San Francisco may just be one of the most talked-about and dynamic lgbt destination in the world. But with a lot to see and do, how do you take full advantage of a short visit to the City by Bay?
You’ll want to soak up the culture of cool neighborhoods like the Castro and the Mission. You can’t keep without glimpsing the must-see attractions, such as the Golden Door Bridge and the beautifully remodeled de Young Museum.
After which there are the incredible eating places, serving everything from fresh-harvested oysters to bountiful organic green salads to decadent chocolate sweets.
Here’s one approach to taking pleasure in a long weekend in Bay area, ideal for both first-time and repeat visitors.
You might start by purchasing a San Francisco CityPass, that you can order online before you go.
The pass, which costs $89 per person (2017), provides free of charge admission to several of the city’s most prominent attractions as well as 7 days of unlimited travel around the Cable Car and Muni bus and train network and sightseeing boat activities on the city’s Blue and Gold Fleet.
Attractions included:
Entrance to either the Aquarium of the Bay or perhaps Monterey Bay Aquarium
Entry to either the Exploratorium science museum or Sobre Young Museum of Artwork
Entrance to the California School of Sciences
One of the best occasions to visit San Francisco is of program during the gay parade:
Friday Night
Hayes Area, a central neighborhood that is easily reached from down-town or the Castro, has a number of fun, low-keyed restaurants, ideal for your first evening around.
One of the best is Cafe Delle Stelle, which serves outstanding, reasonably inexpensive Italian cost. Although you could survive within the rich Tuscan bread that is included with your meal, you’ll need to sample the scrumptious homemade pastas and classic Italian dishes, ranging from amalgama with roasted portobello mushrooms to roasted pumpkin ravioli with sage butter.
Came from here it’s a 15-minute walk towards the Castro, where you can check out the a large number of lively gay bars and clubs, including such community faves as the busy and youthful The Coffee shop, popular dance/video bar Badlands, and the friendly neighborhood pub Moby Dick.
The laid-back Pilsner Inn, and the hip Q Bar, which pulls vigorous, young crowds for the weekends, are also great options.
Or if you’re walking back again toward downtown, you can look inside one of the bars that still line Polk Road, a longtime gay-nightlife centre in the ’70s and ’80s that has only a few nightspots remaining these days.
Good bets are the Cinch Saloon, a calm neighborhood joint, and Gangway, the oldest gay club in San Francisco.
Saturday
Each morning, head to the Castro to learn this famous gay area during daylight hours.
The best way to discover the area’s rich background is by taking a walking head to with Kathy Amendola, of Cruisin’ the Castro Historic & Cultural Walking Trips.
Amendola leads visitors beyond the Pink Triangle Park & Memorial, the residence of slain gay icon Harvey Milk, and the ornate and historic Castro Theatre.
The tours leave at 12 a. m. and are also provided Tuesday through Friday (9 a. m. ).
Following the tour, set aside some time intended for shopping. The Castro is growing up over the past decades as a sophisticated selling neighborhood, with everything from expensive clothiers and boutiques to adult gift and bookshops.
Then walk (about 35 minutes) or take Muni over to lush Golden Gateway Park to visit the sobre Young Museum, which has an unique copper exterior and a dramatic 145-foot observation tower system that looms high over a park’s leafy trees.
Magnificent collections of American paintings and sculptures, African art, and textiles fill this beautiful setting up.
Saturday Night
The Objective District is a great neighborhood for lunch, with the Foreign Cinema rating among the top picks.
This passionate dinner destination creates amazing dining experiences for the palatte and the senses, providing guests in a lovely courtyard that projects classic international films on the walls.
Limon is another superb choice, offering kicky Latin fusion do and tangy sangria.
Should you be up for nighttime fun, you are able to head back to the Castro, or perhaps if you’re a serious clubber, have a cab to the trendy Dievo avel? neighborhood, where you’ll discover the famed Powerhouse and Stud discos.
Here additionally, you will find raunchy fetish and leather bars like the lovably sleazy Hole in the Wall structure Saloon and the rough-and-tumble SF-Eagle, which brings in live rings many evenings.
Sunday
Walk or take Muni northeast along Market Street for any leisurely late breakfast or perhaps early lunch at the Ferry Building Marketplace, a gorgeous 1898 former transportation hub that was converted a few years back into fabulous food outlets and restaurants.
There’s the farmers market held in the grounds on Sundays, coming from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m., springtime through fall.
Order a young ahi burger and garlic clove fries at Gott’s Highway, before devouring a few prérogatives at Humphry Slocombe : a San Francisco hot spot and definitive trendsetter in your favorite ice cream innovation.
Next, take Muni along the Embarcadero to Boat dock 41.
This is a touristy part of the city, adjoining Fisherman’s Wharf and its slew of annoyingly kitschy shops, yet from Pier 41 you may use your CityPass to take a totally free one-hour Blue & Platinum Fleet boat tour of San Francisco Bay.
This is the fastest and easiest, and probably the most interesting, way to obtain a sense of why S . fransisco ranks among the most beautiful towns in the world.
These narrated trips pass under the Golden Door Bridge, by the tony cities of Sausalito and Tiburon, and around the infamous former jail, Alcatraz.
Sunday Night
Visit one of the Castro’s hottest gay-date spots, Catch, which acts addictive french fries tossed with Parmesan cheese and white-truffle oil as well as a dandy cooked monkfish with herb-mushroom risotto.
Or for a more informal experience, go to Harvey’s who also serves a full menu of hearty options before the tavern crowd shows up.
Monday
With respect to the exact time of your leaving, you can set aside Monday to look at a neighborhood you hadn’t sufficient time to explore, including SoMa, home to exceptional San Francisco Museum of Modern Fine art (SFMOMA).
Or perhaps spend some time browsing Macy’s, Gump’s, or any type of the hundreds of fine retailers around Union Square.
You are able to break for lunch in Townhall, a superb contemporary American restaurant set inside a classic SoMa warehouse, where you may sample duck-confit enchiladas with tomatillo sauce, or a poached-shrimp club sandwich with sausage and heirloom tomatoes.
Accommodations
A splendidly restored 1909 Edwardian mansion straddling the Castro and Mission neighborhoods, Parker Guest House is the Castro’s most spectacular inn.
Friends make considerable use of the lavish public areas and appreciate the antiques, rich materials, and modern conveniences (WiFi, voicemail) in the 21 sun-filled rooms. Paths wind through extensive gardens and yards.
A more affordable Castro choice is the Willows Inn, in whose 12 cozy, warmly equipped rooms share four bath rooms and four separate shower areas but have all the other charms and comforts you’d expect of the far pricier small resort.
Both properties draw a mixture of lesbians and gay males.
If you’d prefer to stay downtown, consider booking an area at one of the several resorts run by the gay-friendly Kimpton or Joie de Exister hotel chains.
Favorite Kimpton properties include urban stylish The Buchanan, a sexy, historic revival hotel which usually features a sophisticated, residential taste with artful touches.
And with its Beefeater doormen, a great lobby, and a fantastic location just steps by Chinatown and Union Block, the four-star Sir Francis Drake is a San Francisco royal icon.
Joie de Profiter offers a range of great accommodations, like the ultra-chic Hotel Vital, which opened in 2006 across from the Ferry Setting up Marketplace and is best-known because of its nifty Panoramic Suites, with 180-degree views of Bay area Bay.
Hotel Carlton is actually a boutique hotel in San Francisco’s Lower Nob Slope with an eclectic decoration and laid-back, eco-friendly feel.
Hotel Phoenix’ funky space, wedged between San Francisco’s gritty Tenderloin district as well as iconic Civic Center, includes ’50s architecture and style, artwork by local performers, and a tropical courtyard and heated pool within an atmosphere that feels the two chic and unpretentious.
With this city known for its swank and sumptuous hotels, the largest challenge you may face throughout a three-day visit is seeking the motivation to leave the cushy guest room.