FOOD & DRINK
Park Tavern, North Beach - 8/10 (amazing cocktails; D's dinner was better than mine)
Tony's, North Beach - 8/10 (these pizzas are big - but leftovers make for an excellent mid bike ride picnic)
Farralon, Downtown - 6/10 (the oysters let this place down as they were tiny and the decor was a part opulence, part tack)
Lucia Lodge, Big Sur - accommodation 9/10 and food 3/10 (the food was obscenely expensive for what it was; they have you over a barrel down Highway 1)
Yosemite Bug, Yosemite NP - accommodation 9/10 and food 7.5/10 (I would highly recommend staying here if you're heading to Yosemite...the Trail Mix you get with lunch is so good)
Foreign Cinema, Mission - 7/10 (bit pricey really but novel environment - there's always an old movie playing)
Armoury Club, Mission - 9/10 (generally awesome cocktail bar)
La Boulange, North Beach - 9/10 (we went here about 5 times for breakfast and 3 times for lunch)
Tacolicious, North Beach - 7.5/10 (great food but we couldn't hear each other think the music was so loud!)
Grub, Mission - 6.5/10 (fairly standard, nothing really to write home about)
Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe, North Beach - 8/10 (good beer and really good sarnies in a lovely old Italian cafe)
Boulevard, Embarcadero - 9/10 (now this was good, but it's seriously expensive)
Slanted Door, Embarcadero - 9/10 (you have to go here and if you can, request to be seated in a booth)
Melt, North Beach - we only had tea and beer here so can't really rate but it had live piano and jazz and was a wonderful place to watch the world go by
Little Vine, North Beach - 9/10 (pick up some picnic goodies here and head down to the beaches above Fisherman's Wharf for a view of the Bay)
We stayed in San Remo Hotel while we were in San Fran itself - I would thorough recommend it, it's so quirky and cute. The rooms are tiny and if you're sensitive to noise while sleeping, make use of the earplugs supplied - the bathrooms (shared) are something else!
ACTIVITIES
You absolutely must cycle the Golden Gate Bridge - it is spectacular. Most people cycle to Sausolito and get the ferry back, we cycled both ways, which was about 26km in total but it was great. It's a very good way of blowing away any hangover cobwebs or jolting yourself out of jet lag tiredness. Photos here.
Climb the Coit Tower for fantastic views of the city and the Bay.
There are so many great neighbourhoods in San Fran to just wander around. We did North Beach, Pacific Heights, Hayes Valley, Chinatown, Mission to name but a few - all with plenty of independent shops to browse and cafes to sit in.
Spend a sunny afternoon in the Golden Gate Park and check out the de Young Museum.
If you're there around Dia de Muertos (the Mexican Day of the Dead festival) you should definitely head down to Mission to watch the parade - it's immense.
Rent a convertible for silly cheap money and drive down Highway 1 to Big Sur. Photos of these adventures here and here.
Yosemite is an absolute must ... it is amazing. We went out of season (late Oct) and while not every lake was full or every waterfall running, the lack of crowds definitely made up for it. The colours were beautiful too.
Take advantage of any local art exhibitions. We wandered around one in Washington Sq, North Beach and picked up a cool piece by Stevens Jay Carter, an artist who is actually represented by Saatchi & Saatchi back here. Luckily for us, Washington Sq prices were considerably more affordable than Saatchi & Saatchi, London!
Visit City Lights bookstore ... it's an institution in itself. And very cool.
Brunch at the food market at the Ferry Building on Saturday morning. We made the mistake of going after breakfast. Don't be fools like us!
Talk to people - being friendly is rather refreshing. We got chatting politics with two old guys in a cafe one morning. It was definitely a highlight.
If you're reading this because you're heading to San Fran - enjoy, I'm jealous! If you're not, maybe I can tempt you in pictures ... here.
