
Ask HN: I'm visiting SF for 3 days, what do I do? - idiotb
Hi HN&#x27;ers, I&#x27;m visiting SF for 3 days from May 15th to May 17th. What meetups&#x2F;cafes&#x2F;events can I go to to network with VC&#x27;s, founders, tech people, other awesome companies, etc?
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jowiar
Forget all of that. The most interesting people in tech are largely not in San
Francisco (and the ones who you find are loud, while the ones who are
interesting you won't find).

Instead: SF is a stellar place to unwind. Do that.

Catch a Giants game. Drink fantastic coffee (Sightglass, Blue Bottle,
Epicenter, Four Barrel, Ritual, etc.) Get a Chocolate Shot at Tcho, Ice Cream
at Humphry Slocombe, a burrito in the Mission, and Shabu Shabu. Drink a
cocktail at Alembic or Comstock. Spend an afternoon peoplewatching in Dolores
Park. Shop at the ferry plaza. Walk across the Golden Gate. Take a few days of
the best weather that you're going to see for the next 4 months and enjoy it
outside.

If you're interested in learning, drop in on some things at Stanford and
Berkeley - find interesting talks from people who are doing legit change-the-
world research that you can sit in on.

~~~
larrys
But the OP said specifically:

"What meetups/cafes/events can I go to to network"

The goal appears therefore to be to network. Not to do interesting sight
seeing things. Nor to meet "interesting people" unless those interesting
people are specifically for networking purposes.

Add: How does a three day visit for networking jive with "Catch a Giants game.
Drink fantastic coffee".

You can do all that in the city that I live in and in many cities.

~~~
tizzdogg
True, it's not answering the OPs original question. I think people are
responding to the implied idea that you can just show up in San Francisco and
bump into VCs all over the place, and that this is all the city has to offer.
SF people love their city for other reasons, and get a bit defensive about
this attitude that tech is the only worthwhile thing about it. It's partally a
part of the ongoing angst about the changing nature of the city with the
influx of so many tech folks.

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sparkman55
Please go visit some redwoods or beaches or wineries or dim sum or taquerias,
too. Our fair city is more than just a tech hub.

I think the Maker Faire is that weekend, about 20 minutes south of SF in San
Mateo, if that kind of hacking is your thing.

~~~
colonelxc
[http://makerfaire.com/bay-area-2014/](http://makerfaire.com/bay-area-2014/)

This saturday and sunday

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paulbaumgart
Networking is a two-way street: if you want people to offer to meet with you,
it helps to give some indication of what you have to offer them :)

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alain94040
You'll be missing the startup conference on Wednesday, but the tips page shows
what happens the next day, when you are in town:

May 15: Hackers and Founders Meetup at the Hacker Dojo.

May 15: the Founder Showcase is a great event, and even if you can’t attend
the afternoon presentations, it’s worth spending $15 for the evening after-
party at NASA that looks to be really cool. Registration here, after-party
here.

Grab a coffee at Red Rock Cafe in downtown Mountain View, if you are a
pennyless entrepreneur working on the next big thing, or at Coupa Cafe in Palo
Alto if you think you are ready to pitch VCs. Just sit back and watch…

[source] [http://thestartupconference.com/tips-for-first-time-
attendee...](http://thestartupconference.com/tips-for-first-time-attendees/)

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dougmccune
Someone else mentioned Maker Faire, and I second that. Even if you don't think
that kind of thing is "your thing", there's so much there that's genuinely
interesting to any inquisitive person that you're bound to find it fun. The
only drawback IMO was that it's massive and crazy crowded, so if you're not a
fan of large crowds it can get overwhelming.

Also, change your ticket and fly back on Monday so you can experience Bay to
Breakers. It's one of the best/most ridiculous events our city has to offer.

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NathanKP
Visit Noisebridge:

[https://www.noisebridge.net/](https://www.noisebridge.net/)

I stopped in on my last visit to SF and it was amazing... So much activity and
fun hackerish things going on. You'll love it I'm sure!

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paf31
Attend a Haskell mini-conference!
[http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/BayHac2014](http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/BayHac2014)

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bravura
Come to Music Hack Day,
[https://musichackdaysf.splashthat.com/](https://musichackdaysf.splashthat.com/)

It's on the 17th and 18th. You'll miss some of it, but you'll get to meet cool
people building stuff

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jot
PG has a guide if you're more broadly interested in seeing Silicon Valley:
[http://paulgraham.com/seesv.html](http://paulgraham.com/seesv.html)

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JSeymourATL
Suggest targeting 2-3 individuals, local experts who might be able to help
with your business or career goals. Offer to pay for 1 hour of their time for
advice & counsel. Most people will be flattered, appreciate the sign of a
respect and will waive any fee. Bonus, you'll get some great insights and
potentially make a new friend.

