SF
Guide

Curated by a local tour guide.
What I recommend on tour, collected in one place.

Neighborhoods

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Financial District

The Financial District is built on the filled-in Yerba Buena Cove, with Gold Rush ships still buried beneath…
Japantown

Japantown is a small neighborhood in the Western Addition, centered on the Japan Center malls and the Peace…
Hayes Valley

Hayes Valley is named for Thomas Hayes, who developed the area in the 1850s. Its current walkable form…
Marina District

The Marina spreads along the northern waterfront.

Where to Eat

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Jane the Bakery

Great small bakery that grows their own grain.

Japantown Bakery

Marufuku Ramen

Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen in Japantown. So delicious.

Japantown Japanese

Sotto Mare

Great Italian seafood in North Beach. Known for their Cioppino.

North Beach Italian Seafood

Swan Oyster Depot

Anthony Bourdain called this his favorite seafood spot in America on No Reservations.

Nob Hill Seafood

Things to Do

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Exploratorium

Hands-on science museum founded in 1969 by physicist Frank Oppenheimer, relocated to Pier 15 on the Embarcadero in April 2013. About 600 exhibits at a time, drawn from over 1,000 the museum has built. After Dark Thursdays are 18+ with cocktails. The Tactile Dome needs a separate reservation.

The EmbarcaderoMuseums

Dolores Park

Stake out a patch of the sunny upper lawn, then grab Bi-Rite ice cream on 18th once the line dies down.

The Mission DistrictParks & Outdoors

Japanese Tea Garden

Oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, built for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. The Hagiwara family tended it from 1895 until they were forcibly removed during internment in 1942; Makoto Hagiwara is credited with introducing the American-style fortune cookie at the garden's tea house. Three acres in Golden Gate Park; free for SF residents with ID, and free for everyone Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before 10am.

The RichmondParks & Outdoors