NationStates Jolt Archive

As I write this I'm sitting in a hotel room somewhere in the Bay—well, you know what I mean (;))—and it's about to rain. Or at least, so it appears... Therefore, do any natives of the area know some good indoor places to go? I was planning to go hiking along the Pt. Reyes area coast, but it looks like that won't really be possible anymore, so... any museums, theatre productions, concerts, &c. in the area natives can recommend? Or even non-natives?

SFMoMA springs immediately to mind. It's pretty cool, if you like modern art. It can be kind of fun to wander the Metreon, too. Hmm, for having lived in the bay area for four years, I'm not really much help, am I?

I can recommend restaurants and bars, if that helps. :p

As I write this I'm sitting in a hotel room somewhere in the Bay—well, you know what I mean (;))—and it's about to rain. Or at least, so it appears... Therefore, do any natives of the area know some good indoor places to go? I was planning to go hiking along the Pt. Reyes area coast, but it looks like that won't really be possible anymore, so... any museums, theatre productions, concerts, &c. in the area natives can recommend? Or even non-natives?
Well, I guess CTOAN could help you.

I haven't been to San Francisco in ages, but when I was there, I loved this (http://www.exploratorium.org/). Yeah, sure, there are a lot of kids, but it's really fun, and entertaining, and actually interesting. And huge, if memory serves right.
Plus, it's in (or near?) the Palace of Fine Arts, which is always on my mandatory places to visit list, just because of the statues on top of it (a few dozen statues of the exact same woman, turning her (very shapely) backside to the viewer; I've always suspected that the stone mason was just really bad with faces) and because one can secretly (or not so secretly) mock the newlyweds coming there to take their wedding pictures. Although the latter probably won't happen, seeing how it's raining.

Anyway, hope you have nice time & am envious already, rain or not.

Well, I guess CTOAN could help you.

I haven't been to San Francisco in ages, but when I was there, I loved this (http://www.exploratorium.org/). Yeah, sure, there are a lot of kids, but it's really fun, and entertaining, and actually interesting. And huge, if memory serves right.
Plus, it's in (or near?) the Palace of Fine Arts, which is always on my mandatory places to visit list, just because of the statues on top of it (a few dozen statues of the exact same woman, turning her (very shapely) backside to the viewer; I've always suspected that the stone mason was just really bad with faces) and because one can secretly (or not so secretly) mock the newlyweds coming there to take their wedding pictures. Although the latter probably won't happen, seeing how it's raining.

Anyway, hope you have nice time & am envious already, rain or not.

The exploratorium! How did I forget that?! Definitely go check it out. The Palace of Fine Arts is not as interesting, in my opinion, but still cool.

Ooh, thought of a play. Beach Blanket Babylon. (http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com/)

The exploratorium! How did I forget that?! Definitely go check it out.
Whew, thank God. I was totally expecting to get chewed out for that and being made to feel like a three-year-old. :p
The Palace of Fine Arts is not as interesting, in my opinion, but still cool.
Yeah, it's certainly not like there is a lot to "see" really. You look at it, you're done. :p I just have a real weak spot for those statues - they just never fail to crack me up. Plus, it's right on top of the Exploratorium, IIRC.

Whew, thank God. I was totally expecting to get chewed out for that and being made to feel like a three-year-old. :p

What's wrong with three-year olds? They have a lot more fun than us adults do! :p Besides, how can anyone fail to like something with something called the Tactile Dome? That name always amused me.

Yeah, it's certainly not like there is a lot to "see" really. You look at it, you're done. :p I just have a real weak spot for those statues - they just never fail to crack me up. Plus, it's right on top of the Exploratorium, IIRC.

I think the Exploratorium is actually inside the Palace of Fine Arts, if memory serves? Which I also find amusing, it's like there's naked women guarding the place. :D

I think the Exploratorium is actually inside the Palace of Fine Arts, if memory serves? Which I also find amusing, it's like there's naked women guarding the place. :D
Heh, they should totally adopt that as their new slogan "A Science Museum - Guarded By Naked Women!"

I'm certain male teenage attendance would skyrocket. :p

As I write this I'm sitting in a hotel room somewhere in the Bay—well, you know what I mean (;))—and it's about to rain. Or at least, so it appears... Therefore, do any natives of the area know some good indoor places to go? I was planning to go hiking along the Pt. Reyes area coast, but it looks like that won't really be possible anymore, so... any museums, theatre productions, concerts, &c. in the area natives can recommend? Or even non-natives?

The best thing is you can just go anywhere. There are not real no-go areas. I was always being warned that the Tenderloin was to be avoided, but it was nicer than my home town in England (St Helens).

You can take the BART back and forth under the bay. All the interesting people of the New York subway, plus you get to go underwater!

I think I'm too late to help. You're probably doing whatever it is your doing. I'll say this, even the locals go to the Exploritorium, so that was a good call. The SFMoMA we go to depending on the display. In North Beach there is a temporary Beat Museum on Grant st., a block away from a buddy of mine. On Broadway and Geary is the City Lights Bookstore, the bookstore that published Ginsberg's Howl in the US after it's British publication was blocked for obscenity. It's also the opening shot of So I Married an Axe Murderer.

