San Francisco featuring dozens of machines, with a screen printing shop in the back. It’s a widely popular arcade and the largest in San Francisco.
TIP: Turn into the small side room, also known as the “Secret Juju Room”, which contains a rotating selection of historic games on loan from the Pacific Pinball Museum.
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company
Since 1962, San Francisco's legendary Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory has been making custom fortune cookies by hand - nearly 10,000 a day! You can tour the factory, taste different flavored fortune cookies, and even have your own custom ones, made!
Golden Gate Park Lawn Bowling Club
San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club is the oldest municipal lawn bowls club in the country, founded at the prompting of the Scottish fraternal order, the St. Andrew's Society. With the blessing of two soon-to-be-members, legendary (Scottish) park superintendent John McLaren and "Sunny Jim" Rolf (long-time mayor and CA governor), the first game was bowled in October 1901, and bowls have been rolled ever since, except for a year's interruption after the 1906 earthquake.
Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum
Good Vibrations' founder, Joani Blank, collected antique vibrators for over 20 years, from the late 1800s, up through the 1970s. The electric vibrator had its inception in 1869 with the invention of a steam-powered massager, patented by an American doctor. This device was designed as a medical tool for treating "female disorders." Within 20 years, a British doctor followed up with a more portable battery-operated model and by 1900, dozens of styles of electric vibrators, just like those in the exhibit, were available to the discriminating medical professional (for treating things like “hysteria”.
By the 1950s, vibrators were often housed in hard plastic or vinyl carrying cases, like portable record players of the era, with scientific-looking dials and controls inside. As in the case of the fictional Rejuvenator, these Eisenhower-era vibrators were advertised as “reduction aids,” although it is unlikely that many women objected when they failed to lose weight.
The museum also functions as a store.
Internet Archive Headquarters
With the mission of providing “universal access to all knowledge,” the Internet Archive is one of history’s most ambitious cataloging projects. So far, millions of books, movies, television, music, software, and video games have been collected and digitized by the project, and that’s not counting the billions of websites they’ve been archiving over the past two decades with the Wayback Machine.
The building these are houses in is an old Christian Scientist church in San Francisco’s Richmond district, and was chosen largely because the church’s front resembled the Internet Archive’s logo: the Library of Alexandria’s Greek columns. Inside, you’ll find dozens of employees and volunteers digitizing everything from old home movies, to old LPs, to 8-bit video games.
Inside the church’s main room, with its still-intact pews, there are more than 120 ceramic sculptures of the Internet Archive’s current and former employees, created by artist Nuala Creed and inspired by the statues of the Xian warriors in China. Also found in this room are some clever art projects, such as a “zip line” (a zip disk on a fishing line), by the organization’s artist-in-residence, as well as some of the archive’s massive servers, which also serve as the building’s heaters.
Lincoln park golf course
The park, which overlooks both the city of San Francisco and the ocean, was first established in 1909 and now marks the Western end of the historic Lincoln highway. When the acres of land were annexed as a park, a good portion of the acreage had been used as a burial site during the preceding decades. In addition, a small (three holes in the beginning) golf course had been established by some rogue fans of the sport. As the park land took shape, the golf course was made official, but the cemetery was a problem.
While the rapid expansion of the golf course helped expedite the relocation of the corpses and their headstones, the exodus was incomplete and some of the headstones remain to this day on the golf course, which has expanded to a full 18 holes.
LUCAS FILMS HEADQUARTERS
Home to the Yoda Statue, not many people know you can take the drive up the hill to the front fountain. If you're lucky, try to take a peek through the front doors, to see the life-size Darth Vader! Otherwise, it’s a working studio with no inside tours.
Musee Mecanique
The Musée Mécanique is a for-profit interactive museum of 20th-century penny arcade games and artifacts, located at Fisherman's Wharf. With over 300 mechanical machines, it is one of the world's largest privately owned collections.
The museum's original owner, Ed Zelinsky, began collecting at age 11. His games were exhibited in the 1920s at Playland. In 1972, Playland closed and Musée Mécanique became a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The museum moved into the basement of Cliff House, just a few blocks north, and across the Great Highway from the Playland site. Zelinsky's son, Dan Zelinsky, took a temporary job in the 1970s maintaining the collection.
