Aquarium of the Bay: Awesome Aquarium with Local Focus

Aquarium of the Bay is perfect place to take the family on a rainy afternoon. This local gem has plenty of fish, rays, and sharks to entertain and delight guests. As the only aquarium situated on the San Francisco Bay,  has a special focus on the animals and ecosystems indigenous to the area. Exhibits are divided into three sections: the first is “Discover the Bay”, which is an introduction to the various aquatic life that live in the Bay. Next visit, “Under the Bay” which is a set of two impressive clear crystal tunnels that allow guests to travel through shallow and deep-water habitats. The final section is “Touch the Bay,” an interactive exhibit where guests can touch animals like California King snakes and Leopard Sharks while learning about conservation. Aquarium on the Bay is educational, exciting, and with added emphasis on nearby ecology, it allows people of all ages to learn more about local marine life.

Aquarium of the Bay
The Embarcadero and Beach Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 623-5300
www.aquariumofthebay.org

 

 

 

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: An Impressive Collection of Modern Creativity

California has long been on art's cutting edge, and a good deal of that is due to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. SFMOMA was the first west coast museum to feature exclusively 20th-century art, and it led to California and the Western US becoming a center of the American art world. Founded in 1935, the collection boasts over 26,000 works by arists like Mondrian, Pollock, Magritte and Ellsworth Kelly, to name just a few. Crucially, it continues to expand, with over 1,300 new pieces added since 2009. This is a world-class museum that warrants repeat visits, with many touring exhibitions and an educational program that is a crown jewel of the Bay Area.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 3rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 357-4000
www.sfmoma.org

Stinson Beach: Quintessential Cali Beach for Picnicking and Play

A favorite beach for locals, Stinson Beach is known for its great surf, clean facilities, and dog-friendly spirit. Driving to Stinson Beach is half the fun, with winding roads carved into the side of the cliffs that afford spectacular views of the Pacific. Parking, changing rooms and bathrooms are all conveniently located near the beach, with bonus amenities like a snack area and a BBQ spot. The three-mile long sandbar can handle large crowds with room to spare, even accommodating volleyball courts. Dogs and their owners are welcomed at the northern tip of Stinson Beach, and the nearby town contains several dog-friendly cafés for a bite after a visit. Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day to Labor Day to ensure visitors’ utmost safety. Recommended by locals for surfing, swimming, picnicking and rafting, Stinson Beach makes for a great day-trip to the Pacific.

Stinson Beach
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
1 Calle Del Sierra
Stinson Beach, CA 94970
(415) 868-1922
www.nps.gov/goga/stbe.htm

Castro Theatre: A Cinema Palace

There are some theatres that are so emblematic of the city they’re located in that they perpetually color the moviegoing experience—Grauman’s Chinese in Los Angeles, Ziegfield’s in New York, and the Castro in San Francisco. The centerpiece of the neighborhood that shares its name, the Castro has been a destination for film lovers for many decades. It’s one of the few theatres in the United States that still uses its Wurlitzer pipe organ before screenings. But it’s not all antiquity at the Castro; the theatre’s projection system is one of the most advanced in the country, able to handle the latest fully digital prints as well as classic silent films. It’s also one of only four theatres in the world that can show a full 70mm film with a separate Dolby DTS soundtrack. San Franciscans serious about the movies have been flocking to the Castro for decades, and it doesn’t look like that’s ever going to change.

Castro Theatre
429 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 621-6120
www.castrotheatre.com

Lucky Chances Casino: Got a Good Hand?

Can’t get to Vegas? Give Colma a try. The Lucky Chances Casino is a friendly and modern 60-table cardroom, the perfect place to try your luck. It’s the newest card club in the Bay Area, with a full array of poker and Asian/Vegas style games, as well as over 600 friendly staff to help you relax for a few hours. The restaurant never closes, and it’s worth a try even if you’re not playing—the Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino and American food is decent, fairly-priced, and tastes great after a night on the town. All is comfortable and clean here—the only pressure comes from placing your bets!

Don’t worry about the car, either; there’s extensive underground parking, with free valet service.