Actually, if you're with someone, rainy days are the best to go to Fisherman's Wharf becuase it washes out all the tourists and you kind of have the place to yourself.

If you're still here on Saturday I'll be there as a mall Easter Bunny...TG me and I'll tell you which mall.

You can go to Alcatraz, but I've never been so I don't know how enjoyable that really is. Volunteering to go to a prison never appealled...

There is an aquarium on Pier 39, and an even better one about an hour and half away in Monterey.

The Embarcadaro center has a lot of crap, and a Virtual Reality arcade that was cool ten years ago...

Like someone said, you can just about go anywhere. The thing is that SF is a very small city and there is a lot of stuff in it, so no matter where you go you'll find something. North Beach is my favorite spot. The Marina is what people think of when they think of SF. Market is a weird mix of upscale shopping and naked places.

Like I said, you're probably doing whatever it is you where going to do by now, but if it rains again tommorrow then you have something.

Also, we have micro-climates here, so if it's raining where you are it might be sunny somewhere five minutes away. It's weird and takes some getting used to.

If you have the time to go to Santa Cruz you really should. It's the greatest.

The concert places to check are:
The Warfield
The Filmore
The Great American Music Hall

The big theaters are-
The Orpheum
holy crap, I blanked...
Doesn't matter, you'd have needed tickets months ago.
A friend of mine is in a Noel Coward play in the East Bay, but that isn't until Friday.

I think I'm too late to help. You're probably doing whatever it is your doing. I'll say this, even the locals go to the Exploritorium, so that was a good call. The SFMoMA we go to depending on the display. In North Beach there is a temporary Beat Museum on Grant st., a block away from a buddy of mine. On Broadway and Geary is the City Lights Bookstore, the bookstore that published Ginsberg's Howl in the US after it's British publication was blocked for obscenity. It's also the opening shot of So I Married an Axe Murderer.

Actually, if you're with someone, rainy days are the best to go to Fisherman's Wharf becuase it washes out all the tourists and you kind of have the place to yourself.

If you're still here on Saturday I'll be there as a mall Easter Bunny...TG me and I'll tell you which mall.

You can go to Alcatraz, but I've never been so I don't know how enjoyable that really is. Volunteering to go to a prison never appealled...

There is an aquarium on Pier 39, and an even better one about an hour and half away in Monterey.

The Embarcadaro center has a lot of crap, and a Virtual Reality arcade that was cool ten years ago...

Like someone said, you can just about go anywhere. The thing is that SF is a very small city and there is a lot of stuff in it, so no matter where you go you'll find something. North Beach is my favorite spot. The Marina is what people think of when they think of SF. Market is a weird mix of upscale shopping and naked places.

Like I said, you're probably doing whatever it is you where going to do by now, but if it rains again tommorrow then you have something.

Also, we have micro-climates here, so if it's raining where you are it might be sunny somewhere five minutes away. It's weird and takes some getting used to.

If you have the time to go to Santa Cruz you really should. It's the greatest.

The City Lights Bookstore is cool, but mostly it's just a bookstore. Which I love, don't get me wrong, but many of my friends don't understand how I can spend hours at a time looking at books. Fisherman's Wharf in the rain is awesome, IMO. Last time I did that though, I was with a really good friend, which may have contributed to the awesomeness.

Never been to the aquarium on Pier 39. Huge fan of the one in Monterey though. Also never been to Alcatraz... like you said, volunteering to go to prison doesn't seem quite right.

Ah, the Santa Cruz boardwalk. And just Santa Cruz in general. There are some pretty cool wineries that you can visit in Santa Cruz, too. Although, if you like wine, you're spitting distance from Napa and Sonoma too.

How I miss the bay area... :)

I'll throw in this much--it always looks like it's going to rain in San Francisco, so you can't let that stop you. That said, the weather in the North Bay, East Bay and the Peninsula is always different--much sunnier. You'll probably be able to do that hike in Point Reyes even if it's storming in The City (and what they call storms are nothing), because it's usually sunny in the North Bay.

I don't know how long you'll be there, but if you get a chance, call and see if you can get squeezed onto the free tour at Anchor Brewing on Potrero Hill. It's the oldest brewery in California, the tour is free (which is why you have to squeeze onto it--they limit the size), and there's a hell of a tasting at the end. I'd suggest you call at 9:30 or so in the morning to try to get on if you're doing it tomorrow, and don't be surprised if they're booked--Friday is the most popular day. And if they have the same tour guide who was there when I moved away last summer, she's a cutie named Kate.

If you want the best burger ever, you'll have to go into the Excelsior district to Joe's Cable Car, on Mission at Silver. Organic chuck ground fresh daily--you'll pay eight bucks for a burger before adding fries or o-rings (go for the rings), and the shakes are expensive also, but so think your spoon stands up in them.

