what is San Franciscos most overrated tourist attraction? (Cypress: appointed, garden)

[mayorhaggar]

The bus to Coit Tower runs very infrequently. The hike up to it without a bus is fun, it's a cute area especially if you go up/down the eastern (?) slope of Telegraph Hill where it's a bunch of stairways through gardens. Problem is there's always a ton of euro tourists in a giant line for the elevator to the top of the tower.

[Isebiel]

Oh yeah, the stair route up Telegraph Hill was beautiful. Cute houses, gorgeous foliage, great views, and I even got to see the parrots! You're right, there were loads of French and German tourists.

Really, I went to look at the houses on the hill, not the tower itself, so it was my own fault. But I'd tramped all over the city by then and I was pretty grumpy.

[Ceece]

I have a hard time saying because what I consider over rated and not worth my time today, such as Fisherman's Wharf, I have wonderful memories of from my youth. I remember going to SF as a teen and young adult and doing all the touristy stuff with my friends, and agian when my kids were little. Eating chowder out of bread bowls, Ghardelli Square for sundaes, stupid museums, gift shops, boat rides, etc. Happy times for sure even though I wouldn't do it again.

[ambient]

That's easy - Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39. That place is a positively disgusting eyesore. An entire small town of shady flea market shops selling the same crappy t shirt and mug with cheesy San Fran stuff all over it... mixed together with such authentic San Francisco attractions as Joe's Crab Shack and the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. The only people who go there are naive tourists and deranged homeless people - the rest of us locals avoid it. I think it should be bulldozed and paved into a parking lot - Lord knows we need it around here.

[Radical347]

I actually find Pier 39 oddly satisfying. It's your one-stop shop for everything in-your-face touristy in SF. And the nice part is that you're not stuck, so if you don't feel like eating at an exorbitantly overpriced tacky restaurant, just go a few blocks. (Though in the immediate vicinity they're still overpriced and/or tacky, but not as much as in Pier 39.)

I might say the Cable Cars, only because they are not worth $5. Although many people seem to think they are because the lines to get on those things are long. So more power to SF Muni if they can get away wth charging that much, I guess.

My pick would have to be Golden Gate Park. I find it an ugly wasteland. Some of the attractions inside (i.e. DeYoung, A of S) are nice, and the frequent concerts are great, but the park itself sucks.

[Curmudgeon]

What I find sad is what's become of the Precidio since it ceased to be 6th Army headquarters and was closed down. It's fallen into horrible disrepair and many of the buildings are now covered with graffiti. It's a terrible shame that such an historic place with the beautiful old quarters and other buildings has been allowed to fall into decay. I was there in its heyday and wish I'd never gone back to see it.

[azdr0710]

does anybody here remember a little tourist attraction in the 1970s or so in the Wharf area named something close to "The Enchanted World of San Francisco"?....it was sorta kiddie-ish (I was a kid, then) and you rode inside a building in little six-person or so cable cars and there were little dioramas displaying the history of the city with music, lights, etc.....to a kid, it was very exciting.....

wondering where it was exactly and what became of it....thanks

was there last year and nobody had heard of it.....

[Bluesmama]

I like all of the attractions that people have complained about in here. Pier 39 isn't my favorite but it has its appeal and has a terrific candy store that I love. I also go back to it.

Coit Tower itself to me was a letdown because of the filthy, worn windows. But I like the structure itself, and still go there to see the views from outside, and take pics of the statues. The murals inside are really cool.

Is SOMA a tourist attraction? I used to shop all the outlet stores in South of Market before it's "urban renewal". I'd spend a whole day walking around hitting the shops. I still mourn the loss. Now, it has no interest to me at all.

I found the Mission District a bit of a letdown. And when I first scanned Japantown I expected more. The mall is interesting it its own way, though.

[CaliWiz]

Golden Gate Park. A few museums and the Tea Garden are all it has to offer.

[rah]

Originally Posted by CaliWiz

Golden Gate Park. A few museums and the Tea Garden are all it has to offer.

Have you ever actually been to golden gate park? It also has botanical gardens, a conservatory of flowers, big open fields for recreation/picnics/etc, baseball fields, tennis courts, fly casting ponds, a herd of buffalo, several lakes, playgrounds, trails all over that you can hike and bike on, events and concerts are hosted there, the ocean is one one side of it, hippie drum circles, etc, etc. Golden Gate Park has lots to offer.