apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Long Thanksgiving weekend in San Francisco -- Danger Man will spend a good part of it painting his house, and I beseech you brilliant SF'ers to tell me: what do you recommend to me for fun things to do on my own (no car)? Starting point: Twin Peaks. Thanks!

angela - there's just so much to do/see in sf ... maybe you can provide a few of your key interests?

Angela -- If you're out and about on Thanksgiving Day itself, only the most blatant of tourist traps are open. We always walked up to Chinatown, which is more fun then because it's less crowded on holidays. The mix of shops is less grab-your-money-for-tacky-souvenirs than it used to be.

On non-holidays, we've done a loop from Union Square through the Financial District and Chinatown, up to North Beach and the Wharf, then taken the bus back.

If you don't turn up Grant to Chinatown, but go further up Market, you get to the Ferry Building, which has a pseudo-European organic market inside. (And then you can take a ferry! The Sausalito ferry lands you in very walkable Sausalito. With others, you need to be careful to check where they land -- some are commuter boats that go to park-and-rides.)

For non-residents, the streetcar system is easier to manage than the buses. All streetcars run along Market Street (possible exception if the new line to Baypoint opened, but don't go there). The F-Market runs on the surface, using historic cars; it goes from the Wharf to the Castro (beaucoup boutiques! and cute Victorian houses!) via the Ferry Building. Definitely something to do.

The J-Church also goes to the Castro, but it turns at Church St. (get off, have lunch at Chow, walk along Market to Castro) and goes uphill through Dolores Park (lovely ride, or get off at the bottom and walk a few blocks east to the Mission -- several shops featured on AT, beaucoup Mexican food). If you take J-Church, get off no later than 24th St. Walk west on 24th -- that's Noe Valley, land of boutiques and baby strollers. It's possible to catch a bus around 24th and Castro to take you back to the Castro.

The N-Judah has a Castro-area stop at Duboce Triangle (near Church St.), then goes to the Sunset. The cutest part of that neighborhood is the bit along Irving, so get off there. After that point, you're out among the tapioca-tea shops; much less interesting. Going the OTHER way on the N, you go to Mission Bay, where the baseball park is: land of lofts and modern furniture shops. I know Roche-Bobois is over by the huge new Borders but don't remember the details of the rest of the gang, just that the furniture district is out this way.

The M-Oceansomething takes you through the Twin Peaks tunnel to West Portal (cute neighborhood, antique stores, don't eat at the Mexican restaurant) and thence to Stonestown Galleria (generic mall, don't bother). I think it's the M that goes all the way to the zoo -- if so, it passes through Parkside neighborhoods that have some mildly entertaining shops and restaurants, plus you get to see Doelger architecture in huge quantities.

Glen Park has an interesting MCM shop -- I think it's reached on the K-Ingleside, but I'm not sure; we always drove or took BART.

For visitors, the only really worthwhile places to go on BART are the Mission (also reachable from the J-Church) and downtown Berkeley. Most stops are aimed at commuters.

Worth getting on a bus for (the 38-Geary, heaven help us!, unless you can find a rarer 2-Clement) is the Inner Richmond, specifically Clement St. between Arguello and Presidio. The Green Apple, perpetually voted Best Used Bookstore, is around 6th Ave.

I seem to have left off Hayes Valley (boutique-a-rama), the Haight (1968 theme park, really), and Golden Gate Park -- they're served by mass transit but weren't enough of my regular turf for me to remember how to get there.

Ack! I also forgot Polk Gulch, which is boutique central, including a national-destination vintage pottery shop. This is Polk St. between about Pine and wherever you run out of steam (but definitely get at least as far as Washington). The 19 bus (I forget its name) runs along it; you can also take a 47 or 49 along Van Ness, the big street a couple blocks west.

If you take a westbound bus at Union Street (the 10?) either from Polk or from North Beach, you end up in the Union Street neighborhood, which is kind of chi-chi and has been taken over by the usual upscale national chains (Williams-Sonoma, etc.).

SFGate's neighborhood guide is reasonably accurate:
http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/

There's an annual "Race to the Far Side", now called "Run Wild!" in Golden Gate Park that weekend. It's a fun 5K or 10K run or walk and folks always dress up in fun costumes!
http://www.rhodyco.com/runwild.html

Wow! You guys are WONDERFUL! I can't wait. You've given me so many ideas I'll have a hard time narrowing it down -- I think anything that gets me walking will be at the top of the list. Furniture shops, Wharf, Castro, Polk, Haight, Sausalito, Ferry Building - I am really looking forward to this. I might have Danger Man just drop me off in one of these areas and then find me later, dazed and exhausted. What a fun game. "Run Wild" sounds like a blast -- we'll both want to do that!

when you're tuckered out, visit Kabuki Baths/day spa, for $15, last time i heard
(call for female or coed days), especially on a foggy day; eat in Japantown aftrward,
try not to melt on way home.

i recommend two sublime breakfast spots, and one lunch or early dinner eatery (please google popular but worth the line, Zagat rated) Dottie's,
@ O'Farrell + Jones, downtown (next to the also yummy Shalimar, in "Tandooriloin"--don't let the unstreetsmart scare you away from the TL.
Generously portioned American food, great specials and pastries.

if you're a meditator (or wanting to start; something i should do much more of!):
Hayes Valley Zen Center
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/08/31/HO116402.DTL&type=travel

http://www.sfzc.org/

after the morning session and doing a chore, you can join in breakfast; a bowl of peach slices + cream of wheat may never taste so good, you might even cry).

finally, DELESSIO, Market + valencia streets, near Flax art supplies.
color rich, Euro style deli...divine...make sure you get here, too, locals!

can't resist plugging the
Eagle beer bust, sundays, 4-8, for gays/friends of, rockers; biker, freak or regular joe style.
or Zeitgeist (which i haven't been to, but is for the het/mixed set) on Valencia, a few blocks down from Delessio.

just a few picks!

ps
3 great furniture shops:
Hedge

Limn (Soma)

the Pickled Hutch (noe valley, church + 28thish)

SF City Guides does free walking tours 7 days a week, and will be running through the Thanksgiving holidays. I volunteer with them, and it's a *wonderful* way to get to know the city and see places you wouldn't even notice before.
http://www.sfcityguides.com/schedules_nov-apr.html

For a little bit of cash, you can get a ticket to the double decker tour buses. They have a specific route and stop at specific times, and have a narrated tour and you have hop on, hop off privileges. $20 gets you a ticket good for 48 hours
http://www.buysanfranciscotours.com/tours/citysightseeing_tours_all_tours.html

A fabulous view of the city, and great for a beginner is a kayak tour. They launch from south Embarcadero between the Ferry Building and AT&T park. The tours include life jacket, waterproof parka thingy, a skirt to snap you into the kayak, a stroke lesson, a chase boat that will take pics of you & post them online for you to download. There are tours every day during Thanksgiving.
http://www.citykayak.com/

The City Pass is a great way to get to know the city - a 7-day transit pass (including Cable Cars), a 1-hour bay cruise, admission to SFMoMA, deYoung & Legion of Honor, Aquarium, Exploratorium, and either the CAS/Steinhart Aquarium or the Asian Art museum. $49.
http://www.citypass.com/city/sanfrancisco.html

My fave free places to go see/do are:
- Ferry Building. Go to the second floor - it's open to the public, gorgeous space!
- Flood Building (@ Powell & Market cable car turnaround) - cool historical displays, see the Maltese Falcon!
- Cable Car Museum at Washington & Mason - cool as heck, and free!
- Streetcar Museum - new! On Stuart between Mission & Market, faces plaza in front of Ferry Building. And yes, free.
- Hunter-Dulin Building (SW corner Sutter & Montgomery). Open 24/7/365. Ask the guard (any of the guards) at the desk about the history of the building.
- Telegraph hill neighborhood - walk some of the staircase "paper" streets on the east side. See lots of parrots.
- Crocker Galleria mall (Post at Mongomery) - 2 roof gardens, great architecture views. On a business day, go down to the Wells Fargo Bank on the corner of Post & Montgomery.
- Palace Hotel - walk through 24/7/365, see the cool historical displays, have a drink and look at the fabulous Maxfield Parish mural at Maxfield's Bar.
- Fairmont Hotel - wow wow wow. Walk through historical displays on three floors, see the lovely outdoor garden with great views in the back, sit in the lobby & have a drink, walk through the room where the UN Charter was drafted, then go and have a drink at the Tonga Room. Yes, that's a giant pool in the middle of the room. Where the band plays. And it rains. Fabu happy hour food 5-7pm M-F for $7.
- Levi's Plaza - cool outdoor space, walk through waterfalls & streams, designed by Lawrence Halprin.
- Ride the glass elevators in the St. Francis Hotel
- For views, there are amazing ones at the top of the 'Wurlitzer Building', aka the Marriott at Market & 4th. The top floor is a nice little bar - enjoy!
- And SF city hall! Guided tours, and a great virtual tour on their website:
http://www.sfgov.org/site/cityhall_index.asp?id=4356

Oh and Angela, since you're a girl, not only is Kabuki an option, but a fabu all-women's place called Osento, on Valencia. :)
http://www.osento.com/services/about.html
Ya gotta love the "gender policy statement" they have. :D

this thread is just the tonic i needed. i'm down to the last push on my way to relocating to the bay area. if any of you recall i was selling my philadelphia home and moving west. well my house sold in 4 weeks and now i just have to repair some stuff found in the dreaded inspection. my nerves are in a tight bundle and just reading all these suggestions almost brought tears to my tired eyes. it reminded me why i'm doing all this. i will bookmark these suggestions for the day i arrive in your wonderful city and 'run wild' myself. thanks everyone.