From Union Square walk to Market street and take the Muni (underground in the center) and take the line N Judah to 9th Avenue and Irving. It is the center of the Inner Sunset neighborhood. Many nice restaurants of all types--burgers, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, bars, etc. For a sandwich or salad try Pluto's (on Irving between 7th and 8th Avenue), The Japanese restaurant on 9th Avenue (can't recall the name), West side just past the Bank of America is suppose to be one of the best in town. Park Chow on 9th is also good American food. You can walk into Golden Gate Park at 9th Avenue, walk through the Arboretum to the new De Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. At 7th and Irving there is an interesting shop with some unique gifts; also on Irving between 8th and 9th visit Betty Boop's for more interesting novelties and gifts. Go to the Park on a Sunday when it is closed to cars in parts.
David_S, Aug 19, 2007 @ 17:50

Of course there is all the touristy stuff that you will find in any guidebook: Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge, Cable Cars, Pier 39, Lombard Street, and Ghirardelli Square. All these are great, but for me a great day in the city is catching a Giant’s game (yes they are one of the worst teams in baseball right now, but the ball park is really great) or if the weather is good, hiking along the costal cliffs near the Presidio and Baker Beach or down by the Cliff House.

Here are some of my favorite places in the city for dinner/drinks/going out (that I can think of off the top of my head – it’s been a while since I’ve been home). In no particular order:
Cha Cha Cha: (in the Mission) Fun, lively place for Mexican tapas. There are lots of good bars around there too, even one with a rooftop terrace that looks out over the city.
Roy’s San Francisco: Great seafood
Top of the Mark (in the Mark Hopkins Hotel): Bar with amazing views of the city.
Asia SF: A fun tapas bar with great entertainment (I’ve been there for bachelorette parties and we have had a blast).
Julie’s Supper Club: Nice atmosphere South of Market
21st Amendment: Neighborhood brewery with good food.
Ruby Skye: A great bar/dance place near Union Square
Nola’s (in Palo Alto): If you are down that way, this is a fun Cajun restaurant.

If you have time I would get out of the city and check out some places a little further a field. My favorites are:
Muir woods, the wine country (Napa or Sonoma), Sausalito (great views of SF), Santa Cruz, & if you have time Yosemite (just a 4 hour drive from SF).

I hope this helps!
~Debbie :)

Debbie, Aug 19, 2007 @ 19:23

I love Geneva, but I can never get enough of SF. I don't even know where to start, as you've already been I wont go on and on about how great my city is, so here is a couple (random) thoughts:

Nice bars:
I second Top of the Mark for a nice drink and great views. Pretty much every night they have some kind of live jazz. http://www.topofthemark.com/
Redwood room: Historic redwood room at the Clift Hotel, http://www.clifthotel.com/clift_hotel_redwood_room.asp

Neighborhoods:
Marina: stereotype, trendy crowd. tons of fancy boutiques on Chestnut and Union, good for window shopping. Some great trendy restaurants and bars.
Mission: stereotype, a hipster crowd. Lots of cool restaurants popping up in the recent years. Some examples:
Cha Cha Cha: caribbean food (my favorite in the original one on Haight street, its smaller and gets packed) http://www.cha3.com/
La Taqueria: 2889 Mission St. My favorite mexican restaurant (its really casual, not really restaurant) ! I miss it so much.
Delfina: really popular neighborhood trattoria (pizzeria opened recently next door) http://www.delfinasf.com/reviews.html
Medjool (the rooftop terrace that debbie mentioned): the place is huge, the highlight is that they have a really nice rooftop terrace. However, I think sometimes it can be a bit of a young college crowd as there is a hostel right next door and the place turns into a club at night. http://www.medjoolsf.com/

Hayes Valley: becoming more and more popular, some great restaurants
Absinthe Brasserie and Bar is fabulous, really nice place: bell epoque decor, have a fabulous cocktail at the bar and order their famous french fries, or there is a more formal dinning room http://www.absinthe.com/

Ferry building at the Embarcadero: http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/
I worked right by the Embarcadero so spent alot of time for lunch and after work drinks in this area. At the Ferry building there is a Farmers market certain days and some cute places to eat (mostly lunch). Its nice to walk along the water here. The Slanted door is a famous, trendy Vietnamese Restaurant
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/slanted_door.php
There are tons of restaurants in the area (mostly upscale) and bars for after work drinks. One of my favorite restaurants (but its definitely pricey) is Boulevard Restaurant, again is belle epoque decor (im a big fan of this style as you can tell) http://www.boulevardrestaurant.com/



Here is a websites that might be useful for looking up restaurants and bars, also for finding out about live music etc..
http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/
Also this website describes the various neighborhoods and the best bars and restaurants. http://sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/
Nisa, Aug 21, 2007 @ 01:01