"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand Walking…read morethrough the streets of Soho in the rain He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein" (Warren Zevon) San Francisco is home to the oldest Chinatown in North America. Covering 24 square blocks, its history can be traced to the early 1850s. The driving forces behind the immigration were the California Gold Rush and jobs on the Transcontinental Railroad. San Francisco's Chinatown today is a feast for your senses, with colorful lantern lined streets, produce markets, workers wrapping dim sum dumplings in the store's windows for your viewing pleasure, pagoda roofs, dragon gates, fishmongers, bakeries, and scores of restaurants. Walking through Chinatown was such a treat! We saw dragon dancers walking through the street, stopped at a fortune cookie maker and watched the workers fold up the little cookie bundles and had a family dinner at the oldest Dim Sum restaurant in America, the historic Hang Ah Tea Room. We loved our visit.

When you dim sum, go to Chinatown!…read more The oldest and largest Chinatown in America is in San Fran and it offers plenty of Chinese street food classics and of course a wide selection of baked, fried or steamed dim sum. Most shops open at 7 or 8 so get there before the lunch rush as some of the popular ones get sold out. After devouring all the dim sum, explore and walk around. Another must stop is the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory which is a family run shop hand folding cookies since 1962. Watch the ladies fold, pack these iconic cookies and pick up a bag or two to take back home to your friends and family. Places we ate at: GOOG MONK KOK BAKERY WING SING DIM SUM DELICIOUS DIMSUM HOUSE OF DIM SUM GOLDEN GATE FORTUNE COOKIE

This place is AMAZING!!!…read more Sooo many places to eat under one roof. From cookies and milk to burgers, steaks, desserts etc.. the choices are endless. During my visit, the entire large building was very crowded as this is a very popular place. Located along the San Francisco Bay a mere feet from this beautiful building, stepping outside offers amazing views of the bay, boats and the surrounding area. This is is MUST see when visiting San Francisco

Duplicate Charge That No One Will Fix…read more I noticed that I had been overcharged for parking and called the hotel. A front desk staff member acknowledged the mistake and transferred me to accounting, but no one answered, so I left a voicemail. I also emailed the address listed on my receipt, but after a full day I received no response. When I called again the next morning, the front desk tried to transfer me to accounting a second time. After I requested the manager on duty, I was sent to the manager's voicemail and left another message. I still have not received any response. This is a simple billing correction, and other hotels resolve such issues immediately and provide updated receipts without difficulty. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience here.

This amazing side street features a wide variety of murals that captures the diversity and…read morestruggles of the city.

If you walk fast, you can easily miss this side street that's filled with incredible street art…read more After having lunch in the Mission I decided to take a walk and check out the area. I'm always driving through, getting whether I need and leave. I realize just how much culture and awesome things I miss by not walking around. You can easily spend 30 mins here because there are so many murals, each one being unique on its own. If you're looking for something to do on the weekend, check this street out if you haven't before and get lunch nearby!

Great neighborhood that has gone through some major ups and downs over the past 30+ years. From a…read moreworking class, family oriented community to a hot bed of gang crime and drugs in the 80's, to dot com annexation to current day luxury loft gentrification, this neighborhood more than any other in SF has become the home of the activist and the yuppie, the secretary and the executive, the native and the transplant, the hipster and the socialite, gay and straight families, Latino, Asian, white, middle eastern. A venerable cross section of San Francisco. You have businesses that have been here for over 40 years and for under 40 days. I love my hood..more to come......

I've lived in this neighborhood for 12 years and have seen a variety of transitions and feel it's…read moreheld its personality and strengths. It is starting to feel a bit like Valencia Street circa 1992 or so but still not quite to being a copy of it. I've started seeing the urban safari vehicle talking folks to Balmy Alley which is not a good sign, but visitors are always welcome. It still has the best mix of people in town in my opinion.

I love walking in the Presidio with the children I work with. This is one of my favorite spots in…read morethe Presidio because of the trees and the path with the logs. It is fun to bring the children here because it is great to play with the children and the branches that make the tree houses. One time my kids and I made a tree house and it was there when we came back the following week and people added more to the house.

One of my absolute favorite field trip spots for my students is the Wood Line in the Presidio of…read moreSan Francisco. This is a super popular place for professional photos. A quick tip: because of the way the Wood Line is designed, this stretch can turn into a full-on wind tunnel. Definitely layer up; it can get chilly even on a sunny day. What makes this area so special for young students is the natural layout. The rows of eucalyptus trees create built-in boundaries, which makes it much easier to manage a group while still giving them a sense of freedom and exploration. There are also spots nearby where kids can build and expand on makeshift shelters using fallen branches, perfect for imaginative play, teamwork, and a little hands-on engineering. There are often dogs off leash in this part of the Presidio, but we've never had any issues along this particular stretch. One especially memorable visit included spotting an owl nesting in the trees. A park ranger was stationed nearby to ensure the owl's safety, and my students even got to ask questions and learn more about the habitat. It turned into an unexpected and magical lesson in urban wildlife. If you're looking for a unique, outdoor San Francisco, add the Wood Line to your list.

