Visiting San Fran & NY

[quadrant6]

I'm actually visiting the US for the first time in September.

Gonna have 6 days in SF and 7 in NY.

Any recommendations on things to checkout and do as a solo traveller?

For clubs, I've been told: Cielo, Sullivan Room, 1015 Folsom, Mighty, The Endup

I'm also looking for suggestions on which'd be a better spot to stay in SF since I won't have a car: Chinatown, Lower Nob Hill or Mission District ?... I found a few places there within my budget and won't have a car

[beats me]

The Endup

Make sure to go there for a 7 AM breakfast beer to witness the winners that didn’t leave the entire night, just hung outside for the 1 hour they close to mop up all the spilt drinks and vomit.

True as that is, you should check it out at some point. Can't say you went clubbing in SF without that being part of your stops.

Try to avoid Ruby Sky. All the big name acts play there but its full of wooting frat boy weekend warriors.

[H20nly]

^ just make sure you bring plenty of money. the cover charge is stoooopid.

i'd say look at a map and figure out which area you're thinking about staying in is the closest to the most spots you're trying to hit. S.F. is only 7 miles in size... it's just slammed full of shit and the hills will kill you depending on which way you're headed. the longest ride you take will be the one from the airport to anywhere. that airport isn't even in the city it's just called San Francisco Airport.

around the cross streets of 16th and Valencia is more to my liking than most as it pertains to the night life there. YMMV.

i'm a fan of the BooM BooM RooM, but that place is small so, yeah... stop in for a drink if you're by there, but don't go out of your way to get there. i also like Butter a lot... among all the usual stuff they sell 40 oz beers and play movies on the wall.

[quadrant6]

around the cross streets of 16th and Valencia is more to my liking than most as it pertains to the night life there. YMMV.

Right ok. So that'd be closest to the mission district place I was looking at on 20th st. Will look into it a bit more. I'm gonna be solo so will more likely be getting groceries/cooking a bit of food or getting healthy take-out than eating at restaurants. I;m the type that eats gluten/diary free/ whole food type of stuff..

beats me, You recommend a day trip to San Jose?

[H20nly]

you'll be in hog heaven eating those kind of groceries around there

plenty of restaurants will cater to that kind of diet too!

[OJ KARDASHIAN]

i love apple updates, logic X, automaps, apple's AU policy, protools, bus tracks, rewire engine, rolling blackouts, a decent book, live 8, i5 processors, Boards Of Canada, San Jose's low crime rate.

[beats me]

beats me, You recommend a day trip to San Jose?

Not really. SJ was once an affordable sprawling suburb with a short drive to SF, Oakland, and Santa Cruz. Now it’s an offensively expensive sprawling suburb populated by Silicon Valley techies with more money than they know what to do with. If you want to see a 1,200 square foot, 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house built in the 60’s that sells for $1 million I can show you plenty of those. Of course with all that money came more spots and streets for entertainment and nightlife, but it’s nothing like SF.

If you were to travel south I would recommend going down the coast on highway 1 to Santa Cruz. It’s a nice little college beach town with a boardwalk amusement park. It’s where they filmed Lost Boys if that means anything to you. But since you don’t have a car I don’t know how you would get down there.

In SF I would also recommend checking out 111 Mina. It’s an art gallery wine bar that also has a DJ or live group. It’s a good starting point launch pad for the night.

[quadrant6]

If you were to travel south I would recommend going down the coast on highway 1 to Santa Cruz. It’s a nice little college beach town with a boardwalk amusement park. It’s where they filmed Lost Boys if that means anything to you. But since you don’t have a car I don’t know how you would get down there.

Thanks, yeah Santa Cruz sounds good to me. I guess I'd need to rideshare with someone or take a train/bus ... or I suppose I could rent a car but it's a bit intimidating since our roads are much smaller, and we drive on the opposite side of the road here

[oblique strategies]

If you were to travel south I would recommend going down the coast on highway 1 to Santa Cruz. It’s a nice little college beach town with a boardwalk amusement park. It’s where they filmed Lost Boys if that means anything to you. But since you don’t have a car I don’t know how you would get down there.