In 2002, when renovations to the Cliff House had begun, the National Park Service announced plans to relocate the Musée Mécanique temporarily to Fisherman's Wharf. A portion of the $14 million renovation was devoted to moving the museum, with support from the National Park Service, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and museum owner Ed Zelinsky.
I first discovered this time machine of a warehouse in 2007 when I went with some friends. Back then, it was relatively unknown as it had no signage. Now, it's become a super popular attraction. It's the only place I know of where you can play arcade games, dating all the way back to the 1800s, through to today. I've spent hours (and many quarters) there, many times.
Short Story Vending Machine
The “Distributeur d’Histoires Courtes” (Short Story Vending Machine) was invented by publishing startup, Short Edition, and can now be found in around 32 locations. By pushing one of three buttons, you can choose the length of your story—one, three, or five minutes—which will be automatically printed out from the dispenser like a receipt.
A variety of genres are represented, including humor, horror, and fairy tales, and the randomness of what kind of story you may get is part of the fun. Another reason for the popularity of the Short Story Vending Machine is the excitement of reading a story that wasn’t written by a widely published author, but rather, by an average Jane.
The database is filled with thousands of user-submitted shorts sent in by amateur writers looking to share their work with others. These short stories are then posted to the Short Edition app, where the app’s 140,000 users vote on which tales are worthy of being printed from the dispensers.
You can find a Short Story Vending Machine in train stations across France, in the library, airport, and city hall of Grenoble, France (the city in which the dispensers were first tested), and stateside at Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco.
The Golden Fire Hydrant
When San Francisco burst into flames in the days following the disastrous 1906 earthquake, much of the city’s network of fire hydrants failed. However, this hydrant, nicknamed “little giant,” is said to have been the only functioning hydrant and is credited with saving the historic Mission District neighborhood.
Painted with a fresh coat of gold paint each April 18, the fire hydrant above Dolores Park now stands as a testament to the fire department’s valiant efforts to save the city.
Walking Tours
Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond and Sunset districts of San Francisco. It is the largest park in the city, containing 1,017 acres and is the third-most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated 24 million visitors annually.
The creation of a large park in San Francisco was first proposed in the 1860s. In 1865, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted proposed a park designed with species native to San Francisco. The plan was rejected for a Central Park-style park designed by engineer William Hammond Hall. It was built atop sand and shore dunes in an unincorporated area, known as the “Outside Lands”. Construction centered on planting trees and non-native grasses to stabilize the dunes that covered three-quarters of the park. It opened in 1870.
Main attractions include cultural institutions, such as the De Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden; attractions, such as the Conservatory of Flowers, the San Francisco Botanical Garden, the Beach Chalet, the Golden Gate Park windmills, and the National AIDS Memorial Grove. Recreational activities include bicycling, pedal boating, and concerts and events, such as Outside Lands music festival and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.
Golden Gate Park earned the designation of National Historic Landmark and of California Historic Resource in 2004. The park is administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which began in 1871 to oversee the park's development.
The Japanese Tea Garden began as the Japanese Village and Tea Garden at the 1894 World's Fair. It was built by Australian born George Turner Marsh, who hired Japanese craftsmen to construct the site. After the close of the fair, Marsh sold his concession to the city of San Francisco for $4,500. Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant and gardener, was then hired to manage the garden. He personally oversaw the modification of the temporary Japanese Village fair exhibit to the permanent Japanese Tea Garden, and was official caretaker of the garden for most of the time between 1895 and 1925. He imported from Japan many plants, birds, and the now famous koi fish, and he more than tripled the size of the garden.
During WWII, the family was sent to an internment camp. the garden was renamed "The Oriental Tea Garden," and some structures, expressing Japanese sentiment, were demolished, including the Hagiwara home, and the original Shinto Shrine. Japanese tea servers were replaced with Chinese women in their traditional dress. In 1952, the family was reinstated as the caretakers and the original name, restored.
TIP: Go find the Faery Door: It’s around the other side of the garden, then down a little ways. There’s a little trail and on it you’ll find a rather long eucalyptus log, about 16 or 18 feet long, under a yew tree. It’s on the westward end of the log.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Plans for the garden were originally laid out in the 1880s by park supervisor, John McLaren, but funding was insufficient to begin construction until Helene Strybing left a major bequest in 1927. Planting was begun in 1937 and officially opened in May 1940. Formed in 1955, the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society operates the Helen Crocker Russell Library of Horticulture, Garden Bookstore, and monthly plant sales, and offers a wide range of community education programs for children and adults. The Society also raises money for new projects and Garden renovations.
