

I'm visiting the Bay area this week- What should I see? - e1ven

I'm going to be visiting the Bay area this week, and I'd love some advice on what to see. <p>Darkened Sky is Boston based, so I've never spent much time in SF.. I thought that while I'm out there it might be worth the time to stop by a few places to get the lay of the land.<p>I know there's a lot of news.yc folk who have lived there before, or have moved there to work on their Startups- What would you recommend? <p>Are there any interesting startup events going on this week? What places should I be sure to stop at? Any hotels you'd recommend, or recommend avoiding at all costs? Are there any bars or restaurants that are worth patronizing?<p>-Colin
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rms
I stayed at this hotel when I was in SF recently.
[http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-358053-travelodge_presidio_s...](http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-358053-travelodge_presidio_san_francisco-i)
It was just about the cheapest hotel in SF and it was surprisingly decent,
other than the thin walls and unfriendly front desk person. It's in a nice
neighboorhood and was very close to a bus line that goes downtown/to the
Caltrain. Near that hotel we ate we here which was great for an inexpensive
meal. <http://www.yelp.com/biz/PuOsLglHAg0kpHVvGj2new>

Thanks for the advice last time everyone, it was a great trip!

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rms
that hotel is also very close to the Exploratorium, which is as good as
interactive science museums get and the Palace of the Fine Arts, which is
worth seeing if you're in the area.

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iamelgringo
Computer History Museum in Mountain View has a pretty cool 1.5 hr tour. You
can see parts of a Babbage Difference engine, ENIAC, CRAY 1, 2's, One of
GOOG's early server racks, washing machine sized hard drives, etc... It's a
lot of fun.

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igexome
..and all the other goodies that was located at the _Boston_ Computer Museum.
Someone decided to plow it over when they were just so happening to put an
interstate underground. Oh well. The commute to the airport is wicked fast
now.

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spking
Avoid the Cable Cars. Unless you like standing in line for 3 hours to have
someone's crotch in your face while the "conductor" yells at people not to
lean out.

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staunch
I was just in Palo Alto for a couple days. I stayed in Dinah's Garden Hotel in
a "Deluxe" room with patio facing a pond. (El Camino Real). Quite nice for the
price I paid.

Ate some breakfasts at Peninsula Fountain & Grill (Emerson/Hamilton). Classic
American diner.

Drinking at "Old Pro" (great mini burgers) and other bars in the area which
are more difficult to remember. (University/Ramona). Pretty good.

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toddh
The labyrinth at Grave Cathedral is cool.

<http://www.gracecathedral.org/>

Definitely visit a beach: <http://www.sfguide.com/sports/beaches.htm>. This is
a lovely time of year to watch the waves.

If you have time take a win tour of Alexander Valley. You'll fall in love.

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eknuds
The Marin headlands is nice to see. Sausalito has a cool bar called the "No
Name" that has live Dixie Jazz most days. Muir Woods is a nice walk. Pt. Reyes
area is purty. Maybe drive from SF to Monterey on the Pacific Coast Highway
and see 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach.

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jamiequint
Startup Events:

SF Beta Holiday Bash (10th)

Lunch 2.0 - Mozilla (4th)

Lunch 2.0 - Loopt (7th)

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falsestprophet
Watch Paul Graham from afar.

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rms
Where does Paul Graham eat breakfast these days?

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tlrobinson
Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Warf, Alcatraz, etc if you're into the
touristy stuff. The hotels around Union Square are nice and centrally located.

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mattmaroon
I'm a huge fan of Michael Mina for seafood, though it's rather spendy. It's
definitely one of the finest seafood restaurants you'll ever visit.

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gibsonf1
Check out: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=67460>

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e1ven
Thanks, that's a good resource, I'll take a look.

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jey
<http://www.toronado.com> for the best beer selection ever

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gojomo
If you like views: twin peaks in SF, the Berkeley hills, the Marin headlands
and lookouts around the GG bridge are some classics among many.

If you are considering further education, seeing the Berkeley and Stanford
campuses might be interesting.

If you like electronics and shopping, Fry's (esp. flagship store in Sunnyvale)
is worth a look.

Fisherman's Wharf is a tourist trap; best reason to go there is to catch a bay
cruise/Alcatraz tour.

Upcoming is a great source to find relevant events; see
[http://upcoming.yahoo.com/search/?type=Events&q=&rt=...](http://upcoming.yahoo.com/search/?type=Events&q=&rt=1&loc=San+Francisco+County%2C+California%2C+United+States&Search=GO)
for a prospective SF-centered search.

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icky
> If you are considering further education, seeing the Berkeley and Stanford
> campuses might be interesting.

Drive down University Ave in Palo Alto. Absolutely gorgeous, in a way that you
normally don't see on this coast.

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jgrahamc
Better yet. Park the car and _walk_ down University Avenue.

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rms
Take the free shuttle from Palo Alto to Stanford though! Stanford owns a
decadent amount of land between the too, it was a much longer walk than I
expected.

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DanielBMarkham
Sounds corny, but try out one of the tour bus deals. It's a good way to see a
lot of stuff quickly. Then you can do other stuff at your leisure.

I have great memories of neat stuff to do -- try taking a tour in the
floatplane over the Bay. Or take a day and do Napa. Or check out the great
restaurants. Or some of the great live music joints. Lots of fun stuff.

