Must see in San Francisco (Walnut: restaurant, places to eat, rated)

[MauiPartTimer]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

Take the N-Judah train from downtown out to Ocean Beach in the morning and catch the surfers
Take an Uber or Cab from there up to the Cliff House restaurant and get a super nice brunch
Take Muni bus back into Golden Gate Park...

Hold it right there!
I'm going to have to call a "tourist advice" foul on you. Telling someone to visit the Cliff House, without advising them to continue on to the ruins of the Sutro Baths and the trail around Land's End to the Legion of Honor is most definitely a violation. The spectacular views of the rugged coastline and Golden Gate are arguably the best in the city, with the bonus of being able to visit a wonderful art museum at the end. (And the 1 Bus comes very close to it when they're done) http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm

5 yard penalty, repeat first down.

[HappyinCali]

Mt. Davidson. No brainer

[peninsular]

Originally Posted by phillies2011

Any particular Napa tips? A tour, a specific winery to visit, where to stay there etc?

A couple of thought on Napa.

Check out bike tours. These can be a lot of fun and you get a much better feel for the place. Just yelp or google Napa bike tours.

Use Silverado Trail. Whether you are biking or driving, get off the highway 29 and use Silverado Trail, which runs more or less parallel to it.

Stop over in Yountville and Calistoga. I really enjoyed walking around Yountville, checking out random spots around Washington street, such as the garden across the street from French Laundry, where they grow their vegetables.

I have not been on it, but I've heard from multiple people that the wine train is overrated.

[crouching_tiger]

Originally Posted by phillies2011

Hey, I'm sorry as I know there must have been a thread like this in the past, but I couldn't find one.

I'll be in San Francisco for a few days and although there's a lot of info on tourism sites and what not, I would love to get a local's perspective. If you only had a few days in San Francisco, what is an absolutely must see? I'm up for whatever so feel free to suggest anything, whether it be a well known tourist trap like alcatraz or some totally unknown destination. I'm just looking for your personal favorites.

Rent a car and drive along Pacific Coast Highway to the Big Sur, stopping at beach cities like Santa Cruz and Monterey along the way.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by MauiPartTimer

Hold it right there!
I'm going to have to call a "tourist advice" foul on you. Telling someone to visit the Cliff House, without advising them to continue on to the ruins of the Sutro Baths and the trail around Land's End to the Legion of Honor is most definitely a violation. The spectacular views of the rugged coastline and Golden Gate are arguably the best in the city, with the bonus of being able to visit a wonderful art museum at the end. (And the 1 Bus comes very close to it when they're done) Lands End - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

5 yard penalty, repeat first down.

I agree with you, the Cliff House is only good for the view, the food and price screams tourist trap. Instead you can go on a nice walk next door through Lands End and it's free. You can also save your appetite for a much better restaurant at a fraction of the price.

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

San Francisco is very compact, so it's easy to see a good chunk of it in a few days. I would recommend (not in order)...

Lombard Street - Famous curvy street, great views
Golden Gate Park - Huge, google to see what interests you, or you can just walk or rent some bikes
Ferry Building Farmers Market - Saturday is the best day to go 8am to 2pm
Crissy Field - Great views of Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz in a very nice neighborhood
Cable Cars - Ride the cable cars, they cost $5, but think of it as a short city tour
Fisherman's Wharf - Very touristy, but it's still a fun area to visit, you can't come here and not go
Twin Peaks - Highest point in SF, great 360 degree views
Bike from SF to Sausalito and take ferry back - Lots of bike rentals around Fisherman's Wharf
Walk some districts - You can walk from Union Square to Chinatown to North Beach (Little Italy) to Fisherman's Wharf very easily and going by foot you get a much better feeling for the different areas.
Coit Tower - Another good viewing point, I think it's $5 or $6 to go inside
Muir Woods - Beautiful Redwood forest

Yelp.com is a good resource for either finding restaurants or checking restaurants. San Francisco has more restaurants per capita than even NYC, however that doesn't mean they are all good. If you see a restaurant, type it in on your phone, "XYZ San Francisco Yelp"

To that I will add:

1. Sutro Heights/Lands End
2. Hike the coastal trail from Baker beach to Golden Gate Bridge

I think Crissy Field is overrated compared to these two

[ttocs99]

This is the wine country tour I've used the last 3 times I've been to San Francisco (2011,2013 & 2015). It's awesome. We did the tour that included Castella Di Amorosa, which is a great winery (built to look like an old European Castle), and also lunch at V. Sattui, which is my favorite winery, one of the few wineries that sells food. They have a great picnic area where you have lunch (a lunch voucher of $12 is included in the purchase of the tour). I highly recommend a tour instead of driving, this way you can really enjoy all the wine tasting without worrying about DUIs.

Wine Country Tour Shuttle with Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley Tours

[sacreole]

I would recommend taking advantage of the free walking tours offered through San Francisco City Guides San Francisco Walking Tours | City Guides

Also, check out the stairways around Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower.

[chanaka]

I was there last year. During the World Series. IT as a bit crazy.

Didnt get to do much.

Does Chinatown have any top places to eat-- off the beaten track ?

[MikeNigh]

lol when I asked this people recommended the castro st and never mentioned why. I ended up arriving starved because the trolley is slow as hell. Difficult to choose a place that wasn't crammed with dudes, ended up getting treated like sh*t by the female cashier.