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SAN FRANCISCO JUST HITS DIFFERENT./
FIRST, THERE’S THE DRAMATIC CITYSCAPE ITSELF: SEEMINGLY-NEVER-ENDING HILLS + VIOLENTLY STEEP STREETS ROLL DOWN TOWARDS THE BAY; ICONIC LANDMARKS PUNCTUATE SPRAWLING VISTAS; AND NEIGHBORHOODS OF VICTORIAN HOUSES SIT PROUDLY OVERLOOKING IT ALL./
THEN THERE’S THE CITY’S TEMPERAMENTAL CLIMATE – THE FAMOUS FOG SHROUDING THE CITY ONLY TO DISSIPATE + REVEAL A BLUE, SUNNY SKY A SHORT TIME LATER – LOCALS JOKE THAT YOU CAN EXPERIENCE ALL FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY HERE!/
AND ALL OF THIS SERVES AS A BACKDROP TO THE CITY’S GENERALLY LAIDBACK, LIBERAL VIBE. - SAN FRANCISCO HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST COSMOPOLITAN CITIES IN THE US, ITS VIBRANT HISTORY LITTERED WITH MONUMENTAL MOMENTS./
SURE, RECENT DECADES HAVE SEEN MANY CHANGES – AND NOT ALL OF THEM FOR THE BETTER - BUT THE CITY REMAINS A SYMBOL OF PRIDE + HOPE./
THE F1FTY SAN FRANCISCO GUIDE WILL NAVIGATE THE HILLS TO BRING YOU A SIMPLE LIST OF 51 PLACES YOU NEED TO KNOW./
LAYER UP – IT’S TIME TO EXPLORE!
//
SUTRO BATHS
THIS HISTORICAL LANDMARK WAS RECOMMENDED BY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER, GENA BRIGHAM. – SUTRO BATHS IS ACTUALLY THE CONCRETE REMAINS OF A COLOSSAL PUBLIC BATHING COMPLEX BUILT IN 1894. THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURES WERE DEMOLISHED BACK IN THE 1960s, BUT THE REMAINING POOLS CREATE A PHOTOGRAPHER’S PARADISE + OFFER AN INTERESTING GLIMPSE INTO THE CITY’S PAST. //
sutrobaths.com //
RECOMMENDED BY:
GENA BRIGHAM //
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20 SPOT
COSY MODERN WINE BAR, LOCATED IN AN OLD RECORD STORE IN THE MISSION, OFFERING AN EXTENSIVE WINE MENU, CREATIVE SMALL DISHES + A SOLID SOUNDTRACK. THE INTIMATE, CASUAL SETTING MAKES IT POPULAR SPOT + THEY DON’T TAKE RESERVATIONS - SO GET THERE EARLY! //
@20spotsf //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
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TRICK DOG
THIS TRENDY COCKTAIL BAR IS ALMOST AS FAMOUS FOR ITS CREATIVE, THEMED COCKTAIL MENU AS IT IS FOR THE DRINKS THEMSELVES. NEW CONCOCTIONS ARE OFTEN INNOVATIVE, SOMETIMES WEIRD, BUT ALWAYS DAMN GOOD – MAKING THEIR CONVERTED WAREHOUSE SPACE IN THE MISSION AN INCREDIBLY POPULAR HANGOUT FOR LOCALS. //
@trickdogbar //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
ONE OF THE MOST INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SYMBOLS OF SF, HOW COULD WE LEAVE THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE OFF THE LIST?! - THE ICONIC STRUCTURE, PAINTED IN ‘INTERNATIONAL ORANGE’, OPENED IN 1937, SPANNING THE 1-MILE-WIDE STRAIT CONNECTING SAN FRANCISCO BAY TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN + IT’S BEEN BELOVED BY LOCALS EVER SINCE. //
sftravel.com //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
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CHURCH OF 8 WHEELS
THIS 125-YEAR-OLD CHURCH, CLOSE TO THE FAMOUS ‘PAINTED LADIES’, IS HOME TO A ROLLER DISCO! THE ECLESIASTICAL FEATURES + STAINED GLASS WINDOWS NOW SERVE AS A BACKDROP TO UNCONVENTIONAL EVENTS + SKATING CLASSES. - AS THEIR WEBSITE SAYS, ‘ABANDONED CHURCHES MAKE GREAT ROLLER RINKS!’ //
@churchof8wheels //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
LA SANTANECA
INFORMAL, FAMILY-RUN RESTAURANT IN THE MISSION, SERVING DELICIOUS PUPUSAS + OTHER SALVADORAN + MEXICAN FARE, FROM TAMALES TO CHICHARRONES (FRIED PORK SKIN). THE SMALL, COSY VIBE OF THE DINING SPACE, COUPLED WITH THE EXTENSIVE MENU, ALL FRESH + COOKED-TO- ORDER, TURN NEWBIES INTO REGULARS. //
@lasantanecadelamission //
RECOMMENDED BY:
ANDERSON LEITE //
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LOMBARD STREET
A STREET? REALLY? YEP! - THIS SMALL STRETCH OF LOMBARD STREET (ON RUSSIAN HILL, BETWEEN HYDE + LEAVENWORTH STREETS) IS DUBBED “THE CROOKEDEST STREET IN THE WORLD” + IS ONE OF SAN FRANCISCO’S MOST POPULAR LANDMARKS. THE SEGMENT’S 8 HAIRPIN CURVES WERE ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE 1920s, DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE HILL’S NATURAL 27% GRADE, WHICH WAS JUST TOO STEEP FOR MOST VEHICLES. //
sftravel.com //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