~~~
justuseapen
Friend speaks my mind^

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eksurfus
Checkout Steve Blank's guide:

    
    
       http://steveblank.com/visitors-guide/

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igaape
I suggest doing some online research and find people / companies that interest
you and then cold email them and try to set up meeting a couple of people
before you get there and then expand your network from there. Its the best way
to go about it. Make friends and then friends of friends. 3 days is a short
time so make sure you unwind as well. SF has a lot to offer. (Although if I
was in your place i'd have prolly not 'Chilled' out either) xD. You can
message me if you need any other help. I can try and point you in the right
direction.

~~~
idiotb
Hey! thanks for comment.

I'd be meeting a friend at Dropbox and later on thursday will be going for
Github Drinkup. My main goal for the trip is to see tech community as I just
graduated from Hacker School, NY. I'm exploring my career options now.

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zealoustiger
If the goal is to relax and "absorb" tech culture, I'd go with everyone else's
suggestions. Tech-focused cafes include Creamery, SightGlass, Philz, and The
Grove in SOMA. If you have a car, driving around Sand Hill (not in SF) and
visiting Rosewood will definitely give you the opportunity to tech eves-drop.

If you'd like to meet some real entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, investors
in the trenches, download our app (www.weavenow.us). There are thousands of
people you can meet in SF if they're also interested in meeting you.

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bake
Thursday night drinks at the Rosewood on Sand Hill Rd.

Google it before you go, though.

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chrisBob
Be safe: My wife and I have been to SF twice. The first time a bar fight
spilled out into the street while we were walking to church _at 9am on Sunday
morning_. One of the guys pulled a knife, but someone talked him down before
there was any blood spilled.

The second time my wife was about 20' away from a shooting near the convention
center.

I am sure its a great city, but I haven't had the best experience there.

~~~
fossuser
I've found the city to be hugely disappointing, but compared to NY and London
it is substantially smaller (maybe that's why). There are only ~800,000 people
there.

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dohertyjf
Check out meetup for interesting things happening. You can find people
immersed in their laptops at any coffee shop in the city, especially SOMA.

But yes, since the weather will be nice you should get outside. Rent a bike,
go to the GG Bridge, Twin Peaks, etc. It's a beautiful town.

How do I know? I live here and work in FiDi in tech. I've yet to meet a VC at
a coffee shop.

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PaulMest
I'll be presenting about time series data at SFRails on May 15th. The meetup
offers free pizza/beer and generally has 100-200 people attend.

You can find more info about this month's event here:
[http://www.meetup.com/SFRails/events/167606272/](http://www.meetup.com/SFRails/events/167606272/)

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milkers
Great!! I will be doing the same between 10th of June and 4th of July. Looking
forward to meet with likeminded folks. One of my friends who had done an
internship at facebook suggested me to drive towards San Diego, probably there
are good views on the way. However what to do depends extremely on your
intrinsic purposes.

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3stripe
There's not a listings/event site that aggregates all of this stuff?

(He says with mild surprise from London)

~~~
scott_karana
I think OP is hoping to network with HN-type people, specifically. :)

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e40
Visit Cha Cha Cha on Mission. Fantastic food and drink. My favs, all from the
Tapas menu (small plates): fried plantains, chicken Piard, and the best fried
calamari in the world. The Sangria is excellent. It's a couple of blocks from
BART on Mission and 18th.

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rms
Maker Faire, definitely.

Noisebridge: Yes.

Maybe the morning session at
[http://events.stanford.edu/events/442/44295/](http://events.stanford.edu/events/442/44295/)
before Maker Faire

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Xcelerate
I rented a bike from one of the bike shops and proceeded to get lost cycling
around San Francisco. It was really fun! I only barely made it back in time
for the conference I was presenting at though...

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lyime
Check out this SF city guide [https://hackpad.com/San-Francisco-City-Guide-
aAFL7mTH9M2](https://hackpad.com/San-Francisco-City-Guide-aAFL7mTH9M2)

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caio1982
Rent a bike, ride the Golden Gate to Sausalito for some icecream or coffee and
then to Battery Spencer before going back to city, or hang around at Fort
Point and at the park nearby.

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jelmerdejong
I really enjoyed just driving around: visit the multiple campuses (Facebook,
Google), checking out Steve Jobs old house and neighbourhood.

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pchristensen
+1000 for Maker Faire on Sat the 17th. There's nothing more awesome at any
point in the year, anywhere else in the world, for tech.

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BrainScraps
Check out [http://www.sfwat2do.com](http://www.sfwat2do.com) \- always
intersting stuff there.

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feralmoan
Check out Tonga Room if you're up for something crazy and unique one night!

