©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 167

The Castro & Noe Valley

Neighborhood 15th St Top Five Beaver St t 1 S (p175) t #÷ e 16th St 2# rk Catching an evening film a M and hearing the Mighty THE Wurlitzer’s pipes roar States St MISSION before showtime. 000000 t 000000 17th S 00004#æ#00 2 Corona Heights (p169) 000000 0S0t 0000 Dorland St Climbing to the top at sun- rket00000#ý0 d St Ma 000010#0 For set and watching Market St light up below. 18th St 3 24th Street (p176) k St THE Hancoc Dolores Dodging baby strollers as CASTRO Park you window-shop indie 19th St stores.

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For more detail of this area see Maps p311 and p312 A 168 Lonely Planet’s Top Tip Explore: the Castro & Noe Valley Historic streetcars run like The Castro’s main crossroads is at the intersection of Mar- toy trains along the water- ket, 17th and Castro Sts. Noe Valley extends along 24th St, front and up Market St, from a scant mile down Castro, over the (gigantic) 21st St hill. Fisherman’s Wharf to the

The Cas The You can explore both neighborhoods in a few hours. Castro, via downtown. Trou- Mornings are quiet. The Castro is busiest afternoons ble is, trains sometimes get and evenings, especially weekends, when crowds come stuck in traffic and you can to people-watch, shop and drink; at night expect to see

t wait forever. Check arrival 20-somethings stumbling down the wide sidewalks. Noe ro & Noe Valley & Noe ro times at www.nextmuni.com, Valley is best midday and in the afternoon – there’s not which uses GPS tracking; use much open after 7pm, just some bars and restaurants. the ‘live map’ to determine If the 21st St Hill atop Castro St proves too daunting, trains’ exact locations. If bus 24-Divasadero connects the two neighborhoods, but the F-Market service is far it’s notorious for gaps in service: expect to wait, or check away or running slow, take www.nextmuni.com for real-time arrivals. In Noe Valley, underground-metro K, L or shops on 24th St extend between Diamond and Church M trains, which move (much)

Sts; and on Church St, the restaurants and shops con- faster beneath Market St – tinue until the last stop on the J-Church line, around  same ticket, same price. 29th St. Castro-area shops line Market St, between Church and Castro Sts, and Castro St itself, from Mar- 5 Best Places ket to 19th Sts, with a few scattered along 18th St. Both to Eat neighborhoods are surrounded by residential streets, good for strolling, with many pretty Victorians. ¨¨Frances (p173) ¨¨Starbelly (p172) ¨¨Anchor Oyster Bar (p173) Local Life ¨¨Lovejoy’s Tea Room ¨Hangouts The Wednesday-afternoon Castro Farmers (p173) Market (March through November) provides the best ¨¨Poesia (p173) glimpse of locals, especially from sidewalk tables at For reviews, see p172 A Cafe Flore (p173). ¨Drinking The Castro is packed with bars, but most 6 Best Places don’t get going till evening. For listings, pick up a copy to Drink of BarTab magazine – supplement to the local, gay Bay Area Reporter newspaper. ¨¨Cafe Flore (p173) ¨Paying homage When a friend of the community ¨¨Blackbird (p174) dies, locals lay flowers and post pictures on the wall of ¨¨440 Castro (p174) the Bank of America building at 18th and Castro – ¨¨Moby Dick (p175) always a touching sight. ¨¨Twin Peaks Tavern (p174) ¨What (not) to wear You may be tempted to flaunt For reviews, see p173 A your gym-toned physique in the sexy Castro, but once the afternoon fog blows, carry a jacket or shiver – locals spot tourists by their shorts and tank tops. 7 Best Shopping ¨¨Sui Generis (p176) Getting There & Away ¨¨Artisana (p176) ¨Metro K, L and M trains run beneath Market St to ¨¨Podolls (p176) Castro Station. J trains serve Noe Valley. ¨¨Local Take (p176) ¨Streetcar Vintage streetcars operate on the F-Market ¨¨Cliff’s Variety (p176) line, from Fisherman’s Wharf to Castro St. For reviews, see p176 A ¨Bus Buses 24 and 33 go to the Castro, but there may be long waits between services. Buses 24 and 48 serve Noe Valley. Plan Your Trip 12 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

San Francisco

“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!” TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET

Alison Bing, John A Vlahides, Sara Benson, Ashley Harrell Contents

ContentsPlanPlan Your Your Trip Trip page 1 04

Welcome to San If You Like... �������������������� 18 Entertainment ����������� 34 Francisco ������������������������� 4 Month By Month ����������� 20 LGBT+ �������������������������� 37 ’s Top 10 ��� 6 With Kids ����������������������� 23 Shopping ��������������������� 39 What’s New ������������������� 13 Eating �������������������������� 25 Sports & Activities ��� 42 Need to Know ���������������� 14 Drinking & Top Itineraries ��������������� 16 Nightlife ��������������������� 30

Explore San Francisco 44

Neighborhoods North Beach The Haight, NoPa at a Glance ����������������� 46 & Chinatown ���������������� 112 & Hayes Valley ������������� 178 The Marina, Nob Hill, Russian Hill Fisherman’s Wharf & Fillmore �������������������� 128 & the Avenues ������������� 193 & the Piers ��������������������� 48 The Mission Day Trips from Downtown, Civic Center & Potrero Hill �������������� 144 San Francisco ���������� 206 & SoMa �������������������������� 74 The Castro Sleeping ������������������� 226 & Noe Valley ����������������� 167

Understand San Francisco 237

San Francisco Literary San San Francisco Music �� 255 Today ��������������������������� 238 Francisco �������������������� 250 San Francisco History ������������������������� 240 Visual Arts �������������������252 Architecture ���������������� 258

Survival Guide 263

Transportation ����������� 264 Directory A–Z �������������� 271 Index ���������������������������� 277

San Francisco Maps 287 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 206

•#Calistoga

Sonoma •# •#Napa Point Reyes National Seashore•# Tiburon Stinson Beach•# Angel Island •# •# •# •# •#Berkeley Muir Woods •# Sausalito •# Oakland SAN FRANCISCO

5 3 0 1 •# PACIFIC m km Half Moon Bay OCEAN il es

10 6 0 Año Nuevo 2 •# m km State Reserve il es e#

Day Trips from San Francisco

Berkeley & Oakland p207 The legendary counterculture hubs of ‘Bezerkely’ and ‘Oaktown’ keep busy reinventing music, art, history and politics – but dinnertime is sacred in this culinary hub.

Muir Woods to Stinson Beach p212 Some of the world’s tallest trees reach skyward in primordial forests near windblown beaches, just across the .

Sausalito & Tiburon p214 Picturesque bayside towns, perfect for strolling, are a fast ferry ride away in Marin County. Meet for sunset drinks and seafood by the water.

Napa Valley p218 Sun-washed valleys and cool coastal fog have turned Napa into Califor- nia’s most iconic wine-growing region – but redwood groves, pioneer- ing organic farms and natural hot springs keep things diverse.

