Touring San Francisco: Some Recommendations

I love to show people around my city, but I can't always be there to do it. In one such case, I wrote up a quick list of recommendations of things to do and places to go in SF. I hope this will be useful for readers coming to The Dilettante via the googles, but for people who know me please don't use this as an excuse not to avail yourselves of my tour-guiding skillz. Without further ado:

-Burma Superstar on Clement St has great food. They'll have a long wait but you can give them your cell number and tool around the neat Clement St neighborhood while you wait. Make sure somebody orders the tea leaf salad.

-Mission Chinese (at Mission and 18th st) is some of the best asian fusion in the city. Go very early in the evening to avoid too long of a wait and definitely order the Ma Po Tofu.

-Make sure to get a burrito at some point. El Farolito is the "classic" one, but a lot of taquerias around Mission St are better, including Taqueria Cancun (mission and 19th) and Taqueria Vallarta (Balmy and 24th st near mission).

-Make sure to visit Chinatown (it's way bigger than the one in Montreal), and go during the day because a lot of it closes early. The main street is Grant, but you should also swing up to Stockton to see all of the markets. Chinatown turns into little Italy at Grant and Broadway which is pretty cute.

-If you happen to be in SF on a sunny weekend day, hang out at Dolores Park and people watch and maybe get an ice cream at the nearby Bi-Rite (its worth waiting in line for). The park is between the Mission (the hipster-type neighborhood) and the Castro (the gay epicenter of N America).

-Get coffee at either Sightglass, FourBarrel (first two have cool ambiance-- they roast the beans in the back), Ritual or Blue Bottle. You have never had coffee like this.

-Hike to the top of one of SF's scenic hills. Bernal Heights is good and it's near the Mission, Corona Heights is great and above the Castro, and Telegraph Hill is above little Italy. Telegraph doesn't have as broad a view of the city, but it is very pretty and still has great views.

-If you have some time, hiking around Lands End park (great view of the GG bridge) to the Sutro baths (crazy ruins) and ending at the Cliffhouse for a drink is a rad afternoon.

-There are plenty of museums if you're interested. The de Young is our big art museum and it's in the lovely Golden Gate Park.

-Cafe Flore in the Castro is a good place to get brunch at and people-watch. Thorough Bread bakery is a cheaper (less scenic but extremely delicious) way to brunch in the same area.