 | San Francisco Be Aware! Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 25 |  |
The Exploratorium is probably really cool if you have kids who like science. But we really wanted to try out the "Tactile Dome" we had read about; it is some kind of maze that you go through entirely in the dark. Unfortunately, when we got there (pretty early) it was already sold out for the rest of the day. If that is what you are going for, just be aware.
Call and reserve a time for the Tactile Dome far in advance.
Have a picnic at the Palace of Fine Arts, it is right next door to the Exploratorium if you are in that area. Leave a Comment
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Some of you may be afraid of the homeless people that are on every other corner of San Francisco, especially near fishermans warf where all the tourist hang out. For the most part, I just ignored them and they never bothered me. i gave change to a bunch of them that actually were quite entertaining. I found most of them to be quite harmless, but everyone has a different opinion and some people just do not like homeless people.
The main area of San Fran to stay away from for family's would be the "Castro" district. this area is definately an adult part of town and I was a little uneasy about some of the people. I was offered heroin a few times, I'm not sure if this is an everday thing in the Castro district or if I was there at the wrong time of year, and the wrong time of day.
If you must go, then do it during the day, where the sun light will be your guarding angel :)
The only alternative is to walk FASTER.....each district in San Francisco is not that big, so within 5 minutes of walking you will be clear of the area. Leave a Comment
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Many tourist from overseas think that it is cheaper to buy personal electronics in the US. There are rip-off stores that sell PAL European video cameras and photo cameras to tourists. They are not cheaper then any other store in Europe, infact it's much cheaper to buy European Video cameras in the Duty Free at the airports in Europe.
You will see these stores in San Francisco, New York, and L.A. They fill their windows with neon signs, personal electronics, video cameras and digital/photo cameras. They do "low ball" advertising in the storefronts. Meaning that they have a video camera in the window for $199, PAL system, and when you go into the shop and ask to see it... bait and switch! They will ring up you credit card and then go on and tell you that the camera you just bought; is no good and that you should buy the better model. It all starts from there. They will end up selling you a cheap camera, overly priced, that has no warranty. If you demand to have the same camera in the window they will tell you that they have no more and to come back tomorrow. If you tell them that you want their display model they will say it's not for sale.
If you go into those shops you will not get a deal no matter what. And never fall for their wide angle lenses that are supposed to be able to take pictures in the dark. That's B.S. They will tell you to try the lens on and connect your camera to their TV. They adjust the picture quality on the camera to make it look bad, then they screw the lens on and turn the controls to normal and you see. It's a trick. They sell the lens for 200-1000 dollars. It costs them $30. Believe it or not if you buy, you get screwed.
There are good places to purchase digital and film cameras in the US. Try Good Guys, Frys, Circut City, Target, etc. These are big, well known stores. PAL system is recommended to buy here, if you find one it will not have a warranty in your country.
DON'T BUY EVEN FILM THERE! It's usually bad.
Pay with credit. If there is a problem you can get your money back. Any statements that they make; warranties, features, etc. have them write it on the recipt. Leave a Comment
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As I'm sure most of you know, food in touristy areas are extremely expensive. In San Francisco, this is the case especially for Union Square. In San Francisco, the best restaurants and food are usually in the less-busy neighborhoods (ie, for the best Asian food, go to the Sunset neighborhood - a quiet residential neighborhood about 30 minutes away from downtown). Also, when the weather is okay, having a picnic in San Francisco's squares and parks is extremely delightful, as well as cost-effective. Hope this saves someone some money!!
Definitely head out towards the residential neighborhoods for the best as well as the most cost effective food. For example - the Sunset neighborhood for Asian cuisine, the Mission District for Mexican food, etc.
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The biggest tourists traps in San Francisco are the attractions themselves. A $20.00 ride in a cable car will not be the most breathtaking experience of your lfe, Pier 39 is way to expensive and has the same stores you probably have at your local mall, and the Coit Tower is cooler from far away with the surrounding scenery than it is up close. Don't waste your money on these touristy things - go see San Francisco that most tourists don't see.