Sonoma Valley p223 With its 19th-century mission town, farm-to-table kitchens and pastoral wineries that welcome picnicking, Sonoma retains its folksy ways. 207

Need to Know Berkeley & ¨Area Code %510 ¨Location Berkeley is 11 miles northeast Oakland of San Francisco; Oakland is 8 miles west. ¨Visit Berkeley (%510-549-7040, 800-847- Explore 4823; www.visitberkeley.com; 2030 Addison Berkeley and Oakland are what most St; h9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri; ZDowntown San Franciscans think of as the East Bay, Berkeley) though the area covers industrial bay- ¨Visit Oakland (%510-839-9000; www.visit side flats to exclusive enclaves in the hills. oakland.com; 481 Water St; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri, Even the most die-hard San Franciscans 10am-4pm Sat & Sun) are eventually lured over to the sunny side of the bay by fascinating museum shows and historical sites, ground-breaking res- taurants and bars, a booming arts scene, 1 SIGHTS offbeat shopping, idyllic parks and a world- UNIVERSITY OF famous university. CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY UNIVERSITY (%510-642-6000; www.berkeley.edu; hhours The Best… vary; pW; ZDowntown Berkeley) ‘Cal’ is one ¨Sight University of California, Berkeley of the country’s top universities, California’s Place to Eat Chez Panisse (p210) oldest university (1866), and home to 40,000 S from Day Trips ¨Entertainment Fox Theater (p211) diverse, politically conscious students. Next to California Memorial Stadium (%510- 642-2730; www.californiamemorialstadium.com; Top Tip 2227 Piedmont Ave; hhours vary; c; gAC Tran- The Bay Bridge Path (www.baybridgeinfo. sit 52), the Koret Visitor Center (%510-642- org/path; hhours vary) is a pedestrian and 5215; http://visit.berkeley.edu; 2227 Piedmont bicycle route along the new eastern span of Ave; h8:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat the Bay Bridge between Oakland and Yerba & Sun; gAC Transit 36) has information and F an Buena Island. To reach Yerba Buena Island, maps, and leads free campus walking tours it’s about 5 miles from Emeryville or 3.5 (reservations required). Cal’s landmark is rancisco miles from West Oakland. the 1914 Campanile (Sather Tower; %510-642- 6000; http://campanile.berkeley.edu; adult/child Getting There & Away $3/2; h10am-3:45pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4:45pm Sat, ¨BART (www.bart.gov) Trains run approxi- 10am-1:30pm & 3-4:45pm Sun; c; ZDowntown Berkeley), with elevator rides ($3) to the top B

mately every 10 to 20 minutes from around er 4:30am to midnight on weekdays, with and carillon concerts. The Bancroft Library % k more limited service from 6am on Saturday ( 510-642-3781; www.lib.berkeley.edu/libraries/ e l h and from 8am on Sunday and holidays. bancroft-library; University Dr; archives 10am- ey 4pm or 5pm Mon-Fri; W; ZDowntown Berkeley) ¨Bus AC Transit (www.actransit.org) oper- &O F ates a number of buses from San Francisco’s displays the small gold nugget that

started the California gold rush in 1848. a

Transbay Temporary Terminal to the East kl Bay (one-way fare $4.20, or $2.10 if you buy UC BERKELEY ART MUSEUM MUSEUM and a $5 day pass valid on local buses). (BAMPFA; %510-642-0808; www.bampfa. ¨ Car Approach the East Bay from San berkeley.edu; 2155 Center St, Berkeley; adult/ Francisco by taking the Bay Bridge. Driv- child $12/free; h11am-7pm Sun, Wed & Thu, to ing back westbound to San Francisco, the 9pm Fri & Sat; W; ZDowntown Berkeley) With bridge toll is $4 to $6. a stainless-steel exterior wrapping around ¨Ferry Offering splendid views, the San a 1930s printing plant, the museum’s new Francisco Bay Ferry (p266) is the most location holds multiple galleries showcasing enjoyable way of traveling between San a limited number of artworks, from ancient Francisco and the East Bay, though also Chinese to cutting-edge contemporary. The the slowest and most expensive. complex also houses a bookstore, cafe and the much-loved Pacific Film Archive (PFA; %510-642-5249; www.bampfa.berkeley.edu; 2155 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 74

Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa FINANCIAL DISTRICT | JACKSON SQUARE | UNION SQUARE | SOMA | CIVIC CENTER | THE TENDERLOIN

Neighborhood Top Five 1 Ferry Building (p79) triple-sized SFMOMA – and impresario Michael Tilson Grazing the Northern discussing it over museum- Thomas conduct Beethoven California food scene with quality meals at In Situ. from the tips of his toes incredible bay views at this 3 Riding a cable car (p82) at the Grammy-winning showcase for the Bay Area’s Squealing with glee during Symphony. food purveyors and organic the trip and congratulating 5 Asian Art Museum farmers. yourself for not wearing (p78) Seeing all the way 2 San Francisco Museum shorts and shivering the across the Pacific via of Modern Art (p76) Get- whole way. the museum’s priceless ting lost in mesmerizing 4 San Francisco Sym- treasures. installation art at the new phony (p102) Watching

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For more detail of this area see Maps p294, p296, p298 and p301 A 75 Lonely Planet’s Explore: Downtown, Top Tip Civic Center & SoMa Most tourists begin cable- The cluster of monumental stone buildings and plazas car trips at Powell St but of- around City Hall is called Civic Center. Start your day ten get stuck waiting in the at the Asian Art Museum (p78), then take your pick of long lines at the cable-car dozens of local food stalls at Heart of the City Farmers turnaround at Powell and Market (p94) or the Twitter building marketplace (p86). Market Sts – and subjected North and east of Civic Center is the less-than-savory to panhandlers and clamor- Tenderloin, which most first-time visitors are advised to ous street performers. Ei- skip – though adventurous gallery-goers brave Market St ther queue up for the Powell Downtown, Civi between 8th and 6th for groundbreaking arts nonprofits. St cable car before noon, Hop the F line to Powell St for shopping around Union Sq, or hop the lesser-traveled, or head onward to Montgomery to discover splendid ar- more historic California St chitecture among the Financial District’s mighty temples line near the Embarcadero. of money. Come nightfall, SoMa bars, nightclubs and drag cabarets encourage outrageousness. If you scored tickets Best Places to the SF Symphony or Opera, catch the California cable 5 to Eat car to Van Ness and stroll downhill to your show. c ¨¨In Situ (p92) Center & SoMa ¨¨Ferry Building (p79) Local Life ¨¨Benu (p92) ¨Markets Ferry Building and Civic Center farmers- ¨¨Tout Sweet (p90) market days are foodie magnets, with heirloom pro- ¨¨Cotogna (p88) duce, local artisan foods and free samples galore. For reviews, see p88 A ¨Arts revival The blighted blocks of SoMa and Market

