San Francisco: Beyond the Tourist Trap

As we mentioned earlier, we have teamed up with locals to help provide that human touch to the Citybot brand.
I would like to introduce Lauren, our City Curator for San Francisco. Check out her first post below and keep an eye out for more suggestions for a San Francisco visit:

Lauren, SF Curator

When most people visit San Francisco for the first time, they usually come ill-prepared for the weather and limit their "adventures" to the Embarcadero/Fisherman's Wharf area, resulting in a incomplete view of the city. It's not until you brave the hills to venture out a bit that you can truly begin to see the charm and variety the city has to offer. When asking yourself "What to do in San Francisco", start with what you appreciate about any place you visit.

For the Art Lover
For the art lover inside us all there are several galleries and events, which are mostly captured in the Fecal Face Bay Area calendar (don't worry about the name, the sites legit!). There are also many parks to hang out in for the day, but if you really want to have an outdoor adventure, however, lack a means of transport, then head over to Glen Canyon Park. This park is accessible via BART and is one of the very few, but oft forgotten about hikes within city limits. Alternatively, if you have multiple friends in town then challenge them to a friendly game of bowling over at Mission Bowling Club - a 21+ "boutique" setting with 6 lanes and great food to boot.

Music Venues
When it comes to the music scene, everyone can find something to enjoy in San Francisco and the best resource to see what's going on is Thrillcall (which also has a handy app!). Some notable venues include The Independent, Rickshaw Stop, Mezzanine, SF Jazz, and The Fillmore.

Great Food & Coffee
Of course, no weekend in San Francisco would be fulfilled without indulging in all of the amazing food and libations we have to offer. To get that morning boost of caffeine, the best coffee experiences [sans Hipsters] can be found at Sightglass in SOMA or The Mill in NOPA, which serves Four Barrel Coffee and house-baked bread from Josey Baker. The great thing about San Francisco restaurants is that they too serve great coffee, so if you want a full brunch then make the justified journey over to Outerlands - hands down best brunch in town! Provided it's a sunny day, bring a towel or blanket along with you so you can digest beachside at Ocean Beach afterwards, which is only a short walk away at that point. For lunch and dinner there is no one best place because competition in this city is high, which is great for diners! If you're looking for something unlike anything you'll get in other cities, then definitely zero-in on the budget friendly Mission Chinese Food (psst, they do take out if you want to skip the line!), the infinite amount of beer, meat and potatoes at Suppenkuche, mouth-watering ramen at Izakaya Sozai, and the quintessential NorCal cuisine paired with incredibly friendly service at nopa. For those looking for a more hands-on food experience, check out the calendar at epicuring for upcoming events.

A great resource for finding out about all types of unique events happening around the city is the The Bold Italic calendar. And if all of these adventures takes a toll on your body, then drop into Anjalee for a Thai Massage. At $30 for 30 min., it's an incredible bargain and these women know what they're doing. Trust me, your body will be thanking you afterwards!"