Go see the Sutro Baths or the Dutch Windmills overlooking the Pacific. Leave a Comment
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Just as a warning. Be aware that when you are posing with street performers or the eclectic people along the piers, many of them ask for money for your privilage to photograph yourself with them. I've even seen some advertise "Get your photo taken with a REAL Punker for $1".
If you want, be my guest. But watch out for the person posing with you who waits until after you snap the photo until they start bugging you for $. Leave a Comment
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The Tenderloin is not a great place to get lost so take cabs to avoid accidentally wandering around here. It borders Union Square on 5th, so its easy to wander the wrong way.
However, if you're feeling adventurous, try Thai Noodle at 901 Larkin. You can get a beer and lunch for under $10 and it rocks.
Or, if you're vegetarian, try Golden Era Vegetarian Restaurant at 572 O'Farrell. Leave a Comment
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We arrived SF on Sat, 6/3. Sunday, 6/4 we walked to find the Visitors Information Center.
Got to vicinity of the VC around 2:45pm. Could not spot the VC, but knew it was there. We must have stood out to the criminal element stationed there.
A black man approached. Said he worked for the VC and could help us? We asked him direction to VC. He said "right over here" and started leading. He insisted on leading us to it (Clue #1). I was located down some stairs in "The Pit". He got in front, and said, "we work on donations here" (Clue #2). I said OK, reached into my pocket, pulled out a fold of bills, found a $1for him.
There were two security guards in the little 40X40 building (Clue #3 - why guards in a place where everything is free?). Shortly, there was an announcement that the VC would close in 5 minutes.
Standing outside to get our bearings, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye a figure was approaching us.
He was a black man, early 20's, round face, thick lips, hair in dreadnots. His right hand extended and his eyes fixed on my left jeans pocket with bills. He got within three feet. I told him "No", and we turned to walk away.
This guy got fighting mad and began to call me every vulgar name while advancing toward us. His eyes were wild, and no doubt he was going to attack us, in my mind. We walked back into the VC, where a guard was about to start locking doors. We said, "we have a problem here". The street criminal was right behind us. The guard stepped in front of him, pushed him out while the guy was still raging at us, and pushed him off to the left of the building. My wife and I left to the right of the building, climbed the stairs out of the pit, and left the area.
If I ever do go back to walk the streets of San Francisco, I can promise you I will be carrying a knife. Only 10 minutes separated us from having that guard there to help us. Otherwise I would have had to fight that guy with only a camera in my hand. Next time, I will have a knife on me.
Be careful in this crime-tolerant town.
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I work on Pier 39 at an aquarium (Aquarium of the Bay)- come check it out- tickets are $12.50 for adults, $6.50 for children, and $6.50 for seniors. The ticket is good for the whole day and it's a great place for kids -- especially in the summer time (end of June- end of Aug).
Sure Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf are handy touristy area's but please be sure to travel around the rest of San Francisco. Go up to North Beach (the Italian district) from there you can visit China town and Union Square- it's a straight shot up Stockton. A fun bar in North Beach is Kennedy's it's an Irish Pub and Indian Curry House. Golden Gate Park is nice, it's a large park with gardens, and museums -- the conservatory of flowers has reopened and it's amazing...if you like flowers. The Haight-Ashbry is nice too, but is getting more and more touristy everyday, a fun old timers bar is the Golden Cane. There are so many different places and things to see, don't limit yourself to one area. Leave a Comment
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Everything in San Francisco is a tourist trap. All of the restaurants are extremely overpriced. The parking meters give you 7 minutes for 25 cents. Fisherman's Wharf is a bunch of garbage Times Square-Like junk shops along a waterfront where you can sell Fried Clams for $48.00 a plate. Haight-Ashbury is a bunch of overpriced coffee shops and natural food restaurants and headshops and cd stores trying to exploit people who are interested in seeing a little bit about our sixites music history. The trolley costs 5 dollars to go in one direction, which is usually up one hill. Then you need to get off and pay five dollars to go back down. I didn't see one place in this whole city that isn't a trap, except maybe the Tenderloin.
Think twice before you ever decide to visit San Francisco.
Go to New York
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