San Francisco in June

[NorCal]

If you like beer and prefer a more down market **** you type of vibe go to Toronado. They're in the lower Haight. Tons of beer and you can buy a sausage next door. They also carry barley wine which if you like it is a wonderful thing.

 

[willpower]

Originally Posted by NorCal

If you like beer and prefer a more down market **** you type of vibe go to Toronado. They're in the lower Haight. Tons of beer and you can buy a sausage next door. They also carry barley wine which if you like it is a wonderful thing.
And swing by Amoeba Records on Haight St. Pretty great store for used CDs and DVDs.

 

[Mr. White]

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[willpower]

Originally Posted by Mr. White

Tip: avoid the sickening street vendors at the wharf and eat a proper meal at a fine restaurant.

+10000000 And so many better sightseeing locations than Fisherman's Warf anyway.

 

[HORNS]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I've heard the Parsonage is really nice as a B&B, but I have no idea on the price. Cheaper than a lot of the hotels in the city, I am sure. Maybe hit Bar Agricole? I've not been, but a few friends like it a lot. Ferry building is great, though I would opt for oysters and a nice glass (bottle) of vouvray outside of Hog Island in the evening, even if it is cold.

+1 on Bar Agricole - they do brunch there, so if you want a brunch at a place where they take their cocktails seriously, you should do this one.

Originally Posted by NorCal

If you like beer and prefer a more down market **** you type of vibe go to Toronado. They're in the lower Haight. Tons of beer and you can buy a sausage next door. They also carry barley wine which if you like it is a wonderful thing.

Toronado is a classic. My favorite beer place, though, is Monk's Kettle - the staff and patrons are much nicer there and their list is amazing. The owner has been aging many of his Belgian beers for years for his personal use, then realized that he has way too many beers and decided to make a special menu with aged beers on it.

 

[ramuman]

I'm a creature of comfort so I always fly into SFO, take a laborious BART ride to Union Square and stay there...but I hate the touristy nature of the area.

My advice...see the entire area, not just San Fran. You can start your day in Stanford/Palo Alto/Mountain View seeing the garage where Apple and HP were founded and you can end your night at the French Laundry. It's almost cliche (and I'm guessing cynical SF members like iammatt would never admit it), but in my opinion, it's the greatest region that I've been to on the planet.

 

[lefty]

Palo Alto? Really? Rent a car to drive down Lombard Street? Why not line up for an hour to have breakfast at Dottie's then take one of those bloody gocarts for a city tour?

Do none of that. Hook up with one or two of the cooler local cats and do a little bar hopping of the quieter places.

lefty
P.S. I may not be the best person to advise you here.

 

[Roikins]

Originally Posted by HORNS

+1 on Bar Agricole - they do brunch there, so if you want a brunch at a place where they take their cocktails seriously, you should do this one.



Toronado is a classic. My favorite beer place, though, is Monk's Kettle - the staff and patrons are much nicer there and their list is amazing. The owner has been aging many of his Belgian beers for years for his personal use, then realized that he has way too many beers and decided to make a special menu with aged beers on it.

I like Monk's and their selection, but the only problem is the beers tend to be triple marked up, whereas Toronado, being cash only, keeps their pricing "normal" for a place serving really awesome beers.

 

[HORNS]

Originally Posted by Roikins

I like Monk's and their selection, but the only problem is the beers tend to be triple marked up, whereas Toronado, being cash only, keeps their pricing "normal" for a place serving really awesome beers.

Have you been to La Trappe in North Beach? Great beers and great sausages.

 

[Gus]

The one touristy thing I will suggest is that you swing by the Buena Vista Cafe http://www.thebuenavista.com/home/home.html for an Irish coffee. It is touristy because it is a landmark and located on the edge of Fishermans Wharf (avoid that) but it is the real deal. The drink is delicious. Got to love a place that is the single largest user of Irish whiskey in the US. It has a nicely kept up dive quality to it and interesting patrons many who are long-time regulars for a reason. The Hells Angles headquarters used to be right around the corner in the 70's. If you want a true SF experience, stop in early for breakfast and an eye-opener.

 

[Gus]

Originally Posted by HORNS

Have you been to La Trappe in North Beach? Great beers and great sausages.

They get a top rating for beer in the Bay Area here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile.../?view=beerfly

 

[Mr. White]

,,

 

[lefty]

Well, a trip to SF wouldn't be complete if you couldn't share pics of the sausages you met while there.

OP is not a tourist; he's a traveler. Wants to hang out in the city and spend his nights drinking cocktails. To me that means sitting at the end of a bar - hat off - enjoying a drink and casually flirting with the pretty waitress who will invite me to go drinking with her friends at the end of her shift. Lining up in a rented car to crawl down Lombard Street is for families from Des Moines. As are cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf, and Blue Bottle coffee.

lefty

 

[Mr. White]

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[lefty]

At 4:00 am just so I could shine my headlights into the houses as I made each turn. What kind of masochist would buy a house there?

lefty