The absolute best - okay, cheap and creative - place to sleep when visiting San Francisco. A 5 minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge, The Marin Headlands Hostel is located in a historic setting (old military quarters), nestled within a grove of Eucalyptus trees, steps from Rodeo Beach (good surfing) and a short walk to the edge of the world at the Point Bonita Light House.
This is a xiu mai (Vietnamese meatball pork) sandwich from the Saigon Sandwich shop in San Francisco. I think it's the best sandwich in the world, if not the entire universe.
I do not say this lightly or without full consideration.
Clarion Alley is gritty urban life at its finest
It's big, it's red and it's the one thing everyone who visits San Francisco has to photograph.
The HiDive bar on the San Francisco waterfront, just south of the Bay Bridge. Kind of divey on the outside; kind of schwank on the inside.
Joe DiMaggio’s Italian Chophouse is located at
601 Union Street (the corner of Union and Stockton) in
San Francisco's historic North Beach.
415/421-5633
http://www.joedimaggiosrestaurant.com/
Dolores Park is named for the nearby Mission Dolores and is a common hangout for San Franciscans on a sunny day. The park is basically an expansive grass field on a hill with tennis and basketball courts on one side, a clubhouse and sidewalk through the middle, and great views from its highest point.
The Fort Funston cliffs parallel the takeoff path of aircraft departing SFO, making for a dramatic juxtaposition
The Lone Palm bar, in San Francisco's Mission District.
Where every drink is served film noir and straight up. The Lone Palm experience begins as soon as you see the neon facade, and it usually carries through rest of the evening.