This 'hood isn't one I frequent very often when I'm in town, but I'm in town pretty frequently so…read morewe've spent some time together. Obviously, the first thing that most people think about here is UCSF and yes, that does tend to take a big role in the neighborhood, but I like the think of this part of town as a little nugget tucked away. It's not quite th Outer Sunset, so you still get a lot more diversity in architecture, but with some real suburban residential appeal. And you get those big ol' hills that makes for interesting driving, parking, and business setup. Plus, any neighborhood that borders Golden Gate Park is really high on my list of faves. I do love that park, and it does sort of seem to act as a buffer between you and the rest of that side of the city. Parking is tricky, but um, this is SF so I really dunno where that's not the case. But do brave that parking because coming out here for food has become pretty cool--if you don't have to be so close to the city, this is a prime place to put down some roots and explore those eats and shops near you. Transit is okay, but it's probably not a spot that many people from all over the city are going to come as a destination--in my mind, that's a big plus, too.

Some nice favorite gems at the Inner Sunset [San Francisco]…read more I don't come to the Inner Sunset often except for one thing... mainly FOOD. Inner Sunset is located south of Golden Gate Park next to the UCSF campus. Many of the businesses are clustered on Irving Street and 9th Avenue... there are a lot of amazing places to eat at the Inner Sunset, maybe not as hoity-toity as the Marina District but the following are some of the places we've enjoyed and visited: * Tartine Inner Sunset [Irving Street] - this Tartine location is open for delivery and takeout only. Online ordering was easy and my bag of goodies was ready in 30 minutes (notifying me by text). My daughter enjoyed both the Lemon Cream Tart and the Lemon Cranberry Pistachio Teacake. I was also happy to see the Pain Au Chocolat Croissant available. Fresh and yummy... but pricey. * Mahalo [9th Avenue] - we ordered the Hawaiian macaroni salad. It's a favorite in our household. Delicious and authentic! * 16th Avenue Tiled Steps - we stopped by this beautiful tiled steps just west of Grand View Park. This popular steps is popular among tourists. There are 163 steps... heading up has a nice view of stars and sea design. There are a few landings in between sections (to catch your breath). The plants alongside the steps are well maintained by the community. Street parking. * Hidden Garden Steps - beautifully tiled stairway. The stairway is between a Kirkham and Lawton Streets. It's easy to miss these steps because the stairs are narrow and very steep. We got lucky at the time... no tourists! I love these steps! The ceramic tiles are colorful with beautiful designs and once we reached the midpoint of the steps there were some great views to be seen of the city. Truly a hidden gem. Next on my list to visit (not necessarily in this order): Arizmendi Bakery Hometown Creamery San Tung "Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul." - Jaime Lyn Review #2061

This is a very unexpected path from Noe/Castro to Twin Peaks/Eureka Valley! I found this spot on…read moreaccident while on a hot girl walk! If you're trying to get steps in with elevation, visit these stairs and get a great view of the neighborhoods. Exploring the different stairs in SF is actually really fun, a great way to explore new neighborhoods!

This is a sweet neighborhood stairway between Collinwood and Diamond streets. There are 2 branches…read moreof the staircase, one with 72 stairs and the other with an impressive 191 stairs which is shaded. The staircase intersects an embankment that the neighbors tend to with native plants and many succulents. I wouldn't come out of my way for this staircase, but I use it to incorporate with an urban stair walk of this neighborhood towards the Castro which is about a half mile away. There are a few other staircases around (Sanchez, Cumberland, Liberty) and 22nd street at Church and Vicksburg is the second steepest city block in SF at a 31.5% grade. 24th street's bustling shops are 4 blocks away, so nice to take a walk after dinner.

Got to see my friend perform here tonight on a Saturday! Super fun! Like 6 benches that fit about 5…read moreppl on each. One stage and lots of lightbulbs for shows at night!

So I live at 23rd and Harrison and there happens to be a garden between 23rd and 24th, closer to…read more23rd. There is a little sign that says "Secret Garden", in a little alley enclosed by a white fence between two homes. I've passed this sign millions of times but every time the fence has been closed! Finally, this past Saturday the gate was ajar! We diverted and went inside the garden! Suspense! Someone's back was turned towards the vegetables, there was human in the "Secret Garden". I said "Hello". I was greeted warmly by an older gentlemen. He says his name is "Tree". How fitting :). Anyways, Tree tells us the history of the 23rd and Harrison garden. It was supposed to be a common space for all the houses in the area, then it became a crack den and the parks people sealed it off. Supposedly everyone in the neighborhood had keys before it was closed. Now only Tree and someone else that runs a gardening program for kids has a key. He uses the park for his urban farming project. Tree used to hope he could feed all the homeless with his urban farms, he has a few. There is one at 23rd and Treat st., I don't know where his others are. With the produce he gardens he gives it all away at his food stand in the mission for low income and homeless folks. How cool is that? Amazing to have people like Tree in SF. I've heard he also had something to do with the trees that line Folsom, I'm not sure about that rumor. Here is a link to his blog: http://freefarmstand.blogspot.com/