©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 167 The Castro & Noe Valley Neighborhood 15th St Top Five Beaver St t 1 S Castro Theatre (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##æ00 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. land St C 4 Jane Warner Plaza ber h Cum S u C a r (p169) Watching for kooky n o c D C c N l E h h i l a a i u o e naked dudes. n s S m z r e g t t e r S w o o S k t 5 n o 22nd Street (p172) Not a t S d o S t d S t going over the handlebars t S t while biking down SF’s 21st St steepest street. Hill St 5##æ 22nd St o St V lvarad i A c k s b 3rd St u 2 r g S t Elizabeth St #æ 24th St 3 NOE VALLEY Jersey St 25th St 0 200 m e# 0 0.1 miles 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 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 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- ket to 19th Sts, with a few scattered along 18th St. Both 5 Best Places 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 don’t get going till evening. For listings, pick up a copy 6 Best Places 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 San Francisco’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 Golden Gate Park 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 Golden Gate Bridge. 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 California 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 TRIPSDAY FROM ¨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 S the Bay Bridge between Oakland and Yerba & Sun; gAC Transit 36) has information and AN Buena Island. To reach Yerba Buena Island, maps, and leads free campus walking tours F 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, ¨ 10am-1:30pm & 3-4:45pm Sun; c; ZDowntown BART (www.bart.gov) Trains run approxi- 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.