Suggest cool things to do in San Fran...

Sorry for just reiterating some of the stuff I mentioned in other threads.

Since you'll be there for the first Wednesday of the month, museums are free: Exploratorium is a must, truly one of a kind place. The SF Zoo is cool, right near the ocean, and the California Academy of Sciences/Steinhart Aquarium are worth it if you have time.

Within San Francisco, you've already been told about Chinatown, Union Square shopping (like The Gap and Macy's flagship location), the Castro and Haight-Ashbury districts, Angel Island and Alcatraz (admittedly in the bay, so not really "owned" by SF). For the music lovers, Amoeba Records (1855 Haight street) is an iconic landmark and must visit.

North of the Golden Gate Bridge, you have Muir Woods (where some Return of the Jedi scenes were filmed), the Marine Mammal Center, Napa Valley.

Plus I think SFO is one of the coolest airports in the world. I'll think of more stuff later.

Hey TJ's! Great you're going to San Francisco - you're going to love it!

I lived in Marin (just over the Golden Gate Bridge from SF) for a *long* time, so I'll have lots of good suggestions for you.

But the my very, very, very most favorite thing to do in the whole Bay Area is to go to the top of Mt. Tamalpais over in Marin and watch the sunset. From the top you'll be able to see the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the lights of the entire San Francisco Bay Area to the east. And of course the stars will be coming out up above!

It's the most beautiful view in the whole Bay Area! I used to go up there two or three times a week, and I never got tired of it.

You could have that be the end of a day in Marin, 'cause just down at the bottom of Mt. Tam (as it's called) is Muir Woods National Monument , a beautiful National Park where you can walk among the towering redwoods.

Off to the west is Stinson Beach, where you could have a quiet lunch (but don't plan on swimming unless you bring your wetsuit! ).

So you could take the Golden Gate Ferry from SF over to Sausalito for brunch (and maybe some shopping), where you'll be right on the Bay looking at Angel Island and San Francisco, then go over to Muir Woods for an afternoon hike, and finally up to the very top of Mt. Tam for sunset. It'll be soooo beautiful!

Have fun in my 'hood - hope I see you there!!!

I've also lived in Marin for a long time (my whole life). If you like architecture, the Marin County Civic Center was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (and was used as a filming location for Gattaca), and has a good Farmer's Market Sunday and Thursday.

But a great public place for people watching is the Marina area in SF Sunday mornings. Lots of people jogging, biking, running (with or without dogs), kids playing soccer, kite flying, windsurfers, etc.

San Fran is one of my favorite U. S. cities so enjoy your stay! You have to ride the cable cars when you explore the city's world famous landmarks. I agree with the Sausalito suggestion. Muir Woods is a unique destination as well. Find the time to visit Napa Valley. It's outside the city but it's an integral part of that region of California and is at the very heart of the U. S. wine industry. There's so much to see and do there so hope you get a good sampling.
Lastly, have a safe trip to your home countries and hope you get to visit again soon!

OK, a few more suggestions.

An afternoon in Golden Gate Park, ending up out on the ocean at Ocean Beach.

There's so much to do in the Park, I couldn't cover it all here. But for beautiful and cheap (my kind of outing! ), it's hard to beat the Japanese Tea Garden.

A nice place to have a meal at the end of the day is out at Ocean Beach, at either the Beach Chalet or the Cliff House. They're both right on the ocean, the Beach Chalet is right on Ocean Beach, the Cliff House is up at the end of the beach on a small cliff (hence the names, duh). They both have music some evenings, so check out their schedules and see if that fits.

Or you could get some food to go somewhere along Geary St. There are so many places near the Park out along Geary and Clement Streets (*lots* of great Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Cambodian food), from fancy to cheap. You're sure to get lots of practice speaking Asian languages if you want to.

My favorite there is a little tea and restaurant place called the Bubblezone. Good thing you guys speak Chinese, because I don't think they speak English! If you go, you absolutely have to try the ginger tea with honey - it's amazing!

At the end of the day you can head down to the beach and have a fire on the beach at night. Bring something warm to drink - and some marshmallows for toasting! (Or you could just make friends with some people who already have a fire going - it's a popular thing to do.)

So a day in the Park, lunch at the Tea Garden, grabbing a quick bite and maybe a drink at one of the restaurants, then chillin with whoever you might meet on the beach for a fun evening watching one of those gorgeous Pacific sunsets.

And as the sun sets you can all think of your families and home.

the tj's should spend a day or two in L.A. That is my suggestion.

Monday. Dec. 4 is the full moon! Moonrise is 4:24 pm, so if you're up on Mt. Tam it will be spectacularly and uniquely beautiful.

