Best Things to do in San Francisco
I'm gonna be doing an internship in AM this summer in San Fran and really want to get involved in more activities outside of work. I don't know anyone in the city or the surrounding area outside of one coworker that I networked with, and want to make sure I can make the most of it. Just getting black out drunk like I did all four years of college I don't think is gonna cut it anymore for socializing and meeting people.
What are people's favorite activities to do in San Fran to get involved in? I'm thinking about maybe joining a boxing gym or playing tennis, lmk what you guys enjoy doing and the best spots to enjoy these activites. TIA!
Also sightseeing spots if anyone has any recommendations
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some great activities and spots to make the most of your summer in San Francisco:
Outdoor Activities:
Hiking and Nature:
Beaches and Day Trips:
Biking and Parks:
Fitness and Social Activities:
Gyms and Sports:
Swimming and Surfing:
Golf and Wine:
Food and Drinks:
Restaurants:
Bars and Drinks:
Sightseeing:
Iconic Spots:
Hidden Gems:
Socializing Tips:
Enjoy your summer in SF—there’s no shortage of activities to keep you busy and help you meet new people!
Sources: Why does SF suck so much I think I’m getting depression from the city, 2020 San Francisco Summer Housing, Help Convince me to go to San Francisco, Makena Capital, Banking/Living in San Francisco
Did my SA stint in SF. City is a great place to be if you like the outdoors. You can do hikes, etc... not too far outside of the city. Also, heading to Tiburon / Sausalito is fun. Take the ferry from the Ferry Building. There are pickle ball and tennis courts by the ferry building which can be a good time with friends. The Presidio is very scenic and Golden Gate National Park is great.
Restaurants are very good too if you're into that. State Bird Provisions and Akikos were my favorites on the higher end. Honorable mentions would be Tartine Manufactory and Nob Hill Cafe. Il Canto in the financial district for an awesome breakfast burrito. Also in the financial district, Tlaloc is a great lunch spot. Juniper in Nob Hill is an awesome cafe. Chinatown has some cool cheap eats.
I'm sure some of the more experienced SF folks on here can comment further.
Thanks for letting me know, I'm really excited to try it in a new city and especially to experience the various cultures. I've recently been getting into trying new cuisines so I'm glad to hear there's good options. Props for the breakfast burrito recommendation that might take the cake for the most exciting thing I've heard so far
leave
I gave up living in Miami to move to SF and lived there for 2 years before moving to NYC. At first it kinda sucked but I learned to like it toward the end.
I first lived in Soma on 12th and Folsom. Wasn't a great neighborhood to be honest, but I liked to walk through the Mission toward Mission-Delores Park. Great spot to just hangout. Some of the best Mexican food you'll ever have. Decent shopping around there too. I was also decently close to Hayes Valley. Another good neighborhood for food and shops. Alamo Square Park is there which is where the famous Painted Lady houses are. Afterwork Bar was my favorite spot to go have a beer by myself. I watched the Warriors vs Celtics Finals there.
I was then in-between apartments for a while, so I stayed in a hotel near Union Square for 2 weeks while I looked for a new apartment. Not really a great place to hang out to be honest. Just a lot of stores, but I was able to walk to my office, so it was convenient for a while.
After that I stayed in North Beach for 2 weeks. I personally thought North Beach was awesome. Great Italian Food and fun bars. Take a walk up to Coit Tower. Pick up a pizza at Tony's or Golden Boy and eat it in Washington Square. Go see a comedy show at Cobbs. Get some awesome dinner at China Live, or good Italian food anywhere on Green Street. Tupelo on Grant Ave was also a fun bar to go to at night with live music.
The first real apartment I got was in Mission Bay on King Street near the Giants ballpark. Wasn't a whole lot to do around here but the apartment building was nice. I went to a ton of baseball games. I would walk around the Embarcadero. Alchemist was a cool bar to go around there. Was also near the CalTrain station so I would often take the train to my roommate's parents' house in San Mateo where he was from.
My next apartment was on 1st Street in Rincon Hill. Also, not a whole lot to do around there but the apartment was very nice. I'd walk around Salesforce Park a lot and spend most of my free time at the Equinox on Beale Street.
If I had to do it all over again, I would try to live as close as you can to the Marina. It is easily the best neighborhood with the most to do. On the weekends you can get some drinks at Westwood, Jaxson, Wilder, Silver Cloud, etc. Good restaurants around there. Chilling in Fort Mason is nice or on the Marina Green, or Crissy Field Beach. Get some good German food and beer at Radhaus.
Besides that you can spend a whole day in Golden Gate Park. Go to the Science or Art museums. Get lunch at Beach Chalet near Ocean Beach. Check out Sutro Baths and then hike around Lands End. Walk through Baker Beach and climb the sand ladder then walk under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Take a ferry to Sausalito and get some awesome seafood. Joinery has great food, and I thought Barrel House was a cool spot.
Plan a weekend trip to Napa Valley. Personally, St. Helena has the best vineyards in my opinion. Long Meadow Ranch is very nice. Take a train or short flight or long drive to Lake Tahoe. Awesome in the winter, but in my opinion even better in the summer. Make a friend with a boat. Or go water rafting if the water is high enough. Chambers is probably my favorite restaurant up there. Gar Woods is also a ton of fun with good drinks.
Take another day trip to Santa Cruz, or Monterey and Carmel. Save some money and spend a long weekend in Hawaii. Go to Oahu, rent a car and drive to Waimea Falls and float around, then get some shrimp and sit on the beach.
Go to Outside Lands in the fall. Awesome music festival. Learn to play golf, there are so many good courses. Join a nice gym and get in the best shape of your life. Don't be afraid to go to restaurants alone and just eat at the bar. I did it for a long time before I made some friends.
SF definitely has a ton of issues and can be sketchy in a lot of areas, but if you know where to go you can have an awesome time. Just get out of your apartment as much as you can and stay busy.
Thank you for all the details, I'm adding all of these to my list. Learning to play golf is definitely gonna be a priority, last time on the course (my first) I was above par to put it lightly, not a good feeling when you have to move bc a line of golf carts are pooling behind you lmao
Any recs on how to go about short term housing? My hr person said that they have a partner company they work with, but I'm not sure which areas they might offer or if I'll be with a roommate etc. Would you recommend having a roommate?
When I first moved there, I found a 3-month housing thing through a company called Common. The building I lived in in Soma was called Common City Gardens. I think it got turned into a homeless shelter tho lmao. I was assigned random roommates, and it was a horrible experience.
I would either find a place you can sublease for the summer and live alone or get a roommate only if you know what they're like. I just have bad roommate experiences.
Try Airbnb too, maybe? Might be super expensive but short-term housing is hard to find. There are a lot of Facebook groups too that are helpful. "Bay Area Recent Grads" or something like that is a big one.
Oh you will have so much fun doing outdoor activities in SF. There are so many tennis courts and they are free (in NYC they are $$$ and hard to book). Golf courses in the city are amazing - Presidio and TPC. The parks have amazing views - mission dolo, alta anza, presidio, ggp. Hiking and journey to Marin/Mill Valley, Diablo, Hawk Hill, Pacifica, etc.
The food scene is meh but easy to book last minute (except for Cotogna). NYC is much much better. Other mentioned State Bird Provisions which is very salty imo.
Love to hear about the tennis, its another thing I'm considering picking up. I guess I won't be playing with gordon gekko at a chic private court in NYC but that's just too bad
the views from some of the courts are super nice (gonna gatekeep my favs) for most courts like 75% you do have to book them and they offer classes too, but ppl flake a lot so you can just drop in anytime really
Lived in SF for a short period but I look back on the city fondly now. It’s beautiful and people are quite active and outdoorsy. Weather is very solid.
Some highlights:
Thanks!
I remember going to one club and for the first time in my life seeing fat dancers....if even the dancers at clubs are fat, the pickings are quite slim
I bet SF is great if you're asexual thouugh
For the love of Christ I thought it was all just shitposting at first but now I'm actually scared. Can it really be as bad as they say it is? I broke up with my girlfriend at the end of last semester and was looking forward to tearing it up this summer but it seems like the prospects are dying out
Edit: Why could I not have been born a chubby chaser?
Well you can always take weekend trips to LA I suppose
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