Sites and good food in San Diego and San Francisco

[dustyanddaflames]

In San Diego, Petco Park is a must see even for non-baseball fans. Truly one of the nicest stadiums you'll ever lay eyes on.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Rio de Gado (SP ???)

In the Gas Lamp District in San Diego.

Awesome Brazilian BBQ.....

second this and was gonna suggest it. This place makes the brazailian BBQ's up here look like arbys

[cmyden]

I think Yelp.com was born in San Francisco, a good site to check out reviews for restaurants in the U.S.

[shermanator]

I was a huge fan of Pacific Beach in San Diego.

[moncton golden flames]

its a little outside san francisco, but 'french laundry' is top notch.

http://www.frenchlaundry.com/

[LChoy]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

its a little outside san francisco, but 'french laundry' is top notch.

http://www.frenchlaundry.com/

That's a Thomas Keller restaurant, one of the best chefs in the world

[MRCboicgy]

Ok, this may sound lame, but if you want a cool tour of San Diego, do a gaslamp Segway tour. You do gaslamp and balboa park. total fun. wear the mohawk helmet.
http://anothersideofsandiegotours.com/

#1 trip advisor thing to do in the city.

[Saint Troy]

Originally Posted by Lchoy

That's a Thomas Keller restaurant, one of the best chefs in the world

I ate at Ad Hoc and Bouchon a couple of weekends ago, both were brilliant! Yountville is tiny but a food mecca.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Captain_Obvious

^ Do all of these.

Walk around the Warf, have some Chowder in a Bread Bowl. Take one of the 20 dollar 1hour fairy trips around the bay. Takes you out under the GG Bridge, around Alcatraz and back. Drink an Anchor Steam beer on the boat.

I'd catch the trolley from the Warf to Market St. area to do some shopping and look around down town.

Don't miss Alcatraz. I preferred the night tour. Fascinating stuff.

A $20 ferry ride?! Holy smokes. Not even close to being worth it. Anything on the Wharf is overpriced and crappy.

Troutman's Mexican suggestion was fantastic. The Mission has glorious food. The burritos are the size of a child's arm.

Rent bikes and go around the city. Not the standard across the Golden Gate Bridge etc... etc... My girlfriend and I biked along the coast, to the Baker's Beach (the SF nude beach) and then down through the Castro and the Haight.

DO NOT go touristy in San Francisco. It's such a fun city to explore, the little crappy areas are just a waste of your time.

[Captain_Obvious]

Originally Posted by peter12

A $20 ferry ride?! Holy smokes. Not even close to being worth it.

Couldn't disagree more. That was one of the best 20 dollar bills I spent while there. The views of the piers, city, the bridge and Alcatraz were well worth it. The audio during the tour gives some really good history city and area. For one hour of your time it's great bang for your buck.

There's a reason the tourist areas are popular. There may be some over priced food in the Warf but the views and piers themselves are worth seeing and it doesn't cost anything to walk around and take in the sights. I preferred eating in North Beach / China town, but anyone not doing a good walk around the warf area is missing out.

Sure it sucks to over pay for some items and I wouldn't recommend buying a five dollar bottle of water... but telling someone who's going to San Francisco not to visit the Warf, ride a trolley car, or visit Alcatraz is asinine and terrible advice.

[Captain_Obvious]

Photos from the $20 ferry ride:
















It's also licensed, and it's nice to enjoy a few beers during the quick trip. Very relaxing and the views are phenomenal.

[dre]

Nice pics. Not bad for $20 considering it cost me $70 for a cab ride to the airport. I would pay $20.

[peter12]

Yes, Lchoy. Enjoy Hooters on the Wharf. Remember to wear your socks with your sandals.

[Flaming Choy]

Originally Posted by peter12

Yes, Lchoy. Enjoy Hooters on the Wharf. Remember to wear your socks with your sandals.

He does live in Edmonton...

[LChoy]

Originally Posted by peter12

Yes, Lchoy. Enjoy Hooters on the Wharf. Remember to wear your socks with your sandals.

I'm a Calgarian living in enemy territory

[troutman]

BTW, the Giants are 4-1 to start the season, and could be a playoff team. I hope to get to Pac Bell this summer.

A great day trip from SF - Point Reyes, one hour North of the city.

http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm

[Boo Radley]

I was recently in San Francisco:

For seafood I enjoyed Swan Oyster Depot (Polk street, check it out on Yelp). When I was there I walked all over. In one afternoon I walked all over downtown (8 miles). I did go down to Fisherman's Wharf but stayed away from restaurants and street vendors. It is fine to see but it is quite commercial. I guess it depends on you. Also ate at Red Crawfish and Sushi Toni and enjoyed both. Though you can find many great places.

Also FYI. Beware of this guy: Alan "midnight magic". Local con-man. I ran in to him walking around downtown. He wanted me to loan him 40 dollars in return for a life changing experience. His act was worth a couple dollars from me. A search on-line shows that he has been doing this act for quite a few years.

I live in San Diego:

For sight seeing I agree with what has been recommended. The zoo is next to Balboa park and both are excellent places to visit. Balboa park has many great museums including the Sports museum (though I have never been inside). Both are located close to downtown. You can buy Passports to Balboa park that lets you in to multiple museums at reduced prices.

The Gas-Lamp district downtown has many great restaurants and I recommend looking at yelp for what you like. Petco park is a few blocks away and there are tours available at certain times (http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/sd/ba...park_tours.jsp). The USS MIDWAY aircraft museum is also within walking distance.

Other popular sites: Coronado Island, Point Loma (we enjoy going to Point Loma seafoods), Wild animal park (though this is a bit of a drive for you). In La Jolla there is the Children's pool which is currently home to seals and sea-lions and a great walk along the coast. There are many shops in La Jolla and on Sunday mornings there is a great farmers market. Depending on the time of year and your interest in driving, the town of Julian and Anza-Borrego Desert state park are great places to visit. Both can fit into a a day trip; though, if you only have a few days I would recommend staying closer to downtown.

If you have any questions about particulars let me know.

Enjoy your trip.

Radley

(financial disclosure* I have no financial interest invested in any of these places ).

[Mad Mel]

No love for Tijuana?

[burn_this_city]

I'm heading to San Diego on friday. This thread makes me excited, this will be my first time in California.

Leave it to the lawyers to squabble over $20.

[troutman]

See a band at the Fillmore:

http://www.livenation.com/venue/the-fillmore-tickets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fillmore

The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.

In 1994 the original Geary Boulevard location re-opened as The Fillmore

The Fillmore is also well known for its psychedelic concert posters by artists who in the 1960s included Wes Wilson and Rick Griffin. Copies of the night's poster are given to fans free of charge as they exit selected, sold-out shows. A chronological collection of these posters is on display in the mezzanine level of the auditorium today.

Other traditions are carried on to this day. One is a large tub of free apples for concert goers positioned near the entrance. Another is a "greeter" who welcomes each guest as they enter with: "Welcome to the Fillmore!"

Boom Boom Room:

http://www.boomboomblues.com/cgi-bin...ar/calendar.pl