LIPO COCKTAIL LOUNGE
CHINATOWN DIVE BAR FAMOUS FOR ITS SIGNATURE MAI TAI. – THE NEON LANTERN SIGNALS THE ENTRANCE, GIVING WAY TO A DIMLY-LIT SPACE WITH A WRAPAROUND BAR + FADED LEATHER BOOTHS. THE ATMOSPHERIC BAR HARKS BACK TO THE DAYS OF THE INFAMOUS CHINATOWN NIGHTCLUBS OF THE 1930s. //
@lipo_lounge //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
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LOST ART SALON
WHAT BEGAN AS A POP-UP SHOP ALMOST A COUPLE OF DECADES AGO, IS NOW A GALLERY DEDICATED TO “THE REDISCOVERY OF HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT ARTISTS WHO HAVE BEEN LOST TO TIME.” – BUSINESS PARTNERS ROB DELAMATER + GAÉTAN CARON TRAVEL THE WORLD TO ACQUIRE ARTISTS’ COLLECTIONS + REINTRODUCE THEM TO A NEW AUDIENCE. YOU’LL NEED AN APPOINTMENT! //
@lostartsalon //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
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RINTARO IZAKAYA
THIS JAPANESE IZAKAYA SERVES TRADITIONAL MENUS WITH A CALIFORNIA SPIN. OWNER SYLVAN MISHIMA BRACKETT OPENED THE RESTAURANT IN A UNIQUE SPACE FORMED FROM A RESTORED 1906 EARTHQUAKE COTTAGE + A 75-YEAR-OLD GARAGE. THE SPACE IS USUALLY FILLED WITH A HIP, BUZZY CROWD TUCKING IN TO YAKITORI + OTHER SPECIALITIES. IF YOU CAN, GET THERE ON A MONDAY FOR THE OMAKASE MENU! //
@mr_rintaro //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
STATE BIRD PROVISIONS
HUSBAND + WIFE TEAM, STUART BRIOZA + NICOLE KRASINKI, ORIGINALLY OPENED THE UNUSUALLY-NAMED ‘STATE BIRD PROVISIONS’ IN 2012. THE RESTAURANT SERVES “PROVISIONS”, SMALL PLATES, SERVED ON DIM SUM STYLE TRAYS, PERFECT FOR SHARING. THE SEASONAL COOKING IS TOP NOTCH, WHICH MEANS THAT GETTING A RESERVATION HERE CAN BE TRICKY! //
@statebirdprovisions //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
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SIGHTGLASS COFFEE
SIBLINGS JUSTIN + JERAD MORRISON LAUNCHED SIGHTGLASS IN 2009 FROM A SMALL CART IN THE SOMA DISTRICT. AFTER STEADILY BUILDING A CULT FOLLOWING, THE BRAND GREW TO OPEN BRICKS+MORTAR CAFES ACROSS THE CITY. - BUT THEIR ORIGINAL FOCUS IS STILL EVIDENT: THE BROTHERS STILL PERSONALLY SOURCE THE BEANS THEMSELVES + SIGHTGLASS USE SMALL PRODUCTION METHODS TO ALLOW THEM TO CONTINUALLY SCRUTINIZE + PERFECT THEIR PROCESSES. //
@sightglass //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
AUDIUM
ORIGINALLY OPENED IN 1967, AUDIUM CLAIMED TO BE THE FIRST ‘THEATER OF SOUND’ IN THE WORLD – A CUSTOM-BUILT SPACE FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF SPATIAL SOUND ART. LISTENERS SIT IN THE 49-SEAT THEATER, ENVELOPED BY 176 SPEAKERS IN THE SLOPING WALLS, FLOATING FLOOR + A SUSPENDED CEILING, TO EXPERIENCE THE WEEKLY PUBLIC PERFORMANCES. //
@audiumsf //
RECOMMENDED BY:
F1FTY //
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YOUR RECOMMENDATION!
BECOME A PART OF OUR GROWING F1FTY COMMUNITY./ SHARE ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE PLACES IN YOUR CITY + HELP US CREATE A TRULY UNIQUE CITY GUIDE! //
#share_your_city
RECOMMENDED BY:
YOU //
F1FTY SAN FRANCISCO // City Guide
This article has been edited with great care. Content was compiled based on facts available at the time of going to press. But cities live and breathe, and information is subject to change, so travellers are advised to check for updates from the respective location before your visit. All of the businesses mentioned in this guide were chosen at the discretion of F1FTY or its contributors. None of the brands or businesses featured paid for mentioning in any way.
All photos featured in this guide are copyright F1FTY, with the exception of: Cover Image: (Bay Bridge by Aaron Lau on Unsplash); Sutro Baths (Credit: Copyright Gena Brigham); 20 Spot (Credit: Instagram @20spotsf); Trick Dog (Credit: Instagram @trickdogbar); Golden Gate Bridge (Credit: Copyright Gena Brigham); Lombard Street (Credit: Simon Zhu on Unsplash); LiPo Cocktail Lounge (Credit: Instagram @lipo_lounge); Rintaro Izakaya (Credit: Instagram @mr_rintaro); State Bird Provisions (Credit: Instagram @statebirdprovisions); Sightglass Coffee (Credit: Instagram @sophia.gb); Audium (Credit: Instagram @audiumsf). Some images have been edited.