Oh yeah--there's also a fucking awesome tapas joint in the Haight called Cha Cha Cha. Best calamari I've ever had. They have another one in the Mission, but its not as good.

The City Lights Bookstore is cool, but mostly it's just a bookstore. Which I love, don't get me wrong, but many of my friends don't understand how I can spend hours at a time looking at books. Fisherman's Wharf in the rain is awesome, IMO. Last time I did that though, I was with a really good friend, which may have contributed to the awesomeness.

Never been to the aquarium on Pier 39. Huge fan of the one in Monterey though. Also never been to Alcatraz... like you said, volunteering to go to prison doesn't seem quite right.

Ah, the Santa Cruz boardwalk. And just Santa Cruz in general. There are some pretty cool wineries that you can visit in Santa Cruz, too. Although, if you like wine, you're spitting distance from Napa and Sonoma too.

How I miss the bay area... :)
Curran and Golden Gate Theater...sorry, that had nothing to do with what you where talking about, I just remembered the other theaters.

The Napa wineries are pretty cool. If I ever date a preppie chick again it'd be cool to cruise through there. The last time I went I only remember going to the Smothers Brothers winery. Coppola has one, too, but I never went.

Off 101 near the airport there is an indoor go-cart track, if that's your thing. I haven't been yet---Oh, and Malibu Grand Prix further down 101, outdoor track with bigger carts, with suspension and such. Big ass arcade. Uhh, but the track is outside and the question is for indoor things...sorry, forgot...

Curran and Golden Gate Theater...sorry, that had nothing to do with what you where talking about, I just remembered the other theaters.

The Napa wineries are pretty cool. If I ever date a preppie chick again it'd be cool to cruise through there. The last time I went I only remember going to the Smothers Brothers winery. Coppola has one, too, but I never went.

Off 101 near the airport there is an indoor go-cart track, if that's your thing. I haven't been yet---Oh, and Malibu Grand Prix further down 101, outdoor track with bigger carts, with suspension and such. Big ass arcade. Uhh, but the track is outside and the question is for indoor things...sorry, forgot...
Still, even if it's raining in the City, it's sunny on the peninsula most of the time. Hell, when I lived in the City, we used to drive down to San Mateo just to go grocery shopping so we could get some sunlight.

I'll throw in this much--it always looks like it's going to rain in San Francisco, so you can't let that stop you. That said, the weather in the North Bay, East Bay and the Peninsula is always different--much sunnier. You'll probably be able to do that hike in Point Reyes even if it's storming in The City (and what they call storms are nothing), because it's usually sunny in the North Bay.

I don't know how long you'll be there, but if you get a chance, call and see if you can get squeezed onto the free tour at Anchor Brewing on Potrero Hill. It's the oldest brewery in California, the tour is free (which is why you have to squeeze onto it--they limit the size), and there's a hell of a tasting at the end. I'd suggest you call at 9:30 or so in the morning to try to get on if you're doing it tomorrow, and don't be surprised if they're booked--Friday is the most popular day. And if they have the same tour guide who was there when I moved away last summer, she's a cutie named Kate.

If you want the best burger ever, you'll have to go into the Excelsior district to Joe's Cable Car, on Mission at Silver. Organic chuck ground fresh daily--you'll pay eight bucks for a burger before adding fries or o-rings (go for the rings), and the shakes are expensive also, but so think your spoon stands up in them.
We had crew lunches at Joes once. They let the PAs pick the places to eat since we live here and we always pick places we can't afford to go to on our own. Tasty.

There's also a burger joint up in North Beach on Columbus that is crazy tasty, but I can't remember the name.

That's kind of the thing about SF, though, almost any place your going to walk into is going to have amazing food. It can look like the shadiest little chinese food hole in the wall and it turns out it's fuckin' great.

Still, even if it's raining in the City, it's sunny on the peninsula most of the time. Hell, when I lived in the City, we used to drive down to San Mateo just to go grocery shopping so we could get some sunlight.
That's very true. Though today I just drove up from Santa Cruz to San Bruno and back and it's raining all over. The North Bay might be clear, and who knows what tommorrow will bring and where.

We had crew lunches at Joes once. They let the PAs pick the places to eat since we live here and we always pick places we can't afford to go to on our own. Tasty.

There's also a burger joint up in North Beach on Columbus that is crazy tasty, but I can't remember the name.

That's kind of the thing about SF, though, almost any place your going to walk into is going to have amazing food. It can look like the shadiest little chinese food hole in the wall and it turns out it's fuckin' great.
That's the thing about a city with fierce food competition--you can't suck beceause you don't survive.

That's the thing about a city with fierce food competition--you can't suck beceause you don't survive.
Now if it wasn't so f'n expensive...

(Ah, I guess that's what all those quality burrito bars are for...)

Now if it wasn't so f'n expensive...

(Ah, I guess that's what all those quality burrito bars are for...)
Yep--a burrito the size of your head for five bucks. Gotta love it.