Lucky Chances Casino
1700 Hillside Boulevard
Colma, CA 94014
(650) 758-2237
www.luckychances.com

Enjoy a Worry-Free Wine Tasting Experience on a Wine Country Tour Shuttle

Want to do a wine tasting but worried about finding a designated driver? Wine Country Tour Shuttle is the perfect solution. A tour of four premiere wineries with red, white, and sparkling wines in the Napa Valley area, the Wine Country Tour Shuttle allows guests to try the wines, mingle with other guests, and not have to worry about how to get home.

Starting in San Francisco, the tour takes guests over the Golden Gate Bridge to Napa, and to such luxury wineries as Domain Chandon and Black Stallion. A $10 voucher is provided for a picnic lunch of choice cheeses, breads, and sandwiches. To return to San Francisco, the tour shuttle will take the Ferry/Bay cruise, affording views of Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, and the Golden Gate Bridge. For its convenience and value, Wine Country Tour Shuttle is a great way to enjoy Wine Country without the hassle.

Wine Country Tour Shuttle
(415) 513-5400
www.WineCountryTourShuttle.com

Alcatraz: Not Just For SF Tourists – A Prison Worth Exploring

Few prisons in the United States have the mythic resonance of Alcatraz—the forbidding island in the San Francisco Bay has become the stuff of legend. In 29 years of operation, it was claimed that no one ever escaped. The prison was decommissioned in 1963 because it was too expensive to keep convicts there due to the isolation of the facility. Years later, the island was opened to tourists under the auspices of the National Parks Service. Taking a cruise to Alcatraz has become a must-do for any visit to San Francisco, and it couldn’t be easier. The boat departs from Pier 33 and takes a leisurely spin through the bay, filling you in on the history of the prison before letting you off to explore the buildings and gardens. The self-guided tour uses headsets, so you can take as long as you want to explore—as long as you catch the last boat before it leaves.

Alcatraz
Pier 33, Alcatraz Landing
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 981-7625
www.alcatrazcruises.com

Ferry Building Marketplace: A Foodie's Paradise

If you’re looking for one of the greatest gourmet shopping experiences in the United States, get down to the Ferry Building Marketplace for a taste of Heaven. When the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge made ferry travel in the area basically obsolete, the gorgeous Ferry Building lay wasted for decades. After the Embarcadero Freeway, which hid the building from sight, was demolished in 1991, the time was ripe to rehabilitate the building into something truly special. The Ferry Building was opened in 2003 with a world-class public food market occupying the ground floor. Representatives from local farms gather streetside to sell their freshest crops, many of which are certified organic. Head inside for a flabbergasting array of prepared and exotic foods—pretty much anything you’d ever need to prepare a transcendent meal is here for the taking. There are so many vendors here that you could eat a different thing every day, but just don’t miss Pepples, the tiny organic doughnut stall, no matter what.

Ferry Building Marketplace
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111
www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

Not Just For Kids: The Cartoon Art Museum

If there’s one art form that has gained a significant amount of respect in the last few decades, it’s comic books. Once considered the exclusive interest of children and subnormals, “graphic novels” are now read by just about everyone. If you want to really get inside the art form, San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum is the greatest institution of its kind anywhere in the world. Founded in 1984 to increase public interest in the past and future of the comics, the museum stages a dozen high-profile exhibits a year on a number of topics, as well as a number of free drawing programs and other enrichment experiences for kids and adults alike. Openings are popular events, as often artists will come out and mix and mingle with museum visitors to discuss their work. Admission is reasonable and the gift shop is extremely well-stocked if anything you see on display piques your interest.

Cartoon Art Museum
655 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 227-8666
www.cartoonart.org

Chinatown: The Country's Most Famous Chinatown Experience

The largest in North America, San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco, and an authentic view of Chinese culture, food, and arts. Restaurants like Kam Po Kitchen and New Lun Ting Café serve genuine Chinese cuisine like wontons, roast duck, and BBQ pork. Delicious baked goods can be purchased at Golden Gate Bakery, while herbal shops are perfect for exploring traditional Chinese medicine. Cultural events happen almost daily, with an abundance happening in February during the Chinese New Year. Parades, lion dancers, flower fairs, and musical performances are just some of the happenings that give Chinatown its unique flair. Simply walking the streets is an experience in itself, with Eastern-inspired architecture flavoring many buildings, such as the Bank of America decorated with gold dragons. To anyone interested in Chinese culture, Chinatown is a must-see.

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