 St west of Powell may not be much to look at from the outside, but inside they’re full of ideas: arts nonprofits 6 Best Places stage provocative shows in many formerly derelict dives. to Drink ¨ Happy hours You’re spoiled for choice downtown – ¨¨Bar Agricole (p98) and weekday drink specials beckon. ¨¨Bourbon & Branch (p101) ¨¨Pagan Idol (p95) ¨¨Aunt Charlie’s (p101) Getting There & Away ¨¨Eagle Tavern (p98) ¨Streetcar Historic F-Market streetcars run above ¨¨Local Edition (p95) Market St, between the Castro and Fisherman’s Wharf. ¨¨Stud (p98) ¨Cable car Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines link downtown with the Wharf (Mason is shorter, Hyde For reviews, see p94A more scenic); the California St line runs over Nob Hill. ¨Bus Market St–bound Muni lines serve downtown: 2, Best 5, 6, 7, 14, 21, 30, 31, 38, 41, 45. In SoMa the 30 and 45 3 run down 4th St from the Marina and Union Sq; the 14 Entertainment runs through SoMa to the Mission along Mission St. The ¨¨San Francisco 27 runs from the Mission to Nob Hill via SoMa; the 47 Symphony (p102) runs along Harrison St through SoMa, up Van Ness to ¨¨American Conservatory Fisherman’s Wharf; the 19 runs up 8th and Polk Sts to Theater (p103) the Wharf. ¨¨San Francisco ¨Metro J, K/T, L, M and N metro lines run under Market Opera (p102) St. The N continues to the Caltrain station, connecting ¨¨Oasis (p104) SoMa to the Haight and Golden Gate Park. The T runs ¨¨Yerba Buena Center for from downtown, via SoMa, stopping along 3rd St. the Arts (p105) ¨BART Downtown stations are Embarcadero, Mont- For reviews, see p102 A gomery, Powell and Civic Center. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 193

Golden Gate Park & the Avenues THE RICHMOND | THE SUNSET

Neighborhood Top Five 1 Golden Gate Park lines to discover ground- 4 Coastal Trail (p205) (p195) Doing what comes breaking global art from Glimpsing seals, sunsets naturally: skipping, lolling Oceania to South Africa, and shipwrecks along San or lindy-hopping through Afghanistan to Alaska. Francisco’s wild waterfront America’s most outlandish 3 California Academy of walk. stretch of urban wilderness, Sciences (p196) Enjoying 5 Ocean Beach (p199) and racing bison toward the sunsets on the wildflower- Numbing your toes in the Pacific Ocean. topped roof and wild nights Pacific and expanding your 2 at kids-only Academy horizons to Asia over bon- (p196) Following Andy sleepovers and 21-plus fires in artist-designed fire Goldsworthy’s sidewalk fault NightLife events. pits.

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For more detail of this area see Map p318 A 194 Lonely Planet’s Top Tip Explore: Golden Gate Park Hear that echo across & the Avenues Golden Gate Park? It’s prob- Civilization is overrated, with its traffic jams and office ably a concert – and quite blocks – but once you reach the Conservatory of Flow- possibly a free one. Opera ers (p197) in Golden Gate Park, that’s all behind you. divas, indie acts, bluegrass Hang out with blue butterflies in the rainforest dome at greats and hip-hop heavies the California Academy of Sciences (p196), or globe-trot take turns rocking SF gratis, from Oceanic masks to James Turrell light installations from the wintry days of June in the worldly arts exhibits of the de Young Museum through golden October af- (p196). Enjoy a moment of Zen and green tea in the Japa- ternoons. Most concerts are nese Tea Garden (p197), then summit Strawberry Hill for held in Sharon Meadow or views past Stow Lake to the Pacific as red-tailed hawks Polo Fields at weekends; for swoop past. upcoming events, consult Wander to San Francisco Botanical Garden (p197) the park calendar at www. for respite in the redwood grove before hopping the N Golden Gate Park & the A & Park Gate the Golden golden-gate-park.com. streetcar all the way to Ocean Beach (p199). Stroll the 4-mile stretch of sand to the Richmond for decadent su- shi at Wako (p201) and dangerous Hurricanes at Trad’r 1 Best for Urban Sam (p202), or stay put in the Sunset for surf-shopping Wildlife at Mollusk (p204) and organic Cali comfort food at Out- ¨¨Golden Gate Park (p195) erlands (p202). With food and fog like this, you must be in heaven. ¨¨ (p199) ¨¨Ocean Beach (p199) ¨¨California Academy of Sciences (p196) Local Life ¨Foggy days Stay warm with Trouble Coffee (p202), matinees at Balboa Theatre (p203), noir-movie fedoras venues 5 Best Places at Paul’s Hat Works (p204), and sultry rainforest strolls to Eat inside the California Academy of Sciences (p196) and the (p197). ¨

¨Wako (p201) Goose bumps, guaranteed Get delicious chills with¨  ¨ ¨Dragon Beaux (p200) bare feet on Ocean Beach (p199), eerily lifelike masks at ¨¨Outerlands (p202) the de Young Museum (p196), cliff’s-edge views along ¨¨Spruce (p201) the Coastal Trail (p205) and steep concrete slides at the ¨¨Cinderella Russian Children’s Playground (p197). Bakery (p200) ¨Out-there art outposts Outlandishness is an SF way For reviews, see p200 A of life; take in the scene with Park Life (p203) art open- ings, original ’60s Pop Art at (p198) and gnarly surf photography at Mollusk (p204). 6 Best Places to Drink ¨¨Plough & Stars (p203) Getting There & Away ¨¨Trad’r Sam (p202) ¨Bus Buses 1, 31 and 38 run from downtown through ¨¨Trouble Coffee (p202) the Richmond, while 7 and 6 head from downtown to ¨¨Tommy’s Mexican the Sunset. Buses 5 and 21 skirt the northern edge of Restaurant (p202) Golden Gate Park, while north–south buses 28, 29 and ¨¨Beach Chalet (p202) 44 cut across the park. Bus 2 covers Clement St, 33 connects to the Haight and Castro, and 18 spans the For reviews, see p202 A Great Hwy. ¨Streetcar The N line runs from downtown through the Sunset to Ocean Beach. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 178

The Haight, NoPa & Hayes Valley

Neighborhood Top Five 1 (p180) front of Sandow Birk’s tiled and catching free movies Bringing back the Summer music-history mural. in this shipping-container of Love: wearing flowers, 3 Alamo Square Park social hub. making a manifesto, sing- (p181) Admiring Victorian 5 Bound Together ing freestyle folk songs on mansions that have hosted Anarchist Book Collec- the corner of Haight and earthquake refugees and tive (p190) Check out the Ashbury Sts, and following hippie communes, speakeas- Anarchists of the Americas in the footsteps of psyche- ies and satanic rites. mural, peruse prison lit and delic rock gods. 4 Patricia’s Green (p181) browse radical comics at 2 SFJAZZ (p189) Toasting Browsing local designs, this volunteer-run outpost jazz giants between sets in downing coffee and pints, of Left Coast ideas.

