In and Around the Bay Area
If you’re coming in from out of town, be sure to check out what’s happening in San Francisco and the surrounding area. Here are a few of our favorite recommendations:
One of our favorite date spots of all time, this place is fantastic for drinks and off the charts for dinner and dessert. (Save room for the sopapillas!) It’s become highly popular and consequently it’s a little of a bother to get a table so try for reservations, or pop in early for a spot at the communal table.
Our new favorite neighborhood spot. This place is doing incredible things with flavor and texture, and we especially love that it’s in a little unassuming spot on 24th Street. The tiny menu changes daily and with the seasons, and lunch isn’t too shabby either.
The San Francisco Ferry Building
This is the beating heart of the San Francisco culinary scene. You’ll find storefronts for all our favorite treats, including Stonehouse Olive Oil, Cowgirl Creamery, and Acme Bread, plus take-out stands for Out the Door (Vietnamese) and other delicious restaurants.
On Tuesdays and Saturdays there’s an incredible Farmer’s Market, too, which award-winning SF chefs swear by for the best produce.
For the kids:
If there’s only room for one kid spot on the list, this is it! More than a museum, this is the place for hands-on exploration of science, art, and human perception—a vast collection cool experiments, exhibits and demonstrations, plus special programming for kids of all ages.
Home of Dave Eggers’ famed 826 Valencia, an amazing nationally recognized writer’s workshop for kids, the Pirate Store welcomes its visitors with an adventure in learning, imagination and discovery. Spend your pocket money on a glass eye!
A new distraction! We’ve got it all in San Francisco…including an indoor trampoline park located in an historic airplane hangar at West Crissy Field in The Presidio (which in and of itself is a cool destination with lots to see and do). Perfect for kids big and small who have some extra energy to expend.
California Academy of Sciences
Newly renovated and nothing short of incredible, especially the butterfly dome. Also don’t miss the extensive aquariums, the planetarium, the penguins and the living roof.
Classics in the Park:
This is a beautiful art museum in Golden Gate Park, but the greatest attraction at the museum is the view—which the tower is open, is free! Take the elevator up to the top floor of the tower for the best 360-degree panorama in all of San Francisco.
Quite a pleasant stop on a warm day, if a little chilly when it’s foggy. But all that moisture keeps the garden lush and green. Stop for a cup of green tea and take in the manicured paths and waterways.
Features a spectacular array of plants from the world’s Mediterranean and mild temperate climates, to high-elevation tropical cloud forests. A nice, self-paced distraction.