San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers
The Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. With construction having been completed in 1879, it is the oldest building in the park. It was also one of the first municipal conservatories constructed in the United States and is the oldest remaining municipal wooden conservatory in the country. For these distinctions and for its associated historical, architectural, and engineering merits, the Conservatory of Flowers is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Places. It is a California Historical Landmark and a San Francisco Designated Landmark.
VISIT THE FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE
Opening in 1898, the Ferry Building was a transportation focal point for anyone arriving by train. From the Gold Rush until the 1930s, arrival by ferry became the primary way for travelers and commuters to reach the city. Boat passengers passed through an elegant two-story public area with repeating interior arches and overhead skylights. At its peak, as many as 50,000 people a day commuted by ferry.
The openings of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, along with mass use of the automobile, diminished the daily commute by ferry. And by the 1950s, the Ferry Building was used very little. The historic interior of the structure was lost in 1955, when much of the building was converted to standard office space. The double-deck Embarcadero Freeway also cast its shadow over the building for 35 years–until the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake damaged the freeway and it was demolished to make way for today’s Embarcadero.
Today’s Ferry Building is loaded with restaurants, gourmet shops, and other small business vendors, two of which are my personal recommendations:
Blue Bottle Coffee - They have fantastic coffee drinks and a great assortment of gluten-free cookies!
Mariposa Baking Company - My jaw DROPPED when I saw just how many gluten-free bakery items there were! It doesn't matter what you're craving, they have it! I HIGHLY recommend it as a stop!
WALK ALONG The EMBARCADERO
“Wood line”
The trees that cover Presidio were planted in the late 19th century by the U.S. Army. In 2011, Scottish artist, Andy Goldsworthy, made a fairytale-like secret path through its trees.
Called, “Wood Line” , it is a snaking sculptural installation of eucalyptus trunks and branches, following along Lover’s Lane, the oldest footpath in the Presidio.
This installation, presented through the Presidio Trust and FOR-SITE Foundation, follows Goldsworthy’s nearby Spire sculpture from 2008 that stands tall with its salvaged wood, along with the 2013 Tree Fall and 2014 Earth Wall.
How to Get Around
Getting to/from the airport
Our most recommended method of getting to/from the airport is by ride share as taxis are known to have some issues. The other option, hire a private driver, which is far more affordable than you might think.
getting around town
BART - Yes, it is cheap, but also very dangerous - especially at night.
Walking - Is okay by day, but definitely not at night.
Ride share - Your best bet is to take a ride share anywhere you can, but account for the wait time for the car to get to you as traffic can be bad!
day trips out of town
Ride share - If you’re looking to head out of the city for the day, ride shares are usually pretty inexpensive if going to say, Cavallo Point. Also, if you are taking the ferry, there are plenty of ride shares at your destination.
Car rental - There are car rental companies in the city you can rent a car from. If you are taking the ferry, you can rent a car in Sausalito to keep on going.
Bicycle/walking (if going by ferry) - If you only plan to stay within the town of the ferry’s destination, you can either walk and/or rent and bring a bike with you (on the ferry).
Tour group - The other option is to find a tour group for your day trip, which provides comfortable and easy transportation (see above in the “Tour Groups” section for more.
A History Summary
3000 B.C.E. - Earliest archeological evidence of human habitation of the territory has been recorded.
1769 - The Yelamu group of the Ramaytush people resided in a few small villages when an overland Spanish exploration party arrived. The Spanish Empire claimed San Francisco as part of Las Californias, a province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
1770 - The Spanish dispatched Pedro Fages in 1770 to find a more direct route to the San Francisco Peninsula from Monterey, which would become part of the El Camino Real route.
1774 - Juan Bautista de Anza had arrived to the area to select the sites for a mission and presidio.
1775 - The Spanish ship San Carlos, commanded by Juan Manuel de Ayala, became the first ship to anchor in the bay.
1776 - Anza established the Presidio of San Francisco. On October 9, Mission San Francisco de Asís, also known as Mission Dolores, was founded by Padre Francisco Palóu.
1794 - The Presidio established the Castillo de San Joaquín, a fortification on the southern side of the Golden Gate, which later came to be known as Fort Point.