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h S k CASTRO t COLE r t a Corona 15th St S VALLEY P Heights Park t For more detail of this area see Maps p314 and p316 A 179 Lonely Planet’s Explore: The Haight, NoPa Top Tip & Hayes Valley Dinnertime can divide friends into warring factions Pick up picnic fixings for lunch amid Victorians atop – one party insists on Chi- Alamo Square Park (p181) – or, in case of fog, brunch in nese, a splinter group wants NoPa. Take a tour of hippie history (Map p314; %415-863- Mexican and a rogue ele- 1621; www.haightashburytour.com; adult/under 10yr $20/free; ment demands doughnuts. h10:30am Tue & Sat, 2pm Fri; c; g6, 7, mN) in the upper From 5pm to 9pm Thursday, Haight, then go highbrow with Hayes Valley boutiques there’s a diplomatic solution and fine dining, or hunker down in the Lower Haight at the corner of Stanyan and

with skate-art openings, Rosamunde (p183) sausages H The Waller: Off the Grid (www. and Toronado (p188) beer. Overcome powerful bar-stool offthegridsf.com). A dozen inertia for world-class SFJAZZ (p189) shows or epic food trucks pull into the lot mosh-pit action at the Independent (p190). aigh across from McDonald’s – and, for little more than the t

price of a McMeal, you can & H , NoPa Local Life get all three options. There’s ¨Cheap eats with fancy drinks Go high/low with live music too. Rosamunde sausages (p183) and Toronado Belgian ales (p188), oyster po’ boy sliders and rare bourbon at

Best Places Valley ayes Alembic (p188), DragonEats (p183) duck banh mi and 5 agricole-rum drinks at Smuggler’s Cove (p186). to Eat ¨Hangouts Aspiring flower children and original-issue ¨¨Rich Table (p186) hippies gather at Coffee to the People (p189), skaters hit ¨¨Cala (p186) Haight St’s downhill slide to Upper Playground (p192) ¨¨Souvla (p182) street-art shows, and hipsters grab bites in NoPa before ¨¨ Jardinière (p186)  shows at the Independent (p190). ¨¨Brenda’s Meat & Three ¨Musical stylings Go acoustic on the corner of Haight (p182) and Ashbury Sts, improvise at SFJAZZ (p189) work- shops, belt it out at the Mint (%415-626-4726; www.the For reviews, see p182 A mint.net; 1942 Market St; h3pm-2am Mon-Fri, from 2pm Sat & m Sun; F, J, K, L, M), sing along at Martuni’s (p189) or rock Best Place out at free concerts at Amoeba Music (p190). 6 to Drink ¨¨Smuggler’s Cove (p186) Getting There & Away ¨¨Toronado (p188) ¨¨Alembic (p188) ¨Bus Market St buses 6 and 7 run up Haight St to ¨¨Aub Zam Zam (p188) Golden Gate Park. The 22 links Lower Haight to the ¨¨Riddler (p188) Mission and Japantown/Marina. Bus 24 runs along Divisadero, connecting NoPa and the Haight to the For reviews, see p186 A Castro and Pacific Heights. Bus 37 connects the Haight and the Castro, bus 43 goes from the Upper Haight to the Marina, and bus 33 runs through the Upper Haight 7 Best between the Richmond District and the Mission. Buses Shopping 21 and 5 connect Hayes Valley with downtown and ¨¨Amoeba Music (p190) Golden Gate Park. ¨¨Bound Together Anarchist ¨Streetcar The N line offers a shortcut from down- Book Collective (p190) town and the Lower Haight to the Upper Haight, and ¨¨Paloma (p190) onward to Ocean Beach. ¨¨Nancy Boy (p190) ¨ BART Civic Center BART station is four blocks east of ¨¨Tantrum (p191) Hayes Valley. For reviews, see p190 A ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 276

Behind the Scenes

SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK We love to hear from travelers – your comments keep us on our toes and help make our books better. Our well-traveled team reads every word on what you loved or loathed about this book. Although we cannot reply individually to your submissions, we always guarantee that your feedback goes straight to the appropriate authors, in time for the next edition. Each person who sends us information is thanked in the next edition – the most useful submissions are rewarded with a selection of digital PDF chapters. Visit lonelyplanet.com/contact to submit your updates and suggestions or to ask for help. Our award-winning website also features inspirational travel stories, news and discussions. Note: We may edit, reproduce and incorporate your comments in Lonely Planet products such as guidebooks, websites and digital products, so let us know if you don’t want your comments reproduced or your name acknowledged. For a copy of our privacy policy visit lonelyplanet.com/privacy.

OUR READERS John A Vlahides Many thanks to the travelers who used the last Thanks to destination editor Clifton Wilkinson edition and wrote to us with helpful hints, use- and co-author Alison Bing, with whom it’s always ful advice and interesting anecdotes: Badong lovely to work. And most of all, thanks to you, dear Abesamis, Lynn Gervens, Michelle Harrison, reader – you make my life so joyful and I’m grate- Michelle Jeffers, Scott Sminkey ful for the honor of being your guide through the cool grey city of love. WRITER THANKS Alison Bing ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to Cliff Wilkinson, Sarah Sung, Lisa Park, Cover photograph: twilight over the Golden Gate DeeAnn Budney, PT Tenenbaum, and above all, Bridge, Danita Delimont/AWL © Marco Flavio Marinucci, for making a Muni bus ride Illustration on pp52-3 by Michael Weldon. into the adventure of a lifetime.

THIS BOOK Destination Editors Jodie Martire, Anne Clifton Wilkinson, Sarah Mulvaney, Maja Vatric This 11th edition of Lonely Stocking Assisting Cartographer Planet’s San Francisco Product Editors Vicky Julie Dodkins guidebook was researched Smith, Tracy Whitmey Assisting Book Designer and written by Alison Bing Senior Cartographer Virginia Moreno and John A Vlahides, with Alison Lyall Cover Researcher contributions from Sara Book Designer Jessica Rose Marika Mercer Benson and Ashley Harrell. Thanks to William Allen, The previous two editions Assisting Editors Sarah Bailey, Andrew Bain, Kate Kiely, Jenna Myers, were also written by Ali- son Bing, John A Vlahides Judith Bamber, Michelle Susan Paterson, Mazzy Prin- and Sara Benson. This Coxall, Andrea Dobbin, sep, Kirsten Rawlings guidebook was produced by Carly Hall, Shona Gray, the following: Kate James, Kellie Langdon, ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 277

See also separate subindexes for:

