Things to See and Do

There are so many wonderful things to do and see in and around San Francisco, I can't possibly cover them all here. But ... here are some ideas, for starters!

You can spend your days sightseeing, going on tours of Alcatraz, SF Moma, or the Cable Car Museum. Also visit the Japanese Tea Gardens and DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park. And it seems everyone needs to walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's like a rite of passage, and it IS beautiful. Especially on a sunny day, or a partially foggy day when you can watch the fog rolling in and out. Don't go on a TOTALLY foggy day, because then you won't get to see anything. (Well, duh! :-) )

Some of our guests have been thrilled with the tour buses to the wine country, ending with a romantic sunset ferry ride across the Bay, back to San Francisco. Others have done the Winery Bike Tours in the East Bay. So yes, you really can see the wine country without a rental car!

If you love museums, don't forget the Asian Art Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Legion of Honor (European / Ancient Collections), and the Oakland Museum of California. Families traveling with children (or kids at heart) will enjoy the Disney Museum, located in our beautiful Park Presidio (a national park, and a wonderful place for a bike ride).

At night, check out San Francisco's live productions at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), Teatro Zinzanni (Love, Chaos and Dinner) and Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon. Or see a Broadway show at the Orpheum or Golden Gate Theater.

If you love architecture, go for the Victorian Home Walk in Pacific Heights or Rick Evan's Architectural Walking Tour in the Financial District. San Francisco City Guides offers FREE walking tours at destinations all over the city. Learn more about San Francisco's architectural styles.

Other ideas include a tour of The Giants Stadium or a champagne brunch cruise on the Bay. Or a day trip to Angel Island. Don't forget to ride bikes or take the ferry to the magical town of Sausalito, for art, wine, dining, and fabulous views of our fair city. Sausalito is at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, just opposite from San Francisco.

After a busy day, you'll enjoy coming home to your own quiet apartment in Noe Valley. While the apartment itself is on a quiet street (very flat, no hills!), you'll be walking distance from the cafes, boutiques, and hilly vistas of Noe Valley and Bernal Heights, as well as the night life, vintage clothing, records, and book stores, and trendy restaurants of the Mission.

For performing arts / movies in the neighborhood, you can walk or take public transit (or bike) to the Castro Theatre, The Marsh, the Roxie, ODC Dance Commons, Red Poppy Art House, and Brava! (For Women in the Arts). For studio art and live performance in the Mission, see what's going on at Project Artaud, which includes Mariposa Studio, The Jewish Theatre San Francisco, Theatre of Yugen, and ZSpace (Word for Word). Art lovers, don't miss Precita Eyes (for a Mission Murals Tour, or drop in at a mural-making class). Also check out Soap Gallery, 23rd St Studio (drop-in figure art drawing classes), and the classes at the Mission Cultural Center.

We still get questions from people asking if our apartment is really in San Francisco and if it's easy to get to all the touristy things. Well, in a word, YES. SF Vacation Hut is less than a 5-minute (very flat) walk form the J-Church Muni line which will take you north to downtown in a jiffy. Jeff and I walk to the BART station every day to get downtown for work; the BART train gets us from 24th St Mission to downtown in only 5 minutes (even faster than the J-Church). From BART or the J-Church, you can connect to the K, L, M, and N lines, which will take you to Ocean Beach and most other parts of the city. From downtown, you can also connect to the cable cars, the F historic streetcar, and the buses (30 Stockton and 45, for example) headed for Fisherman's Wharf, Union Street / Cow Hollow Shopping, the Presidio, and more.

So YES! We are in San Francisco, and yes, we are in a walkable and bike-friendly area. In fact, our guest apartment has a walkscore of 97 - Walker's Paradise.

To book a stay with us, call or e-mail us, or send us an inquiry through HomeAway #335147. Thank you for your interest!