San Francisco

Same here. You woudln't happen to know Welsh Rae or Gay Jeff would you? Both Zeitgeist workers, live on 18th between Valencia and Guerro. That would be weird.

Yeah! That is who i stayed with!!! Small World! Whats your name? I'm Rae's friend Tom...

Yeah! That is who i stayed with!!! Small World! Whats your name? I'm Rae's friend Tom...

Aaah awesome, I think we missed each other by like a month. I'm Rae's friend Ben. Rae is an awesome girl to show a person around SF since she likes getting hammered and eating as much as any of us. Good to make your internet acquaintance sir.

Fantastic place. Try American Cyclery, great shop and the staff have all the time in the world to talk to you. Also Bicycle Odyssey in Sausolito. The No Name bar in Sausilito is worth a visit and really do have a meal in the Cheesecake Factory in Union Square.

Go to Pedal Revolution: 3085 21st Street. My sis just got back from San Francisco and brought me back a wicked tshirt from there! Have a great time man I'm jealous and brace yourself for those hills!

It wasn't far from where I lived so I used to go there regularly over the past 15 years. Personally I think the Tenderloin has cleaned up a great deal and is hardly recognisable to its previous incarnation as the seamy underbelly. I've stayed there quite a few times and it used to be scary as fuck. Now it's fucking dodgy.

Amoeba is a must visit and the best pizza in the world can be found nearby at Escape from New York Pizza. The Stinking Rose is worth a visit if you like garlic as their motto is they "season garlic with food". Near the Stinking Rose is the SF brewing company with makes a killer IPA and Stout and used to have amazing happy hours.

Lucky 13 is a fun punk rawk bar in Mission district and you can often meet musicians, artists and assorted celebrities. They used to do a cheap Pabst Blue Ribbon special.

If you're into tattoos some of the best artists in the world still work there but definitely book far in advance.

It's a hard city to not have a good time in.

I totally forgot about Escape from New York.

I also enjoyed Anchor Steam beer...

Awesome just found this thread. Off to SF in February and really looking forward to it.

Not going to take my bike with me though, but will defo look into hiring some.

Zed

Before you go, go online and book an Alcatraz trip - don't wait until you get there. Book in advance.

Zed, you WILL regret NOT taking your ride with you!

:d

But that means I can't do those rad skids down the hills on my brakless bianchi pista concept with aerospok.

City Lights Book Shop

The sea lions on the wharf

Marin County

http://mashsf.com/videos.php

Thinking of it again.

City Lights Book Shop

If you do nothing else, go there.

The Museum of Modern Art is good both architecturally and in contents but The City Lights Book Shop....

http://www.citylights.com/

But that means I can't do those rad skids on Randonneur tyres with hipster filming me down the hills on my arrospoked brakeless bianchi pista concept with saddle that's set too high for me.

fixed.

Went to SF for 4 days in September. Was feckin awesome :)

SF Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/casa-steve/sets/72157622192850165/

castro
definitely go see something at the castro theatre
if you don't have a bike, catch the f-market (cool deco street cars, just for the heck of it).
if you do have a bike, watch out for the streetcar tracks around town-- total landmines and if you're not careful they can wipe you out.

mission:
+1 for tartine (almond croissant to die for), and they've a fancy restaurant by the same owners if you can afford to splurge.
bi-rite has some pretty damn tasty treats, and the ice cream parlor they've opened across the street is undeniably fantastic (though mitchell's still my personal favorite; see below)
if you're at zeitgeist you can have bbq or skip the bbq and wait for virginia to come 'round with her homemade tamales.
mission burritos have gotten pricier than when i lived there, but they're still pretty irresestible. eat as many as you can, and weep for them when you return to london.

my favorite tacos are from the taco window on 21st st (near either treat st or harrison st-- can't remember)-- the place has a name that starts with the letter c, and which i can't recall, so just look for the big yellow awning thing attached to a house, walk up to the window and order... i'm salivating just thinking about it.

find yourself a nice salvadorian restaurant/pupuseria, too-- i like el zocalo on mission/29th street (there are other good places, but el zocalo is open conveniently late). mitchell's ice-cream parlor is nearby; not really anywhare to sit, but the ice cream is amazing.
i think they still serve mitchell's at st. francis fountain on 24th street/york (definitely worth a visit).

