San Francisco Insider

This place is a blast. They have several locations across the United States, as well as some internationally. The entire restaurant is themed around the movie "Forrest Gump." All of the staff is full of knowledge about the movie, and they invite you to participate in trivia contests. The fun staff is one of the great features that bring this place alive.

The San Francisco location is located right at the end of Pier 39, so you get a full view of the marina and bay. The inside is full of decorations related to the movie. One of my favorite quotes inside the restaurant is the sign saying, "I gotta pee," posted above the entrance to the restrooms. That cracks me up every time.

I think one of the best features of this entire restaurant is how you call the attention of your waiter, or any waiter for that matter. On your table, you have two signs shaped like license plates, a blue one with the words "RUN FORREST RUN" and a red one with the words "STOP FORREST STOP." Anytime you need anything, you just flip the sign to "STOP FORREST STOP" and the nearest waiter will assist you, ensuring a quick response.

The food here is really good. I've thoroughly enjoyed it every time. Different entrées have names such as Bubba's Bucket of Boat Trash, Ping Pong Shrimp, and Hubba Bubba Fried Shrimp. My favorite is The Ultimate Combo. You definitely have to try Bubba's Far Out Dip. It's absolutely delicious. Their mixed drinks are very good as well.

All in all, this place has become one of my favorite spots to eat. The food is great, and the atmosphere is loads of fun.

The Rainforest Cafe is obviously a rain-forest-themed restaurant. The decorations go above and beyond, however. Once you enter, you are sent into a tropical rainforest with giant tropical fish tanks everywhere. There are animated creatures that emerge from the rain forest periodically. The sky changes throughout the day, and you will see shooting stars blaze across the night sky.

The food is very good, with dishes such as Mogambo Shrimp, Passport to Paradise, and the Cyclone Crab Cakes. My favorite is the Monsoon Grill.

The only thing that is severely lacking is the service. In my experiences with this location, the word "horrible" describes their efficiency. My cousin had a similar complaint about the Las Vegas location. If they could conquer this issue, this restaurant would be perfect.

Pier 39 is a huge tourist destination. It's full of unique specialty shops and fantastic restaurants and is the hub for tours to Alcatraz and around the bay. There are also attractions, such as the hand-crafted Italian carousel and the Aquarium of the Bay, which has hundreds of feet of underwater tunnels showcasing the varieties of life in the San Francisco Bay, including sharks. I enjoy shopping there for gifts and decorations, such as the many black-and-white photos of San Francisco I have framed in my room. The restaurants mainly feature the delicious fresh seafood from the bay, but there is something for everyone if you look.

Don't miss the tour to Alcatraz. I've lived here all my life and just recently enjoyed the tour a couple years ago. Make sure you book tickets in advance, however. Your chances of acquiring tickets while in San Francisco are slim to none.

Also, check out the other tours around the bay and the dinner cruises. Some other attractions around Fisherman's Wharf include Ghiradelli Square, the Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not, the USS Pampanito submarine, and the USS Jeremiah O'Brien. You have to visit Fisherman's Wharf on your next trip here.

This is the place for all the die-hard hippies, stoners, teen rebels, independent fashionistas, and music lovers. Haight Street is lined with music/record stores, head shops, piercing/tattoo parlors, and some cool clothing shops. It's kind of San Francisco's version of Venice Beach in Southern California. It's a bit of a shame, because this place has the potential to be a wonderful shopping district, but it's incessantly overrun with drugs, teen runaways, and the homeless.

Haight-Ashbury was made famous in the 1960s as the epicenter of the hippie era. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Jefferson Airplane all resided in the area. Now it's kind of the hub for rebels.

I spent a lot of my teen "daze" here. Now I go back to shop at certain clothing and shoe stores that carry the latest in urban trends. Check out Villain's (two stores) and Shoe Biz (three stores). These are my favorite places for the latest in clothing and shoes. For music, Ameoba is your mega-store, which has absolutely everything. It's a converted bowling alley, so you can imagine how big it is. For DJs, check out F-8 (Frequency 8), the small record store owned by famed DJs Mars and Mystre. Although the Haight district has improved with higher-end stores setting up shop in vacant sites, it still has a long way to go.

During the day, it's pretty safe. Just ignore the panhandlers. At night, go with some friends. On the weekends, it's usually packed and parking is extremely difficult, so I suggest going during the week or paying for parking (about $5) in the few lots provided.

Great America is quite a large amusement park. It has eight roller coasters, including Top Gun, a suspended coaster; the Vortex, a standing coaster; Invertigo, a backwards/forwards suspended rollercoaster; and the Grizzly, an old wooden coaster. A couple other thrill rides include Drop Zone, a freefall ride, Xtreme Skyflyer, and Delerium, a crazy spinning pendulum that is out of this world. Santa Clara can get pretty warm, so the new water park is a breath of fresh air. It has six waterslides, a lagoon, and a lazy river. All in all, it’s a great theme park. It is a little pricey and can get very crowded, but with the addition of the water park, it's worth it.