According to the US Naval Observatory, on Monday, December 4, sunset in SF will be at 4:51 pm. Moonrise will have started half an hour earlier, at 4:24 pm.

So, just to make this clear for you...

You'll be on top of a beautiful mountain, the sun will be setting over the Pacific in the west, the full moon will be rising over the mountains in the east, above you the stars will be starting to come out, below you on one side will be nothing but the darkness of untouched forest, on the other the entire San Francisco Bay, shimmering in the twilight, ringed by lights.

Heaven and earth, sea and sky, sun and moon, nature and man - and you'll be at the very center of it all. Makes me cry just to think of it.

This is without question the most beautiful view of San Francisco, and one of the most beautiful views on earth.

Don't miss it.

I think it's awesome that you are coming to San Francisco. I live in Monterey (about 2 hrs south of SF) and SF is one of my favorite cities in the world. There are so many things that you have to do, that many people will agree with me: Fisherman's Wharf (you have to have clam chowder in a bread bowl), a tour of Alcatraz (I think it's $16), Golden Gate Bridge (walking across it is awesome and has great views of the city), Japanese Tea Gardens, Golden Gate park (a great place to get "away from the city" but still in the middle of city, similar to NYC's Central Park), Union Square (even though the shopping is expensive it will probably be set up for Christmas which is really cool to see), Lombard Street, Chinatown, Japantown, Castro District, Angel Island (easy hiking and great views of the city) and Marina District (great views of the Golden Gate Bridge). Many people have recommended to you go to Muir National Forest to see the world's largest trees (over 300 feet tall). I also recommend that you go to Yosemite National Park. It's about 4 hours from SF and there will be snow on the ground. It truly is an incredible place.

One last thing, like most of the cities you've been too, San Francisco can be very expensive so watch out, but it's all worth it. I'm glad that you're going to SF so have a great time. Thanks for visitng America and we hope to see you all again!

I would have prefered you guys go to Los Angeles but San Francisco is a good city too. Check out Alcatraz. An old jail that had been closed down. it's one of the most well known old jails in the U.S.

*** I highly recommend that you guys try to make it to LA if possible.****

I moved to LA a few years ago. I definitely miss the old city.

I think they should definitely visit the giant redwood trees in Muir Woods. Not as impressive as Yosemite, but it's local!

Visitors ought to see Fisherman's Wharf, of course. It is too touristy for me, and I'm always a little underwhelmed by the Alcatraz experience, but hey, that's just me. Though, you can check out the farmers market at the Ferry Building.

Favorite activities:

I always love taking out-of-town visitors up and down the steep streets. When I stop at an incline, I purposefully let my car slip backwards a little, that always gets a reaction from them.

Museums: SFMOMA is free on the first Tuesday of each month. Exploratorium is free on the first Wednesday. Also some downtown art galleries such as ones at 49 Geary or 77 Geary have their art openings on first Thursdays. Art snobs and wine!

The Exploratorium and Palace of Fine Arts is pretty close to Crissy Field and the Marina district. Really beautiful.

Best views of SF: From Treasure Island, from the Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate, and from Twin Peaks. Bring warm clothes.

Union Square would be nicely lit up for Christmas. Lena, there's a couple of Indonesian restaurants at the corner of Post and Jones if you feel homesick.

Mission District: start with some French crepes at Ti Couz!, walk up to Dolores Park and then over to the Castro District. Don't miss out on authentic Mexican tacos in the Mission. Find a hole in the wall or a taco truck that's got lots of Mexican patrons, you'll be in for a cheap treat!

Haight-Ashbury is also a fun place to walk and take in the culture.

Rent a bicycle and enjoy Golden Gate Park in the weekend when they close off the streets to most car traffic. Grab a cup of coffee and check out the local art at Canvas Cafe. Can't go without recommending the chicken wings at San Tung on Irving.

Walk around North Beach, check out some cafes, then head across Broadway to Chinatown. For lunch, pick any restaurant that's full of Chinese customers. Golden Deli has the best egg tarts!

There are lots of free walking tours of the city. Here's a website:
http://www.sfcityguides.org/

Zach, I don't know when the next SketchCrawl is scheduled, but you should check it out if they're meeting during the week you're there. A group of artists walk around the city sketching and drawing.
http://www.sketchcrawl.com/blog/

More info on events if you pick up a free copy of the Guardian.

Can they use the splurge for a day of winetasting and a meal at French Laundry in Napa? At the very least they should picnic at V. Sattui Winery. Mediocre wines, but great picnic spot.