bernal heights is nearby, too and has great views (and a vegan ice cream parlor, among other things).

north beach:
yes, a cable car ride is worth it, but only if the car is half-empty, and the driver goes nice and fast.
just nearby, is coit tower (dedicated to firemen) and the WPA murals. good views all around. wander around the little stairs that dot telegraph hill, and look for the wild parrots (cousins of the ones in london).
+1 for city lights. while in north beach, go to 101 records; you may or may not find what you're looking for, but i really like the place.
definitely have canoli (has anyone ever seen canoli in london?)- stella bakery is really good (nice cookies), but there's a place across the street that has good canoli, too.

fisherman's wharf
definitely skip fisherman's wharf-- there's nothing at all to see there, except the sea lions.
in fact, i do like fisherman's wharf, but only in the wee hours when it's just you and the barking, blubbery sea dogs.
if you want clam chowder/seafood, go to sotto mare on green street (next door to a good pizza place) in north beach (sotto mare is pricey, but delicious)
OR if you like ersters, go to swan oyster depot on polk street (this is not north beach, but sort of like btw tenderloin/nob hill; yes, the tenderknob). go there for breakfast so that you miss the lunch rush and instead can watch the fresh catch being brought in big wooden crates, while you enjoy having the whole counter to yourself and can linger over your coffee and oysters (sounds gross, but tastes like being at the beach).
oh, definitely go to baker beach, or maybe ocean beach if it's just after christmas-- there are always big x-xmas tree bonfires at night.

*the richmond *
on the way out to the beach, cruise through the richmond and check out clement street for an abundance of pretty much any kind of east-asian food you can imagine (though the best vietnamese tends to be around the tenderloin).
also, on geary blvd there's a russian bakery with a red/white awning that has good (greasy but tasty) blintz like things filled with meat or sweet cheese, and there's a huge eastern european deli across the street (also on geary) that has all sorts of good stuff-- i'm partial to the fresh refrigerated pickles in the back. there are some interesting high-alcohol content beers back there, too.

there's tons i've not yet mentioned, and yes, this post is all about food but i can smell supper...

SF is a good time.

my favourite bit/walk - way too hilly to ride for me anyway (discovered on a sweltering day when i was stuck with a 15kg backpack and was waiting for my buddy to get off work) is starting at 24th and mission, walk up past mission skateboards and go to philz coffee for possibly the best coffee ive ever had, and a world of vegan cookies, then walk up and look at all the rad murals, then go up up up to the very top of bernal heights you can see alll across the city and the walk is a circular dog path with so many nice shiba inu etc, then down the hill to the other side you'll come to maggie mudds the vegan ice cream place, and thrill house records back on the flat on mission street if you like punk records.

if you're staying in a hostel there is one on mission called elements that is cheap but not scary (unlike el capitan, which looks amazing outside but was sort of incredible in how terrified i was, deserted and creaky) and last time i was in the area i just walked straight in to elements and used their computers for three hours

best tattoo joint is clearly in san rafael - spider murphys!
best burritos is taqueria cancun

Thinking of it again.

City Lights Book Shop

If you do nothing else, go there.

Seconded, a pilgrimage i hope to make one day, for sure...

Me and some mates are planning a trip out to SF next summer with bikes. As part of planning i've been putting together a googlemap of places I remember from my trip there this august.
its a bit overkill; and maybe only some of it is relevant to you, but hope it helps anyways.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=118094526483984719812.00047bf490e273b16ff45&ll=37.749238,-122.421448&spn=0.010384,0.022402&z=16

best burritos is taqueria cancun

I was the only one who thought this! Delicious stuff. The place annoys my vegan mates because they cook the vegetables on the same pan as the meat but it never bothered me that much. Their guac is amazing too.

Go over the bay to Berkeley and have a beer at Triple Rock: http://www.triplerock.com/

I'll also second the recommendation to go to City Lights.

Any recommendations on decent music shops (guitars /amps) ?

A trip out to the John Muir woods is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
But it looks like the sea lions might be leaving

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8437395.stm