San Francisco Must Dos, Must Sees, and Must Eats

[SummaLuvin]

DH and I are going to San Francisco (no kids) and would love to hear top things to do, see, and places/food items to eat. We won't have a car for the city if relevant for recommendations.

I've enjoyed meals at slanted door and the foreign cinema club, but haven't been for a few years so not sure if they've closed. Bike across to Sausalito. Watch a Giants game and eat dodgy hot dogs. Drinks and people watching in the Castro. Apparently the homeless problem in the city is worse than ever, so I'd give the tenderloin a swerve.

Oh and go to the mission for great Mexican food. That's a must.

Alcatraz is a must but gets booked up very quickly. Try and book the first ferry of the day as then it will be way less crowded.

Thanks, should have said Alcatraz is booked. Expecting that to be a highlight!

Take a tour by motorbike sidecar. Jerome the owner is lovely (and a former chef so will give you some great recommendations). I went in Feb and did a half day tour on my first morning there and had the BEST time! Going across the Golden Gate Bridge in a sidecar is one hell of an experience! I also ate the best pain au chocolat of my life (and I used to live in Paris so that's saying something). You see so much and it really helps you get your bearings but you avoid the tourist masses. A super-cool way to enjoy SF!

www.ridesbyme.com/

I also highly recommend the Ferry Building for food / coffee (or indeed getting a ferry lol). Lots of artisan producers with some of the best food and drink in SF here. I popped in and out of here constantly while I was there.

I did the Alcatraz Behind the Scenes Tour. They only sell 20 tickets per day for this (it's literally one tour per day) so you need to book early. I saw so much more than you do on the regular tour (which you can also do afterwards). It was incredible, fascinating and totally moving. Worth the extra money if you can get a ticket.

Take a walking Citytour, details on the internet. These are free ( we gave a donation) and conducted by volunteers ( sponsored by the city who are very, very knowledgeable about SF. They are themed to different area. You get a real insight to the city and can go into buildings/ areas you’d not usually see or know about.
We stayed in Union Square, central perfect for getting around. It’s not a long walk down Market street to Fisherman’s Warf, it very touristy, but worth a look and also the boat to Alcatraz . Near there is the Levi’s museum, little known, but interesting if you wear the jeans!
Also don’t miss out on spending time in China Town, Castro and Mission. There’s loads of food outlets, from food courts to small restaurants.
We had a great time at Biscuits and Blues a venue with artists playing Southern Blues and serving southern food. Just near Union Square.

Meant to give a photo link for the city tours, might be useful to you and others.