5 EATING P281 6 DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE P282 3 ENTERTAINMENT P283

7 SHOPPING P284

2 SPORTS & ACTIVITIES P285 Index 4 SLEEPING P285

22nd St Hill 172 Allegory of California Bay Area Discovery Museum cafes 31, 33, 30 24th & York Mini Park 150-1 Fresco 80 (Sausalito) 215 California Academy of 49 Geary 81 alleyways 19 Bay Bridge Lights 79 Sciences 196, 23 49ers 166 American Child Care 24 Bay Model Visitors Center California College of the 450 Sutter St 81 Anglim Gilbert Gallery (Sausalito) 215 Arts 150 826 Valencia 147 81, 149 20 California Historical Society Año Nuevo State Park beaches 222 84 (Hwy 1) 222 Bean Hollow State Beach Caltrain 268 A AP Hotaling Warehouse 80 (Hwy 1) 222 car rental 269 accommodations 15, Bear Flag Monument car travel 264, 269 226-36, see individual 57-8, 67 (Sonoma Valley) 224 Carnaval 20, neighborhoods, Sleeping 154-5 Aquatic Park 59 Beat Museum 115, 119 subindex 59 Aquatic Park Bathhouse 245-6 Castro & Noe Valley 235-6 Casemore Kirkeby 151 (Maritime Museum) 59 beer 31, 33, 99 costs 227 Castro Theatre 169, 170 archery 205 93 Downtown, Civic Center & Castro & Noe Valley 10, 47, architecture 117, 258-62 SoMa 230-3 Benziger (Sonoma Valley) 167-77, 235-6, 311, 312, Californian arts-and- 224-5 Golden Gate Park & the 170-1 crafts style 261 Avenues 236 Berkeley & Oakland 207-12, accommodations 235-6 flatirons 261 Haight & Hayes Valley 236 208 drinking & nightlife 168, Meso-American 260-2 Beyond the Label (Napa Marina, Fisherman’s 173-5 Valley) 219 Wharf & the Piers modern 261-2 entertainment 175 229-30 Painted Lady mansions Biafra, Jello 257 food 168, 172-3 259 bicycling 42, 127, 205, 266 Mission & Potrero Hill 235 highlights 10, 167, 167 Victorian 258-60 biotechnology 249 Nob Hill, Russian Hill & shopping 168, 176-7 art galleries, see museums boat travel 266-7 Fillmore 234-5 sights 169-72 & galleries boating 205 North Beach & Chinatown sports & activities 177 233-4 arts 239, 252-4 Bob Kaufman Alley 116, 119 transportation 168 websites 233 Asawa, Ruth 81, 254 bookbinding 166 Catharine Clark Gallery 150 Active Wine Adventures Asian Art Museum 78 books 238, 250-1 cell phones 14, 274 (Napa Valley) 219 ATMs 273 bookstores 163 Chabot Space & Science activities 20-2, 42-3, see Audium 134 bowling 166, 205 also individual neigh- Center (Oakland) 209 Avengers, the 257 Brannan, Sam 241 borhoods, Sports & Children’s Creativity Avenues, the, see Golden breweries 166 Museum 84 Activities subindex Gate Park & the Avenues Aesthetic Union 151 Bruce, Lenny 246 Children’s Fairyland AIDS 248 budgeting 14 (Oakland) 210 AIDS Walk 21 B Buena Vista Park 181-2 children, travel with 23-4 air travel 264 56 Buffalo Paddock 199 Chinatown 117, 122-3, 122-3, see also North Beach & al fresco dining 29, 93 8, 146 Burnham, Daniel 243 Barbary Coast 12 bus travel 264, 268 Chinatown Alamo Square Park 181, 3, Barbie-Doll Window 169, 172 business hours 26, 31, Chinese Culture Center 184-5 116-17 Barney, Matthew 254 40, 273 Alcatraz 7, 50-1, 7 Chinese Exclusion Act 242 BART 265 Chinese Historical Society Bartholomew Park Winery C of America 116 (Sonoma Valley) 224 Cable Car Museum 130 Chinese Telephone Sights 000 baseball 105 cable cars 10, 267, 268, 5, Exchange 117 Map Pages 000 Bautista de Anza, Captain 11, 97 CIA at Copia (Napa Valley) Photo Pages 000 Juan 240 Cade (Napa Valley) 220 220 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 48

The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers THE MARINA | COW HOLLOW | FISHERMAN’S WHARF | THE PIERS | PRESIDIO

Neighborhood Top Five 1 Golden Gate Bridge 2 Alcatraz (p72) Feeling 4 Union St (p70) Poking (p54) Strolling across just cold winds blow and imag- into hidden courtyards and after the fog clears, reveal- ining the misery of prison discovering indie boutiques. ing magnificent views of life. 5 Musée Mécanique downtown San Francisco 3 (p57) Giggling (p58) Marveling at 19th- with sailboats plying the at the shenanigans of bray- century arcade games. waves below. ing and barking sea lions.

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i THE d St i urk RICHMOND o T 000 000 For more detail of this area see Maps p289, p290, p291 and p292 A 49 Lonely Planet’s Explore: the Marina, Top Tip Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers To escape the crowds, head Fisherman’s Wharf is the epicenter of tourism in San west of Ghirardelli Sq. FIrst, Francisco; the few remaining fishermen moor their make your way on foot or by bike to Aquatic Park, then boats around Pier 47. Locals don’t usually visit the The Marina, Fisher Wharf because it’s entirely geared to tourists. Budget cut west along the water- two hours to a half-day maximum. Weekends it gets front path, through Fort packed by early afternoon: come first thing in the morn- Mason to . Aim ing to avoid crowds. Summertime fog usually clears by for the bobbing masts of midday (if it clears at all), so visit the Golden Gate Bridge the yacht club along Marina during early afternoon – but be warned that the after- Blvd, stopping to explore noon fog blows in around 4pm. Carry a jacket and don’t the piers but keeping your wear shorts, unless you’re here during a rare heat wave eye on the prize: the Golden (locals spot the tourists by their short pants). Most peo- Gate Bridge. m an’s Whar ple walk further than they anticipate: wear comfortable shoes and sunscreen. Cow Hollow and the Marina have good boutique-shopping strips, bars and restaurants. 1 Best Waterfront Explore them later in the day, after working hours but Vistas while the shops are still open, when the busy sidewalks ¨¨Golden Gate Bridge (p54) provide a glimpse of the fancy-pants Marina crowd. ¨¨Warming Hut (p64) f & t ¨¨ (p55)

Local Life ¨¨Aquatic Park (p59) he Piers ¨¨Pier 39 (p57) ¨Nature walks San Franciscans love the outdoors – joggers and dog walkers flock to the waterfront trails at

Crissy Field and to the hills of the Presidio for wooded  trails and site-specific art installations. 5 Best Places ¨Barhopping The Marina District bars on Fillmore to Eat St, from Union St to Chestnut St, are ground zero for ¨¨Gary Danko (p68) party-girl sorority sisters and the varsity jocks who love ¨¨In-N-Out Burger (p65) them. Not all locals approve. ¨¨Off the Grid (p62) ¨City views For dramatic views of Fisherman’s Wharf ¨¨Greens (p65) and the San Francisco skyline – and a break from the crowds – hop on a ferry at Pier 41. For reviews, see p62 A

Getting There & Away 6 Best Places to Drink ¨Streetcar Historic F Market streetcars run along ¨¨Interval Bar & Cafe (p69) Market St, then up the Embarcadero waterfront to Fisher­man’s Wharf. ¨¨Buena Vista Cafe (p69) ¨Cable car The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines ¨¨Gold Dust Lounge (p69) run up Powell St to the Wharf; the Mason line is ¨¨Pier 23 (p69) quicker, but the hills are better on the Hyde line. ¨¨West Coast Wine & ¨Bus Major routes to the Wharf and/or the Marina from Cheese (p69) downtown include the 19, 30, 47 and 49. For reviews, see p68 A ¨Car At the Wharf, there are parking garages at Pier 39 and Ghiradelli Sq (enter on Beach St, between Larkin and Polk Sts). At the Marina, there’s parking at Crissy Field and . The Presidio is the only place where it’s easy – and free – to park. ¨Ferry Ferries (p72) run from the Wharf and Ferry Building to Angel Island, Sausalito, Tiburon and Vallejo. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 144

The Mission & Potrero Hill

Neighborhood Top Five 1 Mission murals (p146) 3 Dolores Park (p147) 5 Potrero Flats (p150) Seeing garage doors, bill- Playing, tanning, picnicking Exploring the repurposed boards and storefronts and protesting entire days industrial buildings that transformed into canvases away. house an exuberant artistic with over 400 artworks. 4 Mission Dolores (p149) community. 2 826 Valencia (p147) Getting a handle on Cali- Watching puffer fish com- fornia history at San Fran- pletely immersed in a role cisco’s oldest building. inside the Fish Theater.

