trip to San Fran

[red zeppelin]

I am going to San Francisco for work in the beginning of June for 3 days. Anyone know of any shave shops (something like Pasteurs in NY) in the Union Square area? Also open to suggestions of restaurants, food carts, etc. Never been the to left coast so I am looking to maximize my couple of days there.

 

[CyberJCM]

I don't have time to share alot, and I could as I love The City. My favorite eats is to head down to the Fishermans Wharf area and go to Boudins. There you can have a great dungeness crab meal and eat your fill of the famous and amazing San Fran Sourdough from the place it originated. Small bit of trivia: Each batch of Sourdough uses a small bit from what they call the "Mother Dough". They have been using a bit from the same Mother Dough that papa Boudin mixed up in 1849!

Another quick eats tip: Head to the North Beach area and eat at The Stinking Rose. It's an Italian restaurant thats famous for being heavy on the garlic.

 

[NCJack]

The corner of Broadway and Columbus puts you on the border of Chinatown and North Beach (Italian). Within two blocks you can eat yourself into Nirvana. It's also strip club central, and not as sleazy as you'd think.

 

[jesseix]

I second going to North Beach/Little Italy, although I would probably recommend eating at one of the other Italian restaurants there (nothing against Stinking Rose, but IMO there's better options).
Also in that area try to check out Tosca for a drink, its a really cool old bar (cash only though) http://toscacafesf.com/TOSCA.html

 

[mr_economy]

Are you by chance staying at the Hilton in Union Square? If so, the concierge desk has a great hand-made map with recommended restaurants within walking distance of the hotel; from my experience it was a reliable source of good restaurants.

I'll give another endorsement for great eats in Little Italy and Chinatown (I'm craving some dim sum now...), plus all the seafood and sourdough you can handle down at the Wharf. In the Union Square area, there's a great crepe and breakfast joint called Honey Honey. For shaving goods, Nancy Boy has a retail store in San Fran, which I always seem to forget about until I'm on my way back to the airport.

 

[Go West Young Man]

There's a wiki shopping page for SF that's pretty up to date.

 

[P Funk]

If you want some authentic Mexican and get a feel for a part of the city that is not as 'touristy' as others (not bad-mouthing the suggestions so far; all the places mentioned are great and should be seen), visit the Mission district. Not only is there great food (Mexican and plenty of others), there is a bunch of great cafes, shops, bars, etc.
Enjoy your trip! The weather today was high 70s w/o a cloud in the sky

 

[Acmemfg]

Words of advice I received years ago from a Bay Area lifelong resident:

Don't call it "Frisco".. Don't call it "San Fran". Locally it is known as "San Francisco" or simply "The City".

That being said-

Find your way to "Zeitgeist", one of local hangouts which makes The City the wonderfully eclectic place it is.
Avoid The Haight but if you go there anyway, stop by Toronado (excellent saloon) and Amoeba Records.

 

[red zeppelin]

I edited the post to change to San Francisco. I actually hate the other abbreviation, I only did it to save typing. Being from Philadelphia I am equally sensitive to the awful abbreviations of our city as well!

Words of advice I received years ago from a Bay Area lifelong resident:

Don't call it "Frisco".. Don't call it "San Fran". Locally it is known as "San Francisco" or simply "The City".

That being said-

Find your way to "Zeitgeist", one of local hangouts which makes The City the wonderfully eclectic place it is.
Avoid The Haight but if you go there anyway, stop by Toronado (excellent saloon) and Amoeba Records.

 

[red zeppelin]

Actually no, I am at the Marriot Marquis.

Chinatown sounds like a good time, and I frequent the one in Philadelphia so I would like to see the comparison. The mission district and good Mexican is a welcome treat as well, so I may have to trek there as well. So much food and so little time!

Are you by chance staying at the Hilton in Union Square? If so, the concierge desk has a great hand-made map with recommended restaurants within walking distance of the hotel; from my experience it was a reliable source of good restaurants.

I'll give another endorsement for great eats in Little Italy and Chinatown (I'm craving some dim sum now...), plus all the seafood and sourdough you can handle down at the Wharf. In the Union Square area, there's a great crepe and breakfast joint called Honey Honey. For shaving goods, Nancy Boy has a retail store in San Fran, which I always seem to forget about until I'm on my way back to the airport.

 

[25or6to4]

only shave shop I know is AoS right there in Union Square by Macys.

couple of favorite trattorias:
www.a16sf.com
www.spqrsf.com

enjoy!

 

[25or6to4]

Zeitgeist - Warm beer and cold women? haha, last time I went it was anything but! Fun, crazy SF, good times.

 

[P Funk]

Words of advice I received years ago from a Bay Area lifelong resident:

Don't call it "Frisco".. Don't call it "San Fran". Locally it is known as "San Francisco" or simply "The City".

That being said-

Find your way to "Zeitgeist", one of local hangouts which makes The City the wonderfully eclectic place it is.
Avoid The Haight but if you go there anyway, stop by Toronado (excellent saloon) and Amoeba Records.

+1 on this - forgot to mention it earlier. Simply 'The City' if you are anywhere in the Bay Area will suffice. If you call it any of the other 'cute' nicknames for it, you might as well stamp the word 'Tourist' on your forehead.

Zeitgeist is one of the great bars in/near the Mission I was referring to - definitely worth a look.

 

[jesseix]

Zeitgeist - Warm beer and cold women? haha, last time I went it was anything but! Fun, crazy SF, good times.

Great place, I took my brother there on his 21st birthday and almost ended up in a fight with the door man when he puked after taking shots... I guess its my own fault for making him take the 3 Wise Men and then letting him pound a beer to chase...
This is all non-shaving related, but Bourbon & Branch/Wilson & Wilson is a cool speakeasy kind of place to grab a drink at. I did get a cut and a shave at an old school Italian shop in Little Italy/North Beach area years ago, but I have no idea if it's still there and can't remember the name to check unfortunately.

 

[red zeppelin]

General side question - what is the method to travel with a DE blade if I am carrying on? Should I try to mail myself something to the hotel before I go? Is there a legit way to travel with those? Should I just hit a Walgrens once I am out there and live with a crappy DE blade for a couple of days?

 

[AHBayArea]

Jumping in late. The only shaving stuff around is Nancy Boy (never been) and the AOS store in the mall. There used to be a Tabacco shop on Market Street but it closed down.

If you cannot check your bag you are out of luck for a blade. Either deal with Walgreens, AOS, or mail yourself some. Otherwise, I'd be happy to meet you somewhere around Market street and give you some, I mainly have Astra SP. I work on Market Street, right by the Ferry Building. Theres also a Boudin there too in Justin Herman Plaza, if you don't want to deal with the crowd at Fishermans Wharf. I LOVE their bread!

 

[red zeppelin]

Bay Area,
thanks for the offer. I think I am going to try to mail myself some, and barring that, I might take you up on your offer.

 

[red zeppelin]

so I ended up checking my bag and not needing to worry about the blade. Had a great time in the city, saw fishermans wharf, and took a ferry around alcatraz and under the bridge. Had some great food while there and went to a good conference.

Also found a small place in fishermans wharf that sells cosmetics. They have a mens line that includes a shave cream, face cream, aftershave balm etc. I liked their products from what I have used so far, the store is Laline and I think they have a couple in the San Francisco area.