Thanks, yeah Santa Cruz sounds good to me. I guess I'd need to rideshare with someone or take a train/bus ... or I suppose I could rent a car but it's a bit intimidating since our roads are much smaller, and we drive on the opposite side of the road here

If you do go to Santa Cruz make sure go down & back on the coast highway - it's a beautiful ride alongside the Pacific ocean, cliffs, & beaches. For most of the way it's only 2 lanes, so it's not hectic.

Stop along the way & visit a beach. In fact, stop in the tiny town of Pescadero (about halfway between SF & SC), & go to Duarte's Tavern for some cream of green chili soup with fresh baked French bread. Delicious! They also make some incredible pies.

And make sure to visit the beaches & redwood forests in Santa Cruz. Redwood forests are very special places. Redwoods (giant sequoias) are some of the world's oldest & largest living things.

Here are some random photos I found online:










In SF you can check out Land's End for some Pacific Coast nature. Baker Beach is nice. Go across the Golden Gate Bridge & explore the Marin Headlands. Good beaches over there too, but you have to find them.

For a more urban experience, make a trek to the financial district after midnight & wander among the skyscrapers. You can walk to the bay & walk under the Bay Bridge. Can feel quite Film Noir.




Twin Peaks is worth it for the amazing view. Fisherman's Wharf is fairly lame, but the Marina close by is nice. From there you can go to Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge, & reenact a famous scene from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo!

[H20nly]

For a more urban experience, make a trek to the financial district after midnight & wander among the skyscrapers. You can walk to the bay & walk under the Bay Bridge. Can feel quite Film Noir.

+1
this is always cool... It's surreal because chances are you won't see anyone... even the homeless folk don't hang in those parts at that time of day.

[quadrant6]

Definitely looking forward to seeing the redwoods. We have maybe 3 in our botanic gardens here (not nearly as old or big!) and they're my favourite.

I was thinking about going on one of those day trip tours to Yosemite too.

[andydes]

Definitely looking forward to seeing the redwoods. We have maybe 3 in our botanic gardens here (not nearly as old or big!) and they're my favourite.

I was thinking about going on one of those day trip tours to Yosemite too.

I went with these guys about 10 years ago (3 day). You go in an old 60s bus that's been converted so everyone can kind of sleep on it if you don't mind getting cosy with strangers.

They drive the boring bits at night, then drop you off early so you can spend a whole day hiking or riding through the park.

http://www.greentortoise.com/adventure- ... emite.html

Do this early in the trip and meet a bunch of people you can hang around with back in town.

[oblique strategies]

Definitely looking forward to seeing the redwoods. We have maybe 3 in our botanic gardens here (not nearly as old or big!) and they're my favourite.

Then you'll really like being in a redwood forest! The sound is very soft. There are usually lots of ferns around & the feeling is quite primeval.

I was thinking about going on one of those day trip tours to Yosemite too.

Yosemite is beautiful. Worth the trip.

[andydes]

Yeah, there's a lot of very varied and beautiful scenery round there. I hate to bang on about the coach trip I did, but the difference between getting on a bus which just takes you to various photo stops and one which gives you time to really see the area is enormous.

Getting drunk and stoned with a bunch of 20 something girls was an added bonus.

Best trip evar.

[memes_33]

try public works in SF too. mighty is really annoying IMO, so i would only go there if the act playing is really worth seeing, or if you like waiting in line for an hour.

+1 for land's end- its a little off the beaten path for the city, but it's well worth it. i used to live right near there and would regularly see coyotes and foxes and the like. also, the awesomest dive bar in the city is right around there called the tee-off. its only six or so blocks to golden gate park as well.

santa cruz is awesome indeed, just a pain to get down to even with a car. maybe i'm a little jaded as i've spent years driving from SF to santa cruz every weekend to see my GF. if you do make it down there, though, go to henry cowell in felton- that's the bomb redwood spot.

i'm not sure how many options there are to stay in the mission, but it is probably the funnest part of the city for nightlife. otherwise, lower nob hill has plenty of affordable (for SF) places to stay, and is a great central spot to get anywhere in the city via public transport. check out 511.org for public transportation options. there is also tons of vegan places around- if you can swing it, check out millennium (in tenderloin by lower nob hill)

oh, and people around here don't ever call it 'san fran' or 'frisco'. we say 'SF'. i'm sure i sound like a dick saying that