IgoUgo

San Francisco Journals

San Francisco on a Bohemian Budget

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A travel journal to San Francisco by Chad Bartlett

Quote: San Francisco is an absurdly expensive city. If funds are extremely tight, you might want to think Portland (another great city). Still, SF can be somewhat reasonable if you know where to look and are willing to be flexible.

San Francisco on a Bohemian Budget

Overview

Quote:
North Beach is a great place to hang out, even if a bit overcrowded with tourists at times. The Mission District is filled with wall murals depicting dozens of cultural, political, and literary scenes. Valencia is the new Bohemia of SF, a more low-key hang-out than North Beach.Quick Tips: Try Cafe Prague's apple strudel or Caffe Trieste's tiramisu. Stop in the San Francisco Brewing Company between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. for one dollar microbrews.Best Way To Get Around: BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is probably the best way to get into San Francisco. It'll get you to the Embarcadero, Union Square, Civic Center, and the Mission District. Most of the tourist areas are in the nor...Read More

San Francisco Brewing Company

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Restaurant

Quote:
The San Francisco Brewing Company is a great budget alternative to the more expensive Italian and fusion restaurants of the North Beach neighborhood. It's also a bit more casual, and is inviting to locals and tourists alike. I've visited the SF Brewing Co. a number of times and always enjoyed the fresh beer selections (brewed on site). The Emperor Norton Lager, named for the eccentric character who once graced the city, is especially flavorful. As for the food, it's pretty standard pub vittles: burgers, fish, chicken, and a handful of veggie alternatives. It is, however, quite good for what it is. Just don't expect any escargot. Try the calamari as an appetizer, followed by fish 'n' ch...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 6, 2000

San Francisco Brewing Company
155 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, California 94133
(415) 434-3344

Cafe Prague

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Restaurant

Quote:
Cafe Prague is just far enough off Columbus Avenue to be rather quiet most of the time. I've spent plenty of afternoons sipping coffee and eating an apple strudel with whipped cream while reading a book I'd just purchased from City Lights. Besides coffee and pastries, Cafe Prague offers light fare, wine, a number of beers (including some Czech selections), and the chance to practice your Czech. A number of the employees are themselves Czech. Adding to the atmosphere are the images of Prague which cover the walls. If you've ever been to Prague, you undoubtedly understand how enchanting it is and why any reminder of it is welcome. If you're into Beat and spoken word poetry, Sunday evening...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 7, 2000

Cafe Prague
584 Pacific Ave
San Francisco, California 94133
+1 415 433 3811

Pier 39

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Attraction

Quote:
Pier 39 is admittedly a crowded and commercial place. Adults may prefer to take it in small doses, interspersing time at the Pier with time at one of the many fine restaurants along the Bay. Still, it can be fun to let loose and eat like a kid again. Cotton candy, chocolates, ice cream, hot dogs, and every other good-tasting, bad-for-you food can be had here. Especially worth the wait is a freshly made waffle cone filled with Dreyers ice cream (known as Edy's in the Midwest and East). On a recent trip to the Pier, I ate more cone than ice cream. They're that good. Also available for your shopping 'needs' are stores selling Irish and Scottish items, Russian lacquerware, puppets, SF souvenirs...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 7, 2000

Pier 39
Beach Street & The Embarcadero
San Francisco, California 94133
(415) 981 7437

Coit Tower

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Attraction

Quote:
Coit Tower is one of the best places to view the city. Perched atop Telegraph hill, you can see both the Golden Gate Bridge and the (San Francisco-Oakland) Bay Bridge, the TransAmerica Pyramid, Alcatraz, the Marin Headlands, and the beehive of houses that is San Francisco. You can ride a bus to the top, or walk up the hills and steps. Be warned, it is quite a workout. My fifty-something parents recently made the hike, but not without a break or two. As with San Franscisco in general, avoid driving. Cars are often lined up for blocks waiting for the next available parking spot. Instead, walk up and smirk at the foolish drivers. An adult ticket is $3.75 and well worth it on a clear day...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 7, 2000

Coit Tower
1 Telegraph Hill Blvd
San Francisco, California 94133
(415) 362-0808

City Lights Books

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Story/Tip

Quote:
City Lights is best-known as the publisher of Allen Ginsberg's controversial work 'Howl.' During the '50s heyday of Beat poetry, City Lights was an integral part of the movement. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, himself a Beat and ally to Ginsberg and Kerouac, began City Lights as the first all-paperback bookstore. Ferlinghetti still owns the bookstore, which is today a source of fiction and poetry of all stripes, especially the underground and avant garde. It also has excellent nonfiction selections ranging from travel and history to nature and politics.

That Sucking Sound: Arts in SF

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Story/Tip

Quote:
San Francisco has long been known as a center for the arts: music, literature, painting, even film. Unfortunately, a lot of what makes SF great is in jeopardy. It might behoove you to see it while you can. It's not that the sights are going anywhere, but a great deal of the cultural and economic diversity is disappearing from the city as rents and the general cost of living in SF climb right through the stratosphere. The tech revolution has been a double-edged sword for the City by the Bay and many beginning and mid-career artists (visual, musical, and literary) are moving elsewhere: to the interior of the country, to less expensive California cities, or to Portland. Yours truly lives in Oakland...Read More

Mission District

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Story/Tip

Quote:
The Mission is a little less sparkling than the usual tourist areas, but is a great place to roam through. There are some excellent murals on and along Mission and Valencia Streets, as well as some seriously authentic Latin American cuisine. The Mission, especially Valencia, is also the New Bohemia of SF at the moment. However, it's quickly being overrun with moneyed dot-comers, and is at the center of the debates over gentrification. It still holds a great deal of its character intact. As with other areas of the city, some parts of the Mission can be a little iffy at night. Stay on the beaten track and you'll be fine.

About the Writer

Chad Bartlett

Chad Bartlett
Oakland, California

  • "I'm a fiction writer and poet as well as musician, teacher, and occasional bartender. Originally fr..."
  • 3 journals
  • 0 photos
  • 10 reviews

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