SF visit info

For those coming out to SF, some brief tips and suggestions. Most importantly bring some warm clothes as the city gets chilly sometimes during the day but almost always at night. Mark Twain famously joked that "the coldest winter he ever experienced was the summer in San Francisco" so make sure to bring a coat.
http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/San_Francisco.html

Public transport is ok but not great. The BART is the train system and it's both dirty and expensive. Taxis are also dirty, expensive and often difficult to get due to anticompetitive regulations. SF is a great place to see on foot so bring comfortable shoes as well. Renting a car is not advisable unless absolutely necessary due to difficult roads, hills and ultra expensive parking.

Those who like to exercise should bring running shoes in order to run along the Embarcadero which lies on the edge of the Bay and is a wonderful way to spend part of the day. Those who don't want to run should still visit the Ferry Building for it's wonderful food and drink marketplace.
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

As it is the height of summer tourist season, if you wish to visit any of the hotspots it's advisable to do so as early in the day as possible.

Alcatraz gets booked up days in advance so those wishing to go need to make a reservation for a ticket. http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/ The tours from Alcatraz leave from Fisherman's Wharf which is a mundane tourist trap but is worthwhile to try and find "Bush Man" who hides behind bushes and scares people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Famous_Bushman

The Golden Gate can be enjoyed by walking over it but can be difficult to park around so perhaps best to get transport to/from. There is a great view of SF from across the bridge.
http://goldengatebridge.org/bikesbridge/bikes.php

Not too far across the Golden Gate is Muir Woods which is the closest place to see the Redwoods. http://www.nps.gov/muwo/

The crookedest street in the world is Lombard Street and can be walked down as well as driven down. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombard_Street_(San_Francisco)

Chinatown is still functional for the local Chinese but I can't offer any suggestions. There is a fortune cookie factory I've heard is good to visit though.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-gate-fortune-cookies-san-francisco

Coit Tower is worth heading up and generally doesn't get too big of a line. Night or day is good to check out the view but I'd say day is better.
http://www.sftravel.com/coit-tower-san-francisco.html

Best view is from Twin Peaks but it requires a car.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Peaks,_San_Francisco,_California

North Beach is the Italian neighborhood which is on the border of the Financial district and Chinatown. It's a great place to hang out but is pretty touristy so some of the restaurants aren't good. I like a place owned by Francis Ford Coppola called Cafe Zeotrope for a glass of wine and a pizza. http://www.cafecoppola.com/cafezoetrope/ Nearby Cafe Triste is a good old style cafe http://www.caffetrieste.com/pages/locations.html and for alcohol, I'm a fan of Tosca http://www.yelp.com/biz/tosca-cafe-san-francisco

One of our favorite places to drink is the Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel. Shauna's favorite drink is their lychee martini with extra lychees but the place gets really crowded on the weekend nights. Besides the drinks, I'm a big fan of their video murals. Upscale dress code.
http://www.clifthotel.com/clift_hotel_redwood_room.asp

Union Square anchors a central part of the city and has various retail surrounding it. Nearby on Market Street, the Westfield mall is great and has a wonderful food court in the basement. Our favorite SF restaurant is in the mall, Straits Cafe which serves Singaporean food. http://www.straitsrestaurants.com/index.php?section=11 The oldest restaurant in the city isn't too far either, Tadich Grill which we've enjoyed on occasion. http://www.yelp.com/biz/tadich-grill-san-francisco

Shauna lives across the street from the Giants ballpark and there are games on Saturday night at 6 and Sunday afternoon at 1pm. It's worth dropping into the neighborhood as plenty of places to eat and drink are around.

I'm not much of a fan of the Marina neighborhood (Union Street, etc..) but there are lots of boutiques and places to eat. Fillmore Street is more my style and also hosts lots of places to eat and shop.

An old SF place that's nice to visit is Swans Oyster Depot for shellfish but there'll be a wait.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/swan-oyster-depot-san-francisco

The food isn't all that but the ocean view is wonderful from the Cliff House.
http://www.cliffhouse.com/

There's a lot more to see in the city but that's all I can think of at the moment.