LA's pretty fun too. Think Hollywood, think classic American car culture. Take a drive from SF to LA along the coast if you have the time.

i think if they want to go get a great view of the city, then they should go to coit tower. It is on a hill so it's high up and gives you a great view.There are also many other ways to see the city like from alcatraz, that island in the middle of the bay(angel island?),from the marin county side of the GGB and twin peaks.Also, they should see lombard street!

I know that there are tons of great spots to check out the city, so here's a few of my suggestions.....

Fort Point is a massive American Civil War era fort that offers a great view of the city by the bay and your able to explore the place as well. Also, it's a great place to watch the sufers and windsufers right below. You're gonna have to check out the website, cuz at this moment, the 4th floor is closed! Not cool! Hopefully the railing will be fixed by then.
http://www.nps.gov/fopo

Be sure to check out the USS Hornet! It's located at Pier 3 in Alameda. Definately gotta go here, cuz the TJ's will be in San Fran on Dec. 7th... the same day as the ann. of Pearl Harbor. So, gotta pay some tribute at least.
http://www.uss-hornet.org/0%7Eindex.html

If the TJ's are up for some rollerblading, check out Golden Gate Park. They can rent skates from nearby Haight St.

Every Friday night at about 8pm, hundreds of rollerbladers meet at Justin Herman Plaza for Midnight Rollers, which is a 20km (12mi) group cruise around downtown and the northern waterfront. Sounds like tons of fun really. But, not sure if this is going on when the TJ's are in town, just found it online.

Some Eats....

Swan Oyster Depot serves up some of the freshest shellfish in the city! The restaurant is near City Hall at 1517 Polk St.

House of Nan King is considered the best cheap Chinese restaurant in San Fran. Check it out, at 919 Kearny St., between Chinatown and North Beach.

Don't forget you can use Pollstar to check out which touring musical acts are going to be in town.

Some artists at sort of random from the list:

The Killers
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Taj Mahal
Aimee Mann
Napalm Death
(I just like putting "Aimee Mann" and "Napalm Death" together - it's not a double bill. )
Scissor Sisters
Zakk Wylde Black Label Society
Death Cab For Cutie
Trey Anastasio
The New Cars

(You just miss local faves Primus and Charley Hunter, as well as Lacuna Coil. Robin Williams is in town working on new material right now, and since he lives in the area, keep your ears open for a surprise show if you like comedy.)

The Fillmore is very cool just because of all of the history. So many hundreds of great artists have played there - Hendrix, The Dead, Santana, Metallica, the Stones booked it for a month as their tour rehearsal venue. Check out a book of the poster art even if you don't visit. Bimbo's is kinda funky and fun for the atmosphere, and the Warfield is great for getting right up to the front of the stage. There are lots and lots of great places to hear music, so just ask around.

Yay, you guys are coming here!

First of all, if you're in need of a place to stay (if you want to save some money) I have an apartment here. We have a couple of couches and plenty of floor space. Oh, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge If not, maybe drop by one night for a home-cooked meal or something. Our apartment (there are just two of us here) is located very close to Golden Gate Park at to the Haight district. Here are some of my suggestions/tips for San Francisco:

*Golden Gate Park-It's HUGE! And it's a nice place to go where you don't have to spend any money. Or you can have a nice picnic there or something.
*Haight-The infamous area where the hippies were in the 1960s. It's very colorful and has some great vintage shops and a great record store (Amoeba).
*Japantown-Best place for karaoke!
*North Beach/Little Italy-Best Italian food is here. The Coppolla's restaurant is there.
*Union Square-A shopaholics' mecca
*Mission District-A primarily Mexican area. Very rich in Mexican-American culture and history. Try pan dulce at one of the bakeries.
*Lombard Street-This is "the crookedest road in the world" apparently!
*Ghiradelli Square-A must for chocolate lovers. It's really pretty to visit at night.
*Fisherman's Wharf-Pretty touristy, but worth it to visit. You may not want to spend too much time here, though.
*Chinatown-Really cool architecture here, but it is also touristy.
*Popscene (330 Ritch Street)-If you guys are gonna be here on a Thursday night, definitely check out this club. It plays mostly indie rock, but they also play everything from 60s rock, to 80s new wave, to things from today. Sometimes up-and-coming bands come here. It's usually under $10 to get in as well, and one of the rare 18+ clubs (most are 21+)
*Alamo Square-Sometimes they play free outdoor movies here at night!
*Castro-A mecca for gays and lesbians. There are some nice shops and restaurants here, and also the Castro Theatre.

I also agree with whoever mentioned the Marin Civic Center. It's a gorgeous building/area! I saw Sigur Ros in concert here, and it felt almost magical.

TJs, if you guys want to get in touch with me about accomodation or anything, you can shoot me an e-mail at: avw86@aol.com

Safe travels!