1804 - The province of Alta California was created, which included Yerba Buena - the former name of San Francisco.
1821 - The Californias were ceded to Mexico by Spain.
1842 - Yerba Buena listed 21 residents (of U.S. and European descent with one Filipino).
1846 - American forces captured Yerba Buena with little resistance from the local Californio population. At the end of the month, the Brooklyn arrived with a group of Mormon settlers, who had departed New York City six months earlier. Following the capture, U.S. forces appointed both José de Jesús Noé and Washington Allon Bartlett to serve as co-alcaldes (mayors), while the conquest continued on in the rest of California.
1848 - Due to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Alta California was ceded from Mexico to the United States.
1849 - The gold rush began, raising the population to 25,000 from the 1,000 people they had before. Also, 500 ships had been abandoned, which turned into makeshift saloons, hotels, etc.
1850 - California was granted state hood.
1851 - The harbor was extended out into the bay by wharves while buildings were erected on piles among the ships.
1852 - Wells Fargo Banking was founded.
1859 -With hordes of fortune seekers streaming through the city, lawlessness was common, and the Barbary Coast section of town gained notoriety as a haven for criminals, prostitution, bootlegging, and gambling.
1864 - The Bank of California was founded.
1869 - Development of the Port of San Francisco and the establishment in 1869 of overland access to the eastern U.S. rail system via the newly completed Pacific Railroad. Levi Strauss started making dry goods and Domingo Ghirardelli started making chocolate.
1870 - Yerba Buena Cove had been filled to create new land. Buried ships are occasionally exposed when foundations are dug for new buildings.
1873 - The first cable cars carried San Franciscans up Clay Street. Victorian homes started popping up and public parks were planned.
1883 - Juana Briones de Miranda built her rancho near El Polín Spring, founding the first civilian household in San Francisco.
1890 - 300,000 people lived in the city.
1900 - 1904 - San Francisco was the first North America plague epidemic site.
1906 - San Francisco’s major earthquake took place at 5:12am on April 18th. So much of the city was destroyed and nearly 200,000 people we rendered homeless.
1910 - 1915 - San Francisco built some of its most important infrastructure: construction of the Twin Peaks Reservoir, the Stockton Street Tunnel, the Twin Peaks Tunnel, the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the Auxiliary Water Supply System, and new sewers.
1910 - San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) was founded to address housing quality.
1915 - 1927 - San Francisco's streetcar system, of which the J, K, L, M, and N lines survive today.
1929 - 1937 - Not a single California bank collapsed. Instead, important projects begun/were completed, including the Oakland Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. It was also in this time that Alcatraz began use as a maximum security facility for notorious criminals.
WWII - Sharp Park in Pacifica was used as an internment camp to detain Japanese Americans. Hunters Point Naval Shipyard became a hub of activity, and Fort Mason became the primary port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater of Operations.
1945 - 1951 - The United Nations Charter, creating the United Nations was drafted and signed in San Francisco in 1945 and, in 1951, the Treaty of San Francisco re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers.
1950s and 1960s - Urban planning projects involved widespread destruction and redevelopment of west-side neighborhoods and the construction of new freeways, of which only a series of short segments were built. The onset of containerization made San Francisco's small piers obsolete, and cargo activity moved to the larger Port of Oakland. The city began to lose industrial jobs and turned to tourism as the most important segment of its economy. It was during this time that counterculture movement began - the beat and hippie generation started to form enclaves.
1969 - Bank of America was founded (HQ is now in Charlotte, NC)
1970s - The city became a center of the gay rights movement, with the emergence of The Castro as an urban gay village, the election of Harvey Milk to the Board of Supervisors, and his assassination, along with that of Mayor George Moscone, in 1978. The Zebra Murders also left 16 people dead.
1972 - The Transamerica Pyramid was completed.
1980s - An rise homeless population occurred.
1989 - The Loma Prieta earthquake occurred and did much damage to the area, including the collapse of part of the Oakland Bridge.
1990s - The dot.com era reinvigorated San Francisco’s economy. Gentrification started to occur.
2000 & 2023 - The dot.com bubble burst twice in that time, laying off thousands of workers, though no one seemed to move out of the city instead, prompting them to start new ventures.
2020s - The early 2020s featured an exodus of tech companies from Downtown San Francisco in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and struggles with homelessness and public drug use.