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E For more detail of this area see Maps p302 and p305 A 145 Lonely Planet’s Explore: The Mission & Top Tip Potrero Hill The Mission is packed with bars, boutiques, galleries Get to know San Francisco from the inside out, from pi- and clubs, and while you rate stores to mural-covered Mission alleys. Score new should be fine in the daytime, looks and old books at Mission stores, and book ahead at it’s not always the safest local venues for the ultimate SF souvenir: a new talent, area to walk alone in at night. discovered at a hands-on cooking class, crafts workshop, Recruit a friend and be alert or dancing or rock-climbing lesson. Combine epic bar in the Mission east of crawls with taco tastings and end up salsa dancing with Valencia, in Potrero Hill below suave strangers at Mission clubs. 18th St and around deserted Dogpatch warehouses. Don’t bring the bling – this isn’t LA Local Life – and don’t leave belongings ¨Learning something new Upcycle office supplies into unattended. art at SCRAP (p164), hone knife skills at 18 Reasons (p165), vogue at Dance Mission (p166) and tell likely stories at 826 Valencia (p147). 5 Best Places ¨Doing dessert After another lap of Mission murals, to Eat you’re ready for Mission Pie (p153), boozy ice cream ¨¨La Taqueria (p151) at Humphry Slocombe (p152), tea cakes from Tartine ¨¨La Palma Mexicatessen (p152) and salted-caramel eclairs from Craftsman & (p152) Wolves (p152). ¨¨Al’s Place (p153) ¨ Looking the part Define your own streetwise Mission ¨¨Craftsman & Wolves style with local designers at Gravel & Gold (p162), (p152) Betabrand (p164), Nooworks (p163), Baggu (p163) and The Mission & Po ¨¨Serpentine (p156) Aggregate Supply (p163). For reviews, see p151 A

Getting There & Away 6 Best Places ¨Bus Bus 14 runs from downtown to the Mission to Drink District along Mission St. Bus 22 runs from Dogpatch ¨¨El Rio (p158) and the Mission through the Haight to the Marina. Bus t

¨¨Trick Dog (p158) rero H 49 follows Mission St and Van Ness Ave to Fisherman’s Wharf, while bus 33 links Potrero and the Mission to ¨¨%ABV (p157) the Castro, the Haight and Golden Gate Park. ¨¨20 Spot (p158) ¨Streetcar The J streetcar heads from downtown ¨¨Elixir (p158) ill

 through the Mission. The T Muni line from downtown For reviews, see p157 A via SoMa stops along 3rd St between 16th and 22nd, in Potrero’s Dogpatch district. ¨BART Stations at 16th and 24th Sts serve the Mission. 7 Best Shopping ¨¨Adobe Books & Backroom Gallery (p163) ¨¨Gravel & Gold (p162) ¨¨Poco Dolce (p162) ¨¨Community Thrift (p162) ¨¨Little Paper Planes (p162) For reviews, see p162 A ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 128

Nob Hill, Russian Hill & Fillmore RUSSIAN HILL | NOB HILL | JAPANTOWN | PACIFIC HEIGHTS

Neighborhood Top Five 1 Lombard St (p130) elevated park, a lovely spot framed by the Bay Bridge Stepping off the Powell- for a picnic. and downtown skyscrapers. Hyde cable car and thrilling 3 Kabuki Springs & Spa 5 Japan Center (p131) to spectacular hilltop vistas, (p143) Soaking naked in si- Shopping for Japanime and before descending the hill’s lence in communal Japanese kooky ephemera at a vintage famous switchbacks. baths – a cozy hideaway on a ’60s mall, then slurping on a 2 George Sterling Park cold, foggy day. bowl of hot noodles. (p130) Marveling at after- 4 Vallejo Street Steps noon fog blowing through (p130) Standing at the top of the Golden Gate from this the steps and seeing North Beach unfurl below you,

#æ THE 1# C NORTH #÷ ol BEACH MARINA nut St 2# um Chest b rd St us Lomba A ve ich St Greenw RUSSIAN

H HILL rt St Filbe y 4# d St e on Uni S COW t dway reen St Broa HOLLOW G L e ific Ave a ac S St P llejo v P t Va L e S e V i B O a n D c e i n L a St u r w n ot r P o c s i k e a F n k c c W a v c J t o or r F g r i i t e G h a n s N a l e u S i k t S a v t S a S l ou n b n S o l e t n h g t i n m n i d t S h t a s s k s a a t W a e g t S t l s or S i n r e S h n t o t A r t e S S S v S t S S NOB HILL t y S a t l t e C t t t Lafayette nto St a St acrame liforni Alta Plaza Park S Ca Park PACIFIC Pine St HEIGHTS ia St t Californ Bush S ine St ter St 0 P Sut 0 t Bush S t St Sutter S Geary JAPANTOWN ll St 0000000Post St O'Farre 0000000000 THE 0000005#0000 ary Blvd Hamilton 003#00000000Ge TENDERLOIN 00 Recreation 0000000000 00 Center FILLMORE Ellis St k St t Tur S t 0 500 m St Ave e e# Eddy Gate rk 0 0.25 miles Jefferson Golden a 0000000 M Square 0000000 For more detail of this area see Maps p306 and p310 A 129 Lonely Planet’s Explore: Nob Hill, Russian Hill Top Tip & Fillmore Cable cars serve Russian and Tackle Japantown and Pacific Heights together – they’re Nob Hills, but the Powell St adjacent, connected via Fillmore St. Start at Geary Blvd lines have notoriously long and Fillmore St, wander east through Japantown, then waits at their terminuses. Al- go north on Fillmore to window-shop spiffy boutiques. ternatively, take the Califor- Continue uphill till the street becomes residential, around nia St line, which rarely has Jackson St, then walk west to Alta Plaza Park for knock- queues. Ride west from the out city-view picnics – there’s a fantastic playground, too. foot of Market St to Van Ness Russian and Nob Hills are likewise adjacent, but their Ave, then walk to Pacific ultra-steep gradients render them harder to explore on Heights and Japantown. In- foot unless you’re in good shape. Fortunately they’re ac- stead of taking busy Califor- cessible via cable car. Nob Hill stands between downtown nia St west of Van Ness, walk and Chinatown; Russian Hill abuts Fisherman’s Wharf along pretty Sacramento St and North Beach. Consider exploring the hills with these (one block north of Califor- other neighborhoods. Polk St is the happening shopping nia), detouring through lovely and nightlife strip near Russian Hill; Fillmore St, in Pa- Lafayette Park. cific Heights, is swankier by day, quieter by night. 7 Best

Local Life Shopping Russia Nob Hill, ¨¨Japan Center (p131) ¨Music Several live-music venues lie near Geary and Fillmore Sts – the famous Fillmore Auditorium, plus a ¨¨Margaret O’Leary (p142) couple of intimate jazz clubs. ¨¨Molte Cose (p141) ¨Cinema Locals come to Japantown for dinner and a ¨¨Nest (p142) movie at Sundance Kabuki Cinema, which serves food ¨¨New People (p141) and wine in its main theater. ¨¨Relove (p141) ¨Shopping Most visitors only see the inside of the mall n For reviews, see p140.A at the Japan Center, but there’s also shopping outside Hill & Fillmo the mall, along Post St, from Webster St to Laguna St. ¨Canines Dog lovers flock to Alta Plaza Park for a pug 5 Best Places parade – awww! – on the first Sunday of the month, to Eat 1pm to 4pm. ¨¨Acquerello (p136) ¨¨Seven Hills (p136)

¨¨Swan Oyster Depot r e

Getting There & Away

 (p135) ¨ Bus Buses 1, 2, 3 and 38 connect downtown with ¨¨State Bird Provisions Japantown and Pacific Heights; the 22 connects Ja- (p138) pantown and Pacific Heights with the Marina and the ¨¨La Folie (p136) Mission. Buses 10 and 12 link downtown with Russian and Nob Hills; the 10 continues to Pacific Heights. Bus For reviews, see p135.A 27 connects the Mission, SoMa and Downtown to Nob Hill. Buses 41 and 45 connect downtown to Russian Hill and Cow Hollow. 6 Best Places ¨Cable car The Powell-Hyde cable car serves Russian to Drink and Nob Hills; the Powell-Mason line serves Nob Hill; ¨¨ (p138) and the California line runs between downtown, Nob ¨¨Amélie (p139) Hill and the easternmost edge of Pacific Heights. ¨¨Hi-Lo Club (p139) ¨Car Street parking is difficult but possible. Find ¨¨1300 on Fillmore (p138) garages at the Japan Center on Fillmore St (between ¨¨Social Study (p140) Geary and Post Sts) and Post St (between Webster and Buchanan Sts). For reviews, see p138.A ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 112

North Beach & Chinatown NORTH BEACH | CHINATOWN

Neighborhood Top Five 1 Chinatown alleyways 2 (p114) 4 Chinese Historical (Map p308; btwn Grant Ave, Climbing Filbert Street Society of America (p116) Stockton St, California St & Steps past heckling parrots Time traveling through the ; g1, 30, 45, jPowell- and fragrant gardens to old Chinatown at this mu- Hyde, Powell-Mason, California) this panoramic, mural-lined seum, housed in the historic Hearing mah-jongg tiles, tower. Julia Morgan–designed temple gongs and Chinese 3 City Lights Books Chinatown YWCA. orchestras as you wander (p115) Reflecting in the 5 Li Po (p124) Picking up the backstreets. Poet’s Chair and celebrating where left off at free speech. a historic Beat hangout.

San Francisco T Bay Pioneer Park/ h rd St e omba Telegraph Hill E L ch St m S i Greenw t b o a c r k 2# c

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t 00000000000000 S 00000000000000 S t JACKSON 000000000W0ha0le0sh0ip0 t fic Ave 000G0old0e0n 00000000 Paci SQUARE 0000000000P0la0za00 CHINATOWN 000Ga0te0w0ay00000000 000C0en0te0r 00000000 000000000Ju0st0in 000 St 00000000000000 Jackson 0000000H0er0m0an000 5#00000 Redwood 0M0a0ri0tim0e000Pl0az0a 000 00000 Park 0000000000000 t 00000 00P0la0za000000000 ngton S 00000 000000Em0b0ar0ca0d0ero00 NOB HILL Washi 0P0ort0sm0o0uth 000000000000 1# 00S0qu0ar0e 000000C0e0nt0er000 00000 FINANCIAL 000000000000 Clay St DISTRICT 000000000000 St (FIDI) 0 200 m 4# mento e# 0 0.1 miles Sacra ia St Californ For more detail of this area see Map p308 A 113 Lonely Planet’s Explore: North Beach Top Tip & Chinatown Wild hawks and parrots circle above North Beach as From downtown, enter Dragon’s Gate (p118) onto Chi- though looking for a parking natown’s main tourist drag, Grant Ave. It’s hard to be- spot. The weekend park- lieve this pagoda-topped, souvenir-shopping strip was ing situation is so dire that once notorious brothel-lined Dupont St – at least until locals avoid North Beach you see the fascinating displays at the Chinese Histori- and Chinatown – forgetting cal Society of America (p116). Duck into Chinatown’s there’s public parking under- historic alleyways to glimpse a neighborhood that’s neath Portsmouth Sq and at survived against daunting odds, then detour for dim Good Luck Parking Garage, sum at City View (p120). Cross into North Beach via where spots are stenciled Jack Kerouac Alley (p115) and City Lights (p115), birth- with fortune-cookie wisdom: place of Beat literature. Fuel up with espresso at Caffe ‘You have found the love of Trieste (p124) for your North Beach Beat walking tour your life. Stop looking.’ and hike the garden-lined Filbert Street Steps (p115) to giddy panoramas and daring murals at Coit Tower North Beach & C hi (p114). Descend for a bar crawl and a hot slice at Golden Boy (p118) or a proper feast at Mister Jiu’s (p121). 1 Best for Artistic Inspiration ¨¨City Lights Books (p115) Local Life ¨¨Coit Tower (p114) ¨¨Chinese Culture ¨Hangouts Join regular crowds of poets at Caffe Tri- Center (p116) este (p124), martial-arts masters at Washington Square (p116) and skaters at Old St Mary’s Square (p117). ¨¨Bob Kaufman Alley (p116) n atow n ¨Foodie discoveries Even been-there, tried-that San ¨¨Jack Kerouac Alley (p115) Franciscans find new taste sensations at Z & Y (p121),

Mister Jiu’s (p121) and China Live (p120).  ¨Local celebrity sightings Keep an eye out for Sean 5 Best Places Penn at Tosca Cafe (p120), Francis Ford Coppola at to Eat Columbus Tower (p115), Tom Waits and Carlos Santana ¨¨Molinari (p118) at 101 Music (p126) and Countess Lola Montez reincar- ¨¨Liguria Bakery (p118) nated at Drag Me Along Tours (p127). ¨¨Mister Jiu’s (p121) ¨Five-buck bargains Fly a butterfly kite from China- ¨¨Tosca Cafe (p120) town Kite Shop (p127), carbo-load at Liguria Bakery ¨ (p118) and catch a show at Doc’s Lab (p125). ¨Z & Y (p121) For reviews, see p118 A

Getting There & Away 6 Best Places ¨Bus Key routes passing through Chinatown and to Drink North Beach are 1, 10, 12, 30, 39, 41 and 45. ¨¨Specs (p121) ¨Cable car From downtown or Fisherman’s Wharf, ¨¨Comstock Saloon (p121) take the Powell-Mason or the Powell-Hyde line through ¨ Chinatown and North Beach. The California St cable ¨Li Po (p124) car passes through the southern end of Chinatown. ¨¨Vesuvio (p124) ¨¨Devil’s Acre (p124) For reviews, see p121 A ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Welcome to San Francisco Grab your coat and a handful of glitter, and enter the land of fog and fabulousness. So long, inhibitions; hello, San Francisco.

Outlandish Notions Natural Highs Consider permission permanently granted California is one grand, sweeping ges- to be outlandish: other towns may surprise ture – a long arm hugging the Pacific – and you, but in San Francisco you will surprise the 7-by-7-mile peninsula of San Francisco yourself. Good times and social revolutions is a thumb pointed optimistically upwards. tend to start here, from manic gold rushes Take this as a hint to look up: you’ll notice to blissful hippie be-ins. If there’s a skate- San Francisco’s crooked Victorian rooflines, board move yet to be busted, a technology wind-sculpted treetops and fog tumbling still unimagined, a poem left unspoken or over the Golden Gate Bridge. a green scheme untested, chances are it’s Heads are perpetually in the clouds atop about to happen here. Yes, right now. This San Francisco’s 43 hills. Cable cars provide town has lost almost everything in earth- easy access to Russian and Nob Hills, and quakes and dot-com gambles, but never its splendid panoramas reward the slog up nerve. to Coit Tower – but the most exhilarating highs are earned on Telegraph Hill’s garden- Food & Drink lined stairway walks and windswept hikes around Land’s End. Every available Bay Area–invented techno­ logy is needed to make dinner decisions in this city, with the most restaurants and Neighborhood Microclimates farmers markets per capita in North Amer- Microclimates add magic realism to San ica, supplied by pioneering local organic Francisco days: when it’s drizzling in the farms. San Francisco set the gold standard outer reaches of Golden Gate Park, it might for Wild West saloons, but drinking was be sunny in the Mission. A few degrees’ driven underground in the 1920s with Pro- difference between neighborhoods grants hibition. Today, San Francisco celebrates its permission for salted-caramel ice cream in speakeasies and vintage saloons – and with Dolores Park, or a hasty retreat to tropical Wine Country and local distillers providing heat inside the California Academy of Sci- a steady supply of America’s finest hooch, ences’ rainforest dome. This town will give the West remains wild. you goose bumps one minute, and warm you to the core the next. with Fisherman’s Wharf (p57) in the background Top: Cable car car Cable Top: By Alison Bing, Writer Why I Love San Francisco San I Love Why For more about our writers, see p320 from the Geary St art galleries up Grant to Waverly Ave Pl, just as temple services were starting. The fog was scented with incense and roast duck. In the basement of , near the Muckraking section, I noticed a sign painted by a 1920s cult: ‘I am the It’s true.door.’ San Francisco is the threshold between East and West, body and soul, fact and fiction. That was 20 years ago. still I’m here. been You’ve warned. On my way from Hong Kong to New York, I stopped in San Francisco for I walked a day.

T. MALACHI DUNWORTH/500PX © ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 237

Understand San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO TODAY ...... 238 You’re right on time for SF’s latest thing, be it tech boom, buzzworthy show, sanctuary movement or pioneering green initiative.

HISTORY...... 240 Through booms and busts, San Francisco has made historic strides in free speech and civil rights – and invented the means to tweet and Instagram about it.

LITERARY SAN FRANCISCO ...... 250 San Francisco has more writers than any other US city, filling community-backed bookstores with poetry, ’zines, novels and (ahem) guidebooks.

VISUAL ARTS ...... 252 Graffiti, street photography and deliberate computer malfunc- tions overflow from galleries into San Francisco streets.

SAN FRANCISCO MUSIC ...... 255 From Journey to Janis, the Grateful Dead to Dave Brubeck, San Francisco’s eclectic playlist keeps you guessing as to what’s next.

SAN FRANCISCO ARCHITECTURE...... 258 Color schemes that would make Queen Victoria blush, copper camouflage, wildflower-covered roofs: San Francisco’s skyline is defined by its quirks. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 238

San Francisco Today Congratulations: you’re right on time for SF’s latest tech boom, art show, green initia- tive, water-saving idea and (fair warning) marriage proposal. SF has its ups and downs, but as anyone who’s clung on to the side of a cable car will tell you, this town gives you one hell of a ride.

Green City by the Bay According to the North American Green Cities Index, Best on Film San Francisco is the greenest of them all. Practices that Milk (2008) Sean Penn won an Oscar are standard-setting elsewhere were pioneered here, for his portrayal of America’s first including LEED-certified green hotels, organic cocktail openly gay elected official. bars, sustainable dining from tacos to tasting menus, Tales of the City (1993) Laura Linney and dozens of car-parking spaces that have been con- unravels a mystery in SF’s swinging verted into public green oases. San Francisco mandates ’70s disco scene. citywide composting and bans plastic bags – part of its Harold & Maude (1971) The Con- initiative to become a zero-waste city by 2020. servatory of Flowers and make metaphorically apt backdrops Sanctuary City for May–December romance. San Francisco was the first city worldwide to declare Chan Is Missing (1982) When Chan itself a ‘Sanctuary City.’ In the 1980s, Central American disappears, two cabbies realize they refugees escaping civil war settled in San Francisco but don’t know Chan, Chinatown or were unable to obtain official refugee status. To ensure themselves. these new San Franciscans were afforded some legal protection, a 1989 ‘City of Refuge’ ordinance prohibited Best in Print SF police from detaining people based on immigration Howl and Other Poems (Allen status alone. The city strengthened its Sanctuary status Ginsberg; 1956) Mind-altering, law- in 2013, with an ordinance prohibiting police cooperation changing words defined a generation with federal immigration agents – provoking criticism of ‘angel-headed hipsters.’ from Donald Trump, especially after an undocumented Time and Materials (Robert Hass; immigrant released from San Francisco police custody 2007) Every Pulitzer Prize–winning was charged with murder. syllable is as essential as a rivet in the Immigration controversies are not new to San Fran- Golden Gate Bridge. cisco. The city upheld the racially based federal Asian (Jack Kerouac; 1957) Exclusion Act and Executive Order 9066 mandating in- Banged out in a San Francisco attic, ternment of Japanese American citizens – even as San Kerouac’s travelogue set postwar Franciscans mounted historic legal defenses against America free. them. Mindful of the long arc of local and national Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Joan history, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors reaf- Didion; 1968) Scorching truth burns firmed San Francisco’s Sanctuary City status in 2016. through San Francisco fog during the Trump responded with a January 25, 2017, executive Summer of Love. order threatening Sanctuary Cities with withdrawal of federal funds – including a projected loss to San Fran- cisco of $1.3 billion in funding for roads, homeless shelters and other safety-net programs. San Francisco promptly filed a lawsuit against the order – and, in Feb- ruary, a bill declaring all of California a ‘Sanctuary State’