coit tower is in the shape of a firehose nozzle to commemorate the valiant efforts of the SF Firefighters during the post1906 environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coit_Tower
-][
I think the weather gods must have gotten a heads up that you would be in town. Hope you get a chance to get over to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on the North side of the Goldern Gate bridge – great views of the bridge with the city in the background. During the summer you can watch the fog roll in.
Scoma’s down at the pier. If not, Scoma’s over in Sausilito. The one down at the pier has much more old fashioned ambiance. The best Cioppino in the US. I can’t remember if it is an appetizer but there is a special order of sour dough bread that is toasted. It is a separate menu item and different than the actual bread that comes with the Cioppino. It’s literally drenched in butter. It’s not the cheese bread either. I’m slobbering now. A native took me there for the first time about ten years ago and I stop back every time I get a chance.
OMG and the Yank Sing dim sum. I’ve only had it on Sundays which I believe is the traditional day so I don’t know if they serve it any other days…….
Two of the best restaurants in the US if you get a chance. Gawd I want to move to SF so badly!
If you’re back down in the Palo Alto area, drive up Pagemill Road to Skyline Blvd and head north a couple of miles to an Open Space Preserve called Windy Hill. From the lookout (about a 200ft walk) you can see the entire Bay Area – the big hanger at Moffett Field, Lick Observatory on top of Mt. Hamilton, the entire east bay and also parts of San Francisco.
That is on my favorite walking route through SF–walk from where that pic was snapped to the tower–up the tower, then right over to the other side from the parking lot.
Then you are into a very cool walking only neighborhood built into a steep hill.
From there, through the financial district to the wharf district, then make your way back to the park at the bottom of the hill leading up to the top of Lombard.
Heh. Many years ago I picked up some friends at Stanford and we drove up to the City on I-280. The valley containing that freeway is the San Andreas rift zone, and I was delightedly pointing out the welter of large-scale fault-related geologic features. Even as my friends were getting paler and paler…they were fuzzy-studies majors who’d only known of the SA fault as an intellectual concept, not as a terribly unsubtle feature of the very landscape around them!
But hopefully things stay quiet while you’re there… :) Heck, the American Geophysical Union even meets in SF every December!
coit tower is in the shape of a firehose nozzle to commemorate the valiant efforts of the SF Firefighters during the post1906 environment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coit_Tower
-][
I think the weather gods must have gotten a heads up that you would be in town. Hope you get a chance to get over to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on the North side of the Goldern Gate bridge – great views of the bridge with the city in the background. During the summer you can watch the fog roll in.
62 and sunny? That’s a nice summer day there, much less a nice winter day.
Scoma’s down at the pier. If not, Scoma’s over in Sausilito. The one down at the pier has much more old fashioned ambiance. The best Cioppino in the US. I can’t remember if it is an appetizer but there is a special order of sour dough bread that is toasted. It is a separate menu item and different than the actual bread that comes with the Cioppino. It’s literally drenched in butter. It’s not the cheese bread either. I’m slobbering now. A native took me there for the first time about ten years ago and I stop back every time I get a chance.
OMG and the Yank Sing dim sum. I’ve only had it on Sundays which I believe is the traditional day so I don’t know if they serve it any other days…….
Two of the best restaurants in the US if you get a chance. Gawd I want to move to SF so badly!
If you’re back down in the Palo Alto area, drive up Pagemill Road to Skyline Blvd and head north a couple of miles to an Open Space Preserve called Windy Hill. From the lookout (about a 200ft walk) you can see the entire Bay Area – the big hanger at Moffett Field, Lick Observatory on top of Mt. Hamilton, the entire east bay and also parts of San Francisco.
Mt. Tamalpias (across the Golden Gate Bridge) has great views as well, if you have a car.
Yank Sing dim sum – in the old postal building near the Ferry 1 Building – don’t miss it at lunch.
Saturday Morning Farmer’s Market at Ferry 1 (Breakfast & Blue Bottle Coffee) – also a good place to walk around and take in the Scenery.
There is a little beer house (not sure of the name) at the tip of Golden Gate Park that has a nice sunset view of the Pacific.
(a complete list could tie you up for a long long time…so I’ll stop now)
The funny thing is…you arrived right after we got snow down to about 2000 ft…enough to dust some bay area hills. That’s not a frequent event.
Hope you have a good time.
Barry,
If you’re there on Sunday morning, check out the Church of Saint John Coltrane. Think it’s Oak and Divisidero (sp?).
Greatest couple of hours of music you’ll ever hear.
Barry,
Make sure to get Blue Bottle Coffee while you are out in SF. It is a must! Some of the best coffee you will find.
Also, Friday is a great day for Clam Chowda!
That is on my favorite walking route through SF–walk from where that pic was snapped to the tower–up the tower, then right over to the other side from the parking lot.
Then you are into a very cool walking only neighborhood built into a steep hill.
From there, through the financial district to the wharf district, then make your way back to the park at the bottom of the hill leading up to the top of Lombard.
A great walk!
Heh. Many years ago I picked up some friends at Stanford and we drove up to the City on I-280. The valley containing that freeway is the San Andreas rift zone, and I was delightedly pointing out the welter of large-scale fault-related geologic features. Even as my friends were getting paler and paler…they were fuzzy-studies majors who’d only known of the SA fault as an intellectual concept, not as a terribly unsubtle feature of the very landscape around them!
But hopefully things stay quiet while you’re there… :) Heck, the American Geophysical Union even meets in SF every December!
Oh, now I miss San Francisco!
Good thing I live in San Diego!