What is the best time to visit San Francisco?
You may be thinking that since San Francisco is in California, any time of year is a great time to visit — not so in this bayside city. Although San Francisco’s climate is mild year-round, the weather does vary seasonally. Winters are cool and rainy, but low temperatures rarely dip below the mid-40s. Summer in this city is a relative term; it’s not unusual to see people wearing knit hats to ward off the chill in overcast June and July. Time your visit between September and November, and you’ll be rewarded with glorious sunny days more typical of the Californian ideal. Bottom line is: No matter what time of year you are visiting, your suitcase better have a couple of sweaters in it.
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4 hours agoMaria Hunt answered the question:
Where is the best shopping in San Francisco?
As with most quests, the best place to look depends on what you’re seeking, and shopping in San Francisco is no exception.
For clothing and shoes, the best place to go is the Union Square area, which is easily accessible from the Powell BART or Muni train stops. On the square itself and in the three-block radius, you’ll find department stores including Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s New York, Nordstrom’s and Blomingdale’s. For more distinctive jewelry and high-end housewares, head to Gump’s, which is a San Francisco institution. Specialty shops in the area include Britex Fabrics, Bulgari, Uniqlo and Agent Provocateur.
If you’re seeking gourmet foodstuffs and cooking paraphernalia, head to The Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. Further out, the Marina, Mission, Haight and North Beach neighborhoods are all lined with quirky shops and boutiques, selling exactly what you didn't know you were looking for, be it a handmade mid-century lampshade, a tiny mouse skeleton, a vintage coat or a bespoke gentleman’s hat.
San Francisco is basically a shopper’s paradise.
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2 days agoKatie Sweeney answered the question:
What are the best places to ski near San Francisco?
The best skiing in Northern California is arguably found at Lake Tahoe. Located roughly three hours north of San Francisco, Lake Tahoe is home to seven ski resorts: Kirkwood, Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, Sierra, Northstar, Mt. Rose, and Squaw Valley. Combined, there are over 100 lifts located in Tahoe and many of the mountains have stunning views of the lake.
My favorite place for skiing in Tahoe is at the Northstar Resort. Northstar has 93 ski trails spread across 3,000 acres of land, snow sports, and summer activities like golfing and mountain biking. Also, the Ritz-Carlton and its luxurious restaurant Manzanita, are located in the middle of the Northstar mountain. The hotel has many wonderful amenities for avid skiers.
Tahoe is accessible by plane as the nearby international airport at Reno serves over 170 flights per day. Due note that during the winter season, on peak holiday weekends, the traffic getting to Tahoe from San Francisco can get pretty bad — plan accordingly. -
2 days agoKatie Sweeney answered the question:
What are the best fine jewelry stores in San Francisco?
Union Square, in the heart of downtown San Francisco, is a great place for fine jewelry shopping. There are plenty of big name jewelry stores like Tiffany and Co., Bulgari, and Cartier. There are also department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Macy's, and Saks Fifth Avenue that have a wide selection of fine jewelry. However, if you're looking for a one of a kind piece made by a local jewelry designer, head to the Gallery of Jewels on Post Street.
A San Francisco chain, the Gallery of Jewels offers a curated assortment of limited-edition jewels made by Bay Area artisans. From stone pendents on delicate chains to dazzling dangling sapphire earrings to stacked golden rings, the Gallery of Jewels has something for everyone. The Gallery of Jewels also has special promotions that run throughout the year, so plan on making your purchases accordingly. For example, from June 28 - July 14, 2013 is their Endless Love Bridal Event. The ring extravaganza features collections by both local and national designers. -
2 days agoKatie Sweeney answered the question:
What are the best free museums in San Francisco?
From the Legion of Honor to the Exploratorium, San Francisco has it's fair share of exceptional museums. Although the majority of them charge some sort of admission fee, the best museums are open once a month for free. The aforementioned Legion of Honor is free every first Tuesday of the month as is the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park. The Exploratorium is free only five days a year: on September 29th Engineering Day, October 13th Founder's Day, February 2 Groundhog Day, March 14th Pi Day, and Mother's Day. The Conservatory of Flowers is free on the first Tuesday of the month as is the Contemporary Jewish Museum and the Yerba Buena Center for Arts. The Asian Art Museum is free on the first Sunday of the month. In 2013, the California Academy of Sciences is free on one Sunday per quarter and also June 2, September 29th, and December 8. Also worth noting: the SFMoma is closing on June 3, 2013 for a three year renovation. -
2 days agoKatie Sweeney answered the question:
What are the best clothing boutiques in San Francisco?
Although San Francisco is not known for being a super fashion city, there are plenty of local clothing boutiques to choose from. MAC or Modern Appealing Clothing has been around since 1980. It has two locations and offers an assortment of clothing for both men and woman by international designers like Dries Van Noten and Comme des Garcons, as well as featured Bay Area designers. Azalea in Hayes Valley is a wonderful little shop that has its own collection of clothes along with a selection of contemporary designers like Alexander Wang, Nudie, and Acne. Therapy is a local chain that offers festive women's clothing, such as printed dresses and playful tops, at affordable prices. They have nine different locations and a home store in the Mission District. Another boutique chain beloved by San Franciscan women is Ambiance. It has four locations in different neighborhoods, and each store is filled to the brim with clothes in every color, style, cut, and price imaginable. -
On May 15Maria Hunt answered the question:
What are the best restaurants in San Francisco?
Trying to narrow the best restaurants in San Francisco down to just a few spots is not easy. The entire San Francisco Bay Area is blessed with gorgeous produce, creative food artisans and wonderful wines. Stellar and well-known restaurants that bring all those elements together include Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Manresa in Los Gatos and The French Laundry and Redd in the Yountville. Here are five places to dine now in San Francisco:
1. State Bird Provisions. Chef-owner Stuart Brioza and his wife Nicole Krasinski borrowed the dim sum concept for their unsassuming and friendly Fillmore District restaurant. You’ll be presented with colorful dishes priced at $6 to $20: poached seafood salsa over whipped avocado with crispy tortilla, pillowy pancakes with ever-changing flavors, tangy eggplant and summer tomato salad, fresh Dungeness crab atop farro and the namesake dish: fried quail with tangy sweet-and-sour onions shaved cheese. They've just won the James Beard Award for the nation's Best New Restaurant of 2013. But despite all this, it’s the warmth and spirit of hospitality that keeps guests coming back.
2. Saison. An exquisite evening awaits at Saison, the urbane and intimate restaurant in SoMa. Working in his open kitchen, chef Joshua Skenes crafts distinctive and visually stunning tasting menus from the best ingredients from all over the world. Whether it’s a morsel of sea robin, locally foraged greens you eat with your hands or a dish of caviar with sea urchin, all the dishes are kissed by fire in some way. The experience starts with a pour of Krug Grande Cuvée and might include world-class white wines from the 5,000-bottle cellar or a seasonal cocktail if you prefer. Dining at Saison is dear, but so is the experience.
3. Frances. There’s a quiet and feminine beauty to the décor and Melissa Perello’s cuisine at Frances in the Mission. The greatest discoveries are the small plates like Cherrystone clams baked with kale brusssels sprouts and bacon, Black Venus rice with Dungeness crab or chestnut soup with apples, cipolline onions and hedgehog mushrooms. Plan ahead for reservations or make an adventure of snagging a seat at the bar.
4. Benu. French Laundry alum and James Beard-award winner Corey Lee has created an urbane and artistic temple of gastronomy. While à la carte menus are available on certain days, the full experience includes a progression of signature dishes like monkfish liver terrine, chicken velvet and 1000-year-old quail eggs on custom serving pieces.
5. Cotogna. This is the kind of Italian food that makes you feel like you’re in country. Michael Tusk’s hyper-seasonal, quirky menu bounces from wood-fired pizzas with exquisitely browned and poufy crusts to silky pastas to housemade porchetta with succulent meat and chewy skin. The golden, olive-oil soaked focaccia is one of the low-key delights; you’ll eat every inch. Be sure to try a glass of wine or one of the cocktails with an Italian accent. -
On May 15Maria Hunt answered the question:
What are the best restaurants in San Francisco?
Trying to narrow the best restaurants in San Francisco down to just a few spots is not easy. The entire San Francisco Bay Area is blessed with gorgeous produce, creative food artisans and wonderful wines. Stellar and well-known restaurants that bring all those elements together include Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Manresa in Los Gatos and The French Laundry and Redd in the Yountville. Here are five places to dine now in San Francisco:
1. State Bird Provisions. Chef-owner Stuart Brioza and his wife Nicole Krasinski borrowed the dim sum concept for their unsassuming and friendly Fillmore District restaurant. You’ll be presented with colorful dishes priced at $6 to $20: poached seafood salsa over whipped avocado with crispy tortilla, pillowy pancakes with ever-changing flavors, tangy eggplant and summer tomato salad, fresh Dungeness crab atop farro and the namesake dish: fried quail with tangy sweet-and-sour onions shaved cheese. They've just won the James Beard Award for the nation's Best New Restaurant of 2013. But despite all this, it’s the warmth and spirit of hospitality that keeps guests coming back.
2. Saison. An exquisite evening awaits at Saison, the urbane and intimate restaurant in SoMa. Working in his open kitchen, chef Joshua Skenes crafts distinctive and visually stunning tasting menus from the best ingredients from all over the world. Whether it’s a morsel of sea robin, locally foraged greens you eat with your hands or a dish of caviar with sea urchin, all the dishes are kissed by fire in some way. The experience starts with a pour of Krug Grande Cuvée and might include world-class white wines from the 5,000-bottle cellar or a seasonal cocktail if you prefer. Dining at Saison is dear, but so is the experience.
3. Frances. There’s a quiet and feminine beauty to the décor and Melissa Perello’s cuisine at Frances in the Mission. The greatest discoveries are the small plates like Cherrystone clams baked with kale brusssels sprouts and bacon, Black Venus rice with Dungeness crab or chestnut soup with apples, cipolline onions and hedgehog mushrooms. Plan ahead for reservations or make an adventure of snagging a seat at the bar.
4. Benu. French Laundry alum and James Beard-award winner Corey Lee has created an urbane and artistic temple of gastronomy. While à la carte menus are available on certain days, the full experience includes a progression of signature dishes like monkfish liver terrine, chicken velvet and 1000-year-old quail eggs on custom serving pieces.
5. Cotogna. This is the kind of Italian food that makes you feel like you’re in country. Michael Tusk’s hyper-seasonal, quirky menu bounces from wood-fired pizzas with exquisitely browned and poufy crusts to silky pastas to housemade porchetta with succulent meat and chewy skin. The golden, olive-oil soaked focaccia is one of the low-key delights; you’ll eat every inch. Be sure to try a glass of wine or one of the cocktails with an Italian accent. -
On May 15Maria Hunt answered the question:
What are the best restaurants in San Francisco?
Trying to narrow the best restaurants in San Francisco down to just a few spots is not easy. The entire San Francisco Bay Area is blessed with gorgeous produce, creative food artisans and wonderful wines. Stellar and well-known restaurants that bring all those elements together include Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Manresa in Los Gatos and The French Laundry and Redd in the Yountville. Here are five places to dine now in San Francisco:
1. State Bird Provisions. Chef-owner Stuart Brioza and his wife Nicole Krasinski borrowed the dim sum concept for their unsassuming and friendly Fillmore District restaurant. You’ll be presented with colorful dishes priced at $6 to $20: poached seafood salsa over whipped avocado with crispy tortilla, pillowy pancakes with ever-changing flavors, tangy eggplant and summer tomato salad, fresh Dungeness crab atop farro and the namesake dish: fried quail with tangy sweet-and-sour onions shaved cheese. They've just won the James Beard Award for the nation's Best New Restaurant of 2013. But despite all this, it’s the warmth and spirit of hospitality that keeps guests coming back.
2. Saison. An exquisite evening awaits at Saison, the urbane and intimate restaurant in SoMa. Working in his open kitchen, chef Joshua Skenes crafts distinctive and visually stunning tasting menus from the best ingredients from all over the world. Whether it’s a morsel of sea robin, locally foraged greens you eat with your hands or a dish of caviar with sea urchin, all the dishes are kissed by fire in some way. The experience starts with a pour of Krug Grande Cuvée and might include world-class white wines from the 5,000-bottle cellar or a seasonal cocktail if you prefer. Dining at Saison is dear, but so is the experience.
3. Frances. There’s a quiet and feminine beauty to the décor and Melissa Perello’s cuisine at Frances in the Mission. The greatest discoveries are the small plates like Cherrystone clams baked with kale brusssels sprouts and bacon, Black Venus rice with Dungeness crab or chestnut soup with apples, cipolline onions and hedgehog mushrooms. Plan ahead for reservations or make an adventure of snagging a seat at the bar.
4. Benu. French Laundry alum and James Beard-award winner Corey Lee has created an urbane and artistic temple of gastronomy. While à la carte menus are available on certain days, the full experience includes a progression of signature dishes like monkfish liver terrine, chicken velvet and 1000-year-old quail eggs on custom serving pieces.
5. Cotogna. This is the kind of Italian food that makes you feel like you’re in country. Michael Tusk’s hyper-seasonal, quirky menu bounces from wood-fired pizzas with exquisitely browned and poufy crusts to silky pastas to housemade porchetta with succulent meat and chewy skin. The golden, olive-oil soaked focaccia is one of the low-key delights; you’ll eat every inch. Be sure to try a glass of wine or one of the cocktails with an Italian accent. -
On May 13Maria Hunt answered the question:
What are the best vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco?
It’s possible for vegetarians to find a satisfying meal virtually anywhere in the city. But San Francisco also has a history of restaurants like chef Annie Somerville’s Greens that specialize in plant-based cuisine. Millennium in the Union Square area is regarded as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the country. It offers an expansive dining room, polished service and creative cuisine and cocktails. Gather in Berkeley is one of the leading examples of the flexitarian style of restaurants that serves everything from vegan to cuisine with naturally raised meats and seafood. Source in SoMa offers what they call a multidimensional dining experience with seasonal vegetarian and vegan fare like truffle bruschetta and brick-oven pizza to dosas and Peking quack. And while Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star restaurant Fleur de Lys is not a vegetarian destination, chef Hubert Keller was one of the first noted chefs to create sophisticated vegetarian dishes on par with the rest of his French-inspired menu. The creations on his seasonally changing vegetable feast still inspire. -
On April 26Marianne Wong answered the question:
What is public transportation like in San Francisco?
San Francisco has great public transportation and navigating it can be challenging for visitors that aren't use to traveling around in this fashion. There are five different modes of public transport; two underground subways, cable cars, electric and diesel busses, trollies and ferries. San Francisco is small enough that taxis which are relatively cheap and less time consuming easy option to take one way or both ways to major sights. The easiest solution is to dial 311 to get a live person to help figure out which bus or transit to take you to where you want to go. -
On April 26Marianne Wong answered the question:
What are the best neighborhoods in San Francisco?
I like a neighborhood that tells a story about its former inhabitants and the history and culture they left behind that lives on and continues to thrive. One of the most vibrant neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission and Castro Districts merge, mingle and melds together like a good Almadovar movie. To know a neighborhood, you have to walk it, so start at 14th Street and Valencia, get cranked up with a cup of local joe at any of the good coffee houses on this street. Walk up Valencia to Clarion Alley, see the fantastical murals painted on the walls of the houses that backs up into this alley. The mural art form is a strong one in San Francisco, where you'll find it popping up in unexpected places adding color and character to neighborhood streets. Continue on Valencia to 18th Street and turn right to Dolores Park, named after Mission Dolores. The city's namesake, Mision San Francisco de Asisi, founded by the Spanish in 1776 is the oldest building in San Francisco. Continue on 18th Street to Castro Street, turn left or right to enjoy this colorful community of Gay life. This walk and the neighborhood speaks of the immigrants and outcasts from society, and how they made a home here, an oasis to live, love and build a future. Their struggles and successes has enriched the culture to this city. -
On April 26Marianne Wong answered the question:
What are the best neighborhoods in San Francisco?
I like a neighborhood that tells a story about its former inhabitants and the history and culture they left behind that lives on and continues to thrive. One of the most vibrant neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission and Castro Districts merge, mingle and melds together like a good Almadovar movie. To know a neighborhood, you have to walk it, so start at 14th Street and Valencia and get cranked up with a cup of local joe at any of the good coffee houses on this street. Walk up Valencia to Clarion Alley and see the fantastical murals painted on the walls of the houses that backs up into this alley. The mural artform is a strong one in San Francisco, where you'll find it popping up in unexpected places adding color and character to neighborhood streets. Continue on Valencia to 18th Street and turn right to Dolores Park, named after Mission Dolores. Mision San Francisco de Asisi, was founded by the Spanish in 1776 and is the oldest building in San Francisco, and what this city is named after. Continue on 18th Street to Castro and turn left or right to enjoy this colorful community of Gay life. This walk and the neighborhood speaks of the immigrants from other countries and outcasts from society, and how they made a home here, an oasis to live, love and build a future. Their struggles and successes has given character and enriched the culture to this city. -
On April 26Marianne Wong answered the question:
What are the best neighborhoods in San Francisco?
I like a neighborhood that tells a story about its former inhabitants and the history and culture they left behind that lives on and continues to thrive. One of the most vibrant neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission and Castro Districts merge, mingle and melds together like a good Almadovar movies. To know a neighborhood, you have to walk it, so start at 14th Street and Valencia and get cranked up with a cup of local joe at any of the good coffee houses on this street. Walk up Valencia to Clarion Alley and see the fantastical murals painted on the walls of the houses that backs up into this alley. The mural artform is a strong one in San Francisco, where you'll find it popping up in unexpected places adding color and character to neighborhood streets. Continue on Valencia to 18th Street and turn right to Dolores Park, named after Mission Dolores. Mision San Francisco de Asisi, was founded by the Spanish in 1776 and is the oldest building in San Francisco, and what this city is named after. Continue on 18th Street to Castro and turn left or right to enjoy this colorful community of Gay life. This walk and the neighborhood speaks of the immigrants from other countries and outcasts from society, and how they made a home here, an oasis to live, love and build a future. Their struggles and successes has given character and enriched the culture to this city.
