What to do and what to eat in San Francisco?

So I'm going to San Francisco with my girlfriend because Ensiferum, Belphegor, The Absence and Amon Amarth have all decided to skip out on Phoenix. She wanted to go to and San Fran seemed like the best bet since neither of us have been there. We're going to be there for a week, during the last few days of September and the first week of October.

So besides the usual tourist trap sight seeing, is there anything underground I should look out for? We're gonna go to Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, and she wants to see a drag show. I'd like to avoid as much tourist traps as possible and get away from shopping and such. We'll more than likely visit some museums and such. What good shit is there to do that is not well known? Also really good restaurants would be fantastic. Nothing too expensive i.e. under $100 for two people. All kinds of food is welcome.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

went there for a week a month ago, hit up the Legion of Honor museum (lots of Rodin), Alcatraz (try to book a night tour as early as possible) erm, for restauraunts, Ozumo (sushi) is mindblowing. there's another restauraunt, Rubicon, half owned by Robert de Niro that is really good as well. both of these might be on the pricey side, though.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Sights Golden Gate Park is really touristy but that place is pretty crazy, just take an afternoon to explore and you'll come across a bunch of random crap (Chinese Pavilion, random man made lake, Shakespeare Garden). The Presidio is also nice park and is right next to the Palace of Fine Arts. Photo-op, but nothing much there but grass, a giant dome and the LucasArts compound at the Presidio. Crissy Field is walking distance from here and it's a beach with views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Fillmore Area is an area with lots of jazz bars and eateries. Upper Fillmore is more shopping but they have some interesting stores. Also Japantown is right on Fillmore and Geary, if you want to indulge any of those interests. If you go to Chinatown, check out Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory on Ross Alley. The operation is essentially a long gray room with a bunch of hunched Chinese women hand folding fortune cookies, but the cookies are delicious and the fortune cookie rounds are a local staple. If you want a good view and have a car, take a trip up to Twin Peaks. It's one of the highest points in the city and you get 360 views of the entire SF.

Museums SFMOMA, DeYoung Museum (in Golden Gate Park), Legion of Honor (seconded and it's near the Golden Gate Bridge if you want to partake in that kind of touristy), Asian Art Museum (mostly ancient art), Exploratorium (hands-on, science)

Food Rosamunde Sausage Grill at Lower Haight: German grilled sausages with German toppings served to you by an old German lady. Cheap and if you're already on at Upper Haight, take a bus ride down the street.
Sophie's Crepes at Japantown: Best gelato filled crepes, get the caramel.
Caffe Delucchi at North Beach: Pretty touristy but North Beach is a nice area to explore if you're already in Chinatown. Service is shit but food can't be argued with.
Arizmendi Bakery: Breakfast baked goods, if you feel the urge. It's a couple blocks south of Golden Gate Park so it's pretty accessible if you're at the park. Also serves flatbread pizzas.
Jeanty At Jacks at the Financial District: French food, pricier. Pork chops, tomato soup, Bistro Jeanty in Napa Valley is a bit better but if you stay in the city, it's worth a trip.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Definitely go to Muir Woods on a weekday during the day (it can get pretty touristy during the weekends). Muir Woods is a grove of California Redwoods, which are spectacularly huge trees. You'll also get to go over the Golden Gate bridge and on your way back will have some great views of the city.

While you're in Marin County (north of San Francisco), you might as well check out a restaurant or two in Sausalito. Cute town, right on the bay, fun to just walk around in. If you are allergic to rich people I would recommend staying away though.

Honestly, just take a look at the Wikipedia article for SF and familiarize yourself with the city. There's so much to do and see here you're not going to be able to do it all in one trip. Heck, I live here and I'm still exploring.

Oh, and if you want good Mexican food, the Mission is the place to be. I recommend El Faroltio, which is right by the 24th and Mission BART stop. Some other places I like: The Blue Plate (dressed up American food, I like the meatloaf). Suriya (Thai, great curry). Wild Pepper has decent Americanized Chinese food. I would honestly recommend checking out Yelp for places to eat. When you figure out what area of the city you're going to be in, just search on Yelp for restaurants near there and sort by highest rated.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Well, I suppose I'll say the obvious tourist destination: Chinatown. It's not as great as it used to be (well, to me anyway) but if you've never been there, it's definitely worth the visit. While you're there, you can eat at the very good -- but very expensive -- Chinese restaurant called "The Empress of China." I don't think it's completely worth the price, but it's up an elevator and has an impressive view, and the atmosphere is very nice. A lot of famous people have eaten there over the years.

J-town is also kind of nice, but compared to Little Tokyo in LA it's not that great. Still, there's a little mall and some good Japanese restaurants...and if you haven't been to any other "little Japan" then it's pretty decent.

Also, Ghirardelli Square is really nice, and chocolate should be a great incentive for your girlfriend (unless she's allergic, in which case, it might be less appealing). There's lots of shops and stuff... it's rather touristy (sorry), but nice. HOWEVER, don't go there at night. In the daytime it's a nice enough area, but it gets kind of rough at night... at least, a few years ago that was the case. I don't know, maybe it's different now.

Unfortunately, San Francisco is extremely expensive in general. My parents and I go there a lot less than LA, even though we like it a lot better, because of the prices.

I was speaking idiomatically.

If you visit Chinatown be sure to venture off of Grant Street, which is mainly geared towards the tourists, and head one block over onto to Stockton. This is where the real Chinatown is and it's worth stumbling through the massive crowd just to watch the locals shop.

I also suggest making your way to Lombard Street (the crooked part) and climbing to the top for the absolutely breathtaking view.

If you're feeling adventurous take a trip (silly me - I walked there from my Union Square hotel) to the Golden Gate Bridge and make your way across and back. The photo opportunities alone are worth the trek. Just bear in mind that the mist generally doesn't break until after noon; I learned this the hard way.

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Originally Posted by Arkhangelsk

J-town is also kind of nice, but compared to Little Tokyo in LA West LA, it's not that great.

Fixed. <3 Little Tokyo is too ghetto to go in search of Japanese stuff...

Sorry, don't mean to derail.

I'd say for food, go try out the Trattoria's